How to Make Hand Warmers
Stay cozy in cold weather with homemade hand warmers you simply drop into your mittens or gloves.
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You Will Need
- Rubber or latex gloves
- Flannel, wool, or felt fabric
- Scissors
- Needle and thread
- Rice
- Ceramic pie weights
- Sealable plastic bags
- Calcium oxide
- Bucket
- Water
Steps
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Wear gloves when adding chemicals, as they may cause serious burns.
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Step 1
Cut fabric
Cut a piece of flannel fabric 8 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches, and fold it in half with the short sides of the fabric together.
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Step 2
Sew the sides
Sew the 2 opposite open sides together with a needle and thread to form a pouch, and turn the pouch inside-out.
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Step 3
Fill pouch
Fill the pouch 3/4 full with uncooked rice before folding in the open edges 1/4 inch and using an overstitch to sew the top closed.
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Use brown rice rather than white rice to better hold heat.
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Step 4
Heat in microwave
Heat hand warmers in a microwave oven for 10 seconds before placing them inside your gloves to keep hands warm for up to 120 minutes.
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Avoid overheating hand warmers to prevent burns.
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Step 5
Make an alternative
Make a wool or felt pouch you fill with ceramic pie weights instead of rice as an alternative method, and increase microwave time to 2 minutes.
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Step 6
Make a chemical hand warmer
Make a chemical hand warmer by placing a sealable plastic bag inside a second one, and adding 1/2 ounce powdered calcium oxide to the inner bag along with 2 teaspoons water.
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Step 7
Seal bags
Seal both bags before massaging the contents until you feel warmth, but be prepared to drop the bags in a bucket of cold water if they become too hot. Now, tuck the warmer into gloves and make for the outdoors knowing you've beaten Old Man Winter at his own game.
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Frostbite accounted for 10 percent of all American casualties during World War II and the Korean conflict.
