Making Better Dinners With Less

If you need to keep perishable items cold during shipping, then dry ice can provide you with a viable solution. Dry ice is a concentrated and frozen form of carbon dioxide gas that has the ability to seriously chill the surrounding environment. Working with dry ice can be a bit tricky, so it's important that you are doing things properly to avoid costly mistakes when shipping your perishables.

Here are three mistakes that you should avoid when utilizing dry ice in the future.

1. Don't purchase your dry ice too soon.

If you plan to use dry ice to keep perishable items cool during shipping, you should plan to purchase your dry ice right before you ship your items out. Once exposed to the environment, dry ice will begin transforming from a solid into a gas.

This transformation is responsible for the fog-like quality of dry ice. By waiting until right before you ship your items to purchase your dry ice, you ensure that the dry ice will last as long as possible and give you the maximum amount of cooling during shipment.

2. Don't allow anyone to come into contact with the dry ice.

When you are including dry ice in the packaging for your perishable items, it's important that you clearly label your packages to indicate there is dry ice inside. Coming into contact with dry ice with your bare skin could result in serious frostbite.

If the individuals receiving your package are unaware that there is dry ice inside, they could unwittingly reach into the package and suffer serious injury. By labeling your packages to indicate they contain dry ice, those handling the packages on the receiving end can wear the proper safety gear to protect against dry ice-related injuries.

3. Don't store your dry ice in an airtight container.

In order to ensure that your dry ice is able to perform properly, you need to store it correctly while you are waiting to include the dry ice in your shipments. Do not put your dry ice in the freezer. Since temperatures in the freezer are actually warmer than the temperature of your dry ice, placing the dry ice in the freezer will cause it to evaporate more quickly.

Don't put your dry ice in an airtight container either. As the dry ice turns from a solid to a gas, it needs proper ventilation. An airtight container could explode and cause serious injury to those in the immediate vicinity.

Having the ability to properly handle dry ice will ensure that you can safely use this frozen material to keep your perishable items cold during shipping. Visit a site like http://www.unitedcityicecube.com for more help.