How to Make a Cast Waterproof

A cast holds a broken bone in one position so that it can heal properly. Casts are made of either plaster or fiberglass. Because they must be worn for weeks or months at a time, casts can make day-to-day activities challenging. In addition to restricting mobility, casts also require maintenance to prevent rashes and infections. Waterproofing a cast will keep it dry during bathing or in inclement weather and help prevent harmful infections from developing on the skin beneath the cast.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic bread bag or garbage bag
• Surgical tape
• Scissors

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Instructions

• 1

  Inspect your plastic bag for holes. If it has holes, use a different bag. Bread bags fit nicely over arm casts, but a garbage bag may be necessary for larger leg casts.

• 2

  Put the cast into the bag and pull the bag over the entire cast. Pull some extra bag past the end of the cast so that an inch or two of plastic covers the skin just beyond the edge of the cast.

• 3

  Wrap surgical tape around the end of the bag to press it into the skin. A waterproof seal needs to be tight, so you may need to wrap the tape several times.

• 4

  Remove the cast after bathing, swimming or coming in from the rain. Dry the area around the bag before removing it.