Because inexpensive coolers seldom have rubber seals between the top edge and the lid, you might want to add a cooler seal. You can make one for next to nothing with some foamy double-stick mounting tape. Use the super sticky kind made for outdoor surfaces.

Clean the surface of the cooler’s top edge where it contacts the lid with rubbing alcohol, then make sure it’s good and dry. Apply the sticky side of the tape to this surface. Try to do each of the four sides in its own continuous length of tape. Trim for width as necessary.

You can either leave the peel-off coating in place on the exposed side of the tape or if you’re seeking a bit of a sticky seal, peel in off and LIGHTLY coat the now sticky surface with baby powder or talcum.

When the tape eventually comes off, it’s easy to replace with new, but it adds a seal your inexpensive cooler never had before. That means ice lasts longer.