The Great 'Ways to keep cool' Hunt

IHateChoosingUserNames

What SK240 said. You need to exclude any air hotter than that inside the house, and only let in air when it is cooler (usually early morning and the evening onwards). Get blackout or thermal curtains if you can. Close any vents on your windows when it's hot outside. If your house has a cooler side that spends most of the day in shade, you can probably use that air (if it's cooler than inside and there are windows there) throughout the day to cool the house. And when it is cool and breezy out, always open more than one window to get an airflow going.

Ebe_Scrooge

Gloomendoom wrote: »

It cools the air down but it also increases the humidity.

Agreed. But I find it's not a problem in the summer as I've got the windows open anyway. However, I do like CCL's suggestion of bottles of frozen water.

dandy-candy

I thought we could share ideas on keeping cool in this heatwave. Here's some I've done.

1) Have windows open but curtains closed in the rooms with direct sun

2) Run a wet mop over the tiled floors in the house, makes the rooms lovely and cool while it evaporates!

3) I've old fashioned stoneware hot water bottles I've picked up at car boot sales for a couple of quid. I fill them with crushed ice and cold water and put them in with the rabbit and guinea pigs, they lie up against them and sleep. Could be useful for other furry pets.

4) Filled empty bottles with water and keeping them in the fridge to make super cold squash for me and the kids.

5) Remind everyone to refill the ice cube tray :mad:

What other suggestions can you add?

silver-oldie

Don't forget your pets.
Don't leave dogs in cars.
I read about 2 dogs rescued from cars yesterday, why are people so stupid?!!

[Deleted User]

My DDs dogs get walked first thing in the morning then after the sun goes down in the evening The back door is left open, if they want to go into the garden they can, but the little terrier (who had a hair cut last week ) likes to lie under the stairs or on their leather sofa to keep cool.

I too open the windows and shut the curtains during the day. DD has some wrist stretchy things that we run under the tap and put on our wrists to keep cool (bit like smaller alice bands )Being sensible and keeping your skin moisturized helps I always have a pack of wet wipes that I take with me that have been in the freezer when we go (as we will today ) to the beach. Lots of bottles of cold tap water rather than fizzy stuff is pretty good for you as well.

Gers

Move to where I live!

jk0

I open the windows from about midnight to 10am to cool the house. They are shut the rest of the day, to avoid the hot air entering.

thriftwizard

For us, it's easy to keep cool by creating a through-draft - to be fair we spend quite a lot of time trying to stop drafts! - we just open the loo window and the kitchen door, which are on opposite sides of the house, and simple natural air-flow does the rest. It helps that there are deciduous trees to the south and west, so we're shaded too. Most people might think our little garden's a tad overgrown, but at times like this it pays off; OH & DD1 are very fair-skinned, burn easily, and shade is important for them. Even the cats are lying in the shade at the moment!

PasturesNew

For immediate relief, run your wrists under cold running water & wet a flannel with cold water and lay it on your face, then run it under the water again and stick it on your head.

Or just go and have a cold bath/shower.

ariba10

thriftwizard wrote: »

For us, it's easy to keep cool by creating a through-draft - to be fair we spend quite a lot of time trying to stop drafts! - we just open the loo window and the kitchen door, which are on opposite sides of the house, and simple natural air-flow does the rest. It helps that there are deciduous trees to the south and west, so we're shaded too. Most people might think our little garden's a tad overgrown, but at times like this it pays off; OH & DD1 are very fair-skinned, burn easily, and shade is important for them. Even the cats are lying in the shade at the moment![/

We do the same. Open window upstairs on one side of the house and downstairs on the other.

Then make sure no one closes any doors in between.

(There is cooling breeze going through the house a time the moment.