Keeping Cool Tips! Let’s swap?

Greenhouse Shading material pegged to the guttering all around my south facing 3 sided extention
has worked wonders.
Its blocking out enough heat not to have to close the curtains/blinds so I'm still able to see out.
Its proving to be such a game changer that I think I'll put some fixings into the brick work above the other downstairs windows at the back for the future!

Sitting in the garden reading, thinking about doing some ironing, haven't got past thinking. I've got one of those blue ice blocks out of the freezer, started holding it to my neck and progressed to tucking it in my top. Glad we invested in an awning this year, getting plenty of use this week.

I must fight my lethargy and reduce my ironing pile. The upside of hot weather getting washing on the line, the downside the stack of to be ironed is becoming immense.

Fold a damp teatowel in a horse collar shape.

Place in. Freezer for a few minutes.

Put around your neck.

merlotgran

^Also hang a wrung-out sheet from the curtain rail for the night. The evaporation will cool the bedroom.^

This puzzles me.
Do you rinse and spin the sheet in the washing machine?
I’d need to climb on something to reach the curtain rail. (DD would have a fit!)
What about the existing curtains and/or blind. Don’t they get wet?

Am I over complicating this? 😂

You would probably get a similar effect by hanging your damp washing on a clothes horse in front of a partly open window, and putting a fan with its back to the washing and facing into the room (pulling air through the washing to cool it)

Cooling measures working well, steady all day indoors. Outside will rise to around 6pm

Good suggestions here, and they all help.
But believe me, once the temperature rises to 45 degrees, as it is here, there's very little you can do. Advice to everyone was handed out on day 1 and day 2, but now, on day 5, the experts are saying that there's very few individual solutions to cope with this heat.
Also, the whole infrastructure suffers and goes into meltdown.

Those little insulated bags from Waitrose..but other supermarkets I am sure sell them..with a couple of slim ice packs are so handy for keeping several small bottles of water or juice in plus a cool cloth. And easily portable. I shall buy one or 2 for DD2 tomorrow complete with a pack of ice packs if they are not sold out.
Lots of good tips.
We are ok at the moment, but of course as a PP said "living like troglodytes" which as retirees we can do. But life for those working must be a challenge and keeping small children cool difficult. The hot humid nights are the worst as we are all getting tired and irritable now. If we had cool breezy nights it would help so much.

A tip for the ice packs….I wrap them in a long scarf and you can then tie them around any part of your body as required!

I have found that a fine mist of cold water in a spray bottle sprayed very lightly on the sheets and pillow in the night is good to cool you down, and believe me it dries very quickly.
But most things I have tried are pretty short lived in the kind of temps we have been getting so for most of the night I just lie in a wakeful stupor.

Has anyone tried a dehumidifier to reduce indoor humidity- does it help? I may be able to borrow one)

We installed air conditioning in our lounge 4 years ago … family thought we were mad! But as DH has health issues it’s the best investment we made!

I have a neck fan. Amazing

I’m carrying on as normal - it’s only weather! Speaking as a 75 year old.

CANCEL ALL PLANS!!

I’ve binned the shorts, crops and tee shirt dress code for a cotton dress, knickers and NO BRA! I find that anything around my waist makes me hot and who needs a bra when all you’re doing is relaxing at home!
Plenty of fluids - mostly water, occasional tea, some very diluted squash - but mainly water. Yes, I’m peeing more but the colour is fine and a great indicator of dehydration anyway.

You can use ice and a big fan. Place the fan facing an open window, ice in a container on the windows sill and you'll get a bit of a cool breeze blowing back at you. Otherwise, if you can, buy air con, either a portable or have it fitted. It's magic!

Karmalady

#metoo

Immediately feel a few degrees cooler without a bra!!
.

A big bath towel steeped in cold water, lightly wrung out placed over the bed sheet.
Lovely and cooling and fast asleep before it dries out.

I spritzed the sheets with cold water last night, then myself. Lovely if you have a fan too

Margiknot

Has anyone tried a dehumidifier to reduce indoor humidity- does it help? I may be able to borrow one)

Mine are filling up every day at the moment, so yes they do help.
I have them set at 50% but you can vary it.
The water they collect is excellent for watering pot plants.

The green netting for the house sounds an excellent idea.
I did do that in the greenhouse for the first time this year, and it has worked a treat.
I just walked into my sewing room, the only room in the house with Venetian blinds, south facing, but oh so cool.
I am now wondering why I got rid of them in the other rooms......oh yes, I remember......the dust! Lol

I have a bath of water from cold tap (although not exactly cold more tepid!) and leave it there all day, and when I overheat I just get in and have a dunk, get out, and repeat every hour or so, saves water! I also wet tea towels and wrap them around my poor swollen feet which are agony at the moment!

forgot to add, when I am finished with the water in the tepid bath that I left all day, I use it to water the plants! eco warrior woman that I am!

NanRuby

So many people have a/c now that its using up a phenomenal amount of energy.

We had a total blackout for over (c) an hour last night. 11ish to 12:30am.

Starless night. Really odd to look out and not see a glimmer of light wherever you looked.

Too hot to settle for sleep without the fans. Googled and read that it should be fixed by 1:00am and so decided to read until then. Luckily I'd charged the small hand-held fan and neck torch the day before (both brilliant) but the electriciy came on earlier than estimated. Fans back on. Was asleep within five-minutes.

Supposed to be cooler from tomorrow.
🤞 🤞
.

Wet flannels put in fridge and wrapped round neck in afternoon or you can freeze the flannels and use as ice blocks. Buy a neck fan. Freeze those little drinks cartons of apple / orange juice - healthy -ish lollies for kids and adults. Better still, invest in proper air con. My DS did last year now we are seriously considering it.