Ice cubes in a glass
Ice is used to cool drinks, make special treats (like ice cream) or to treat injuries. Ice is useful in many ways, but it can also cause household problems.
As water freezes, it expands, taking up some more space.
Ice for drinks[]
Use clean, fresh water when making ice, since you will often be drinking it later. If you usually drink filtered or bottled water, you may want to use it for making the ice.
For special occasions, you can make special, flavored ice cubes. For instance, you could freeze lemon juice for ice tea. You can also make the cubes special by freezing some pieces of fruit (raspberries, lime slices, fresh mint, etc.) in the cubes.
Recovering. Foot propped up, and comfort from the puppy and an ice bag.
Comfort from ice[]
Ice can make people more comfortable. It creates a pleasant coolness in food and drinks. It can also help heal injuries and reduce the pain from them. Applying ice can temporarily numb the pain and help reduce any swelling. Warning: Ice or an ice pack applied directly can be harmful to the skin. So, wrap it in a cloth before holding to the skin.
Problems from ice[]
Ice on the ground or sidewalk can cause a slipping risk to people walking, riding or driving on it.
Also, when water gets in cracks in pavement, roofing or walls and then freezes, it expands and can make the cracks larger. Water in external pipes or even internal pipes that are near the outside or when the heat is turned off can freeze. When it freezes and expands, it can damage the pipes.