Socks stop cold water bottles from dripping

Try Ana's smart hack on your next summer outing:

At the zoo, it was extremely hot and humid so I pulled out the water bottles we brought to keep hydrated.  Within seconds, the cold bottles, of course, started dripping condensation and it was hard for our three-year-old to keep a grip on his.  Having a pre-schooler, I always pack an extra set of clothes so I reached in the bag and pulled out one of his extra ankle socks and slipped the bottle in it through the opening in the sock.  It fit perfectly (he wears a size 8 toddler shoe), and it continued to soak up any condensation until he was through with the water.  I've tried using napkins before to do the same thing, but always ended up with bits of napkins everywhere (three-year-olds will pick at anything they can pull apart) and they don't always fit all the way around the bottle depending on the size of the bottle.  The sock was a perfect fit, and our son thought it was funny that his bottle of water was wearing a sock!

Comments

[Peter]

Very close to a hack an Army Ranger taught me. Works well in hot, dry environments (e.g. Iraqistan). Soak a sock in water and put it over the water bottle. As the water evaporates from the sock, it cools the water bottle. Similar to the way sweat cools our bodies.

[Brittany]

We also do this with our 20 month old son when he eats Otter Popsicles. He doesn't like getting his hands cold, so we put a sock over the bottom half and he's very content.

[ChristieNY]

LOVE this hack! We're headed to the zoo tomorrow, and I'll be packing an extra set of socks for my two boys! THANKS! :)

[JT]

This also worked really well when I was in college and brought a big plastic bottle of hot cocoa with me to football games and etc. I used to put the bottle in one of those grey heather ragwool socks and the drink stayed hot all through the game.

Of course, now that everyone has insulated coffee mugs, I guess we don't have to do that anymore!

[Abel]

This is a very cool idea! Very neat and no more mess.

[Patti]

This is brilliant! This is my first time on this site and I love that I found such a useful tip within seconds. Thanks!