Hacks to help cope with the heat

[rogxwhit]

Socks/tea-towels in the fridge work. If you can keep your feet and head cool, then that helps a lot.

That fridge is working extra hard with its door wide open, if you've got your head and feet in it ...

 

[Lazurus]

Wet a tee shirt as the evaporation will cool you off, we have cool coats for the dogs which work on the same principle, they appreciate it.

 

[baldkev]

I bought a mobile aircon unit
Unfortunately the mrs gets to use it while im outside on a building site sweating my balls off

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If by factual you mean nonsensical.

Which part? Do tell.

 

[Molynoox]

If I get desperate I wet my skin, either with a mist spray thing or a wet cloth. Takes the edge off it, especially if you combo it with a fan

Martin

 

[mikej460]

sit in a cold bath eating chocolate icecream

especially Co-op's Venezuelan Chocolate Ice Cream

 

[TRITON]

My living room is North facing, so its always pretty cool. I can walk in from being outside in this heatwave and its like its air conditioned.

 

[Stigmorgan]

I go sit in the school building that has aircon and a chilled water dispenser

 

[Scruples]

I remember when it used to be like this in the summer, and the world didn't come to an end.

You remember from when you were a boy and summers seemed to go on forever. In reality though, we didn't have heatwaves on a regular basis. Just the odd one here and there. The last two hot summers were 1976 and 2018.

 

[Scruples]

Moving north helps. I hear Norway is nice this time of year.

Maybe the world will be moving north, or south (in the other hemisphere) to avoid the heat in the future.

 

[Puggers]

As a person who burns easily, I have a real fear of the sun - there are some good ideas already posted but I think taking on regular fluid and working at a sensible pace are the best, even if perhaps the most obvious.

Above all, whether at work or play, please cover up and/or wear cream and take the sun in sensible doses.

I don’t want to be preachy but as someone who had skin cancer with resulting skin grafts and 90 stitches, I have some experiences I don’t want any of you to go through.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Whilst most unusual for the UK, temperatures in the mid 30s are common around the med and many other parts of the world.

Civilisation has thrived for thousands of years - I can only assume they know how to live in harmony with their climate, even before the age of aircon!

Get up and start the day as the sun rises well before the temperature climbs. Midday to around 5.00 lunch followed by siesta. Back to work for a few hours. 20.00 home relax, meal out when the outdoors is delightful.

It's only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun - anyone with a bit of sense stays in the shade, drinks plenty of fluids etc. The uncivilised Englishman abroad wallows in the sun, fuelled on alcohol, and turn pink or red. It doesn't need to be like that.

The heat is an impediment to anything other than very modest physical exertion. But we make far too much fuss over a fairly rare event - we should enjoy and learn from the experience.

 

[Sideways]

The heat is an impediment to anything other than very modest physical exertion. But we make far too much fuss over a fairly rare event - we should enjoy and learn from the experience.

That reminds me of a chap who needed to cross from his hotel in Dubai to the one 100 yds away where he was meeting colleagues for dinner.
He did the obvious thing and walked - and arrived soaked in sweat ! You don't walk anywhere when it's almost 50C

 

[Droogs]

No you book a room at that hotel and walk naked from yours an hour early carrying your suite in a bag. Get there and have a shower and get ready and don't worry about getting home as it will be dark and only 36c

 

[Fergie 307]

sit in a cold bath eating chocolate icecream

Hot tub on a suitably cool setting is rather good

 

[shed9]

Whilst most unusual for the UK, temperatures in the mid 30s are common around the med and many other parts of the world.

The temperatures around the med and many other parts of the world are rising as well. That's why it's an issue.

But we make far too much fuss over a fairly rare event - we should enjoy and learn from the experience.

It's not a rarity in that the data modelling indicates we will experience this every one year in five, exponentially rising to every year post 2050 at current rate. The next iteration of a heat wave will be worse, premature deaths will rise, more crops will fail, animal farming will require culling due to lack of animal food as a compound result of those failed crops and those people from 'around the med and many other parts of the world' will start to look for somewhere else to live, possibly where you do now.


This thread is a useful discussion on practical ideas to cope with the current situation, no need for people to keep using it to suggest it's a nothing burger or a rare event to be enjoyed.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Come to Perth, Australia. It is frr-eee-zing at the moment ... 21 degree C midday today.

But comes summer, it will be a mild 40-42 degrees

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Dionysios]

This thread is a useful discussion on practical ideas to cope with the current situation, no need for people to keep using it to suggest it's a nothing burger or a rare event to be enjoyed.

Exactly!

Though it's still a relatively rare event in this country it has to be dealt with caution.

Sunshine and heat are nice but you have to ''Enjoy Responsibly''.

I was surprised that on some mainstream news sites I have not read an actual list of things that you have to do in order to avoid problems.

Most of the time there are essays analyzing the climate change, Healines like ''Britain braces for the heatwave of doom'' (a bit exaggerating but you get the gist) etc, but not actual instructions of self protection (using what you have in hand, not rushing to buy an AC i.e.)

In Greece evrytime there is a heatwave coming almost all the media repeat the same set of instructions to avoid sunstrokes, heatstrokes, sunburns etc, and there are heatwaves every year.

The good news for the UK is that no mater what the highest temperatue is going to be during the day when the sun sets the temperature falls quickly (in Greece to declare a heatwave the lowest temperature during the day should be 27 C and above).

One thing that I forgot to mention on my previous post is that the sunrays here are more dangerous (they are nearly vertical during the summer and therefore more strong). In Greece I might get a sunburn at the beach (direct sunlight and reflection from sand and water) if I am not cautious, in Havana (close to equator) I didn't even need to use suncream, in Berkshire I've got a sunburn when gardening

So never forget the suncream if you are about to stay under the sun for any extended period of time.

 

[D_W]

light colored wooden blinds. you could hang anything light colored, though, even cheap sheets, if you wanted to let some light through.

My mother (who is very comfortable financially but really cheap) would hang sheets in little used rooms that drew in heat during the day. I'm fairly sure they were sheets that she bought surplus or something.

 

[baldkev]

Maybe the world will be moving north, or south (in the other hemisphere) to avoid the heat in the future.

Apparently the north pole has been moving for some time! Although probably not enough to change our temperature yet.

Hot tub on a suitably cool setting is rather good

Hmm.
Not sure on that one! I like a late night dip and its usually a lot cooler, so in summer its about 36°, winter 38°
In spain they had swimming pools that felt like they were chilled. When you first go in, its freezing! You get used to it quickly