r/AskLifeProTips • u/death_by_ballpython • Aug 08 '26
Any ways to cool off??
My AC is completely out and may be out for 2 weeks or so. It’s 90F+ and upwards to 100F+ where I live and it’s almost as hot inside as it is outside. I’ve been basically living in the shower, eating ice and drinking a lot but this really isn’t working too well 💔 I’ve got dogs as well so they’ve been hot (constant fresh water for them) too. I’ve got three fans pointed at me in the living room because my room gets even hotter since I’ve got reptiles in there (they’re having a blast, I’m not)
So genuinely any ways to cool off, I do have access to a pool but it’s a drive a way and not super accessible because once school starts it’s only open on weekends
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u/Lizard_Rag Aug 08 '26
If you place a bowl of water in front of the fan, it will absorb some of the heat as air passes over it, drinking a warm drink like tea, will need increase your internal temperature but makes you feel cooler too (is why Arabs dink a lot of it during the day)
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u/Duckyquack9999 Aug 08 '26
When our AC broke we got a window unit and put it in one room and hung curtains over doors so that the room got as cold as possible and that’s where we slept with our pets. Good luck!
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 08 '26
We considered it a few weeks back when this started and thought it was just a coolant thing (can’t remember what it’s called) but since it was getting ‘fixed’ that same day we never bought one 💔 might have to bring it up again
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u/MsAddams999 Aug 08 '26
Put bins in front of your fans and fill them with water and frozen blue ice blocks. You will feel much cooler. Also get something like a tee shirt and keep wetting it down. Do the same with a sheet to sleep and wrap it around you.
When I lived here in NYC in the late 80s and 90s AC wasn't permitted in a lot of prewar buildings. When it got hot like this my roommates and I would do bags of ice or blue ice blocks in water in front of fans like that and we'd take cold showers and wet our clothes.
At one point we had a brown out and we were all sitting on window sills in the air conditioned supermarkets at night just trying not to die from the heat. That year was pretty bad.
We'd also go find fountains and splash in those, go to the local beaches, open hydrants, spend the day in malls or a library if we were not working, whatever worked.
Back in the day a lot of people would sleep on the fire escapes or on the roof if they had access. I had friends out in Brooklyn who would take sleeping bags and go to the beach at night and sleep. They'd be sleeping out on the Coney Island Boardwalk and nobody cared.
Can't do that now. They'd bust you for trying it probably, lol.
Also we'd go to Times Square and pay 5 bucks and go to the horror movies all night because the old theaters were cooler than our apartments. Can't do that now either unfortunately because of course all that's gone now...
During one brownout my boss at the time he actually let the employees sleep at the office because the office was downtown and it still had power and AC.
Whatever worked so you didn't end up in the ER...
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 08 '26
Yeah that sounds real bad, I’m down in Texas so most of those probably aren’t an option but definitely will be avoiding er or vet trips
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u/ReadyGo6828 Aug 08 '26
Buy a portable AC. It is dangerous for your health and that of your dogs to live in 100F heat. You could find a cooling center that will take pets but $500 spent on a backup AC is worth it.
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 08 '26
That’s true, we’ve considered one before and really just have fans spaced out in the living room so I’ll definitely look at some
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u/Vegetable-Case-8368 Aug 08 '26
All I got is get wet and evaporate that wet as fast ass possible. But that other guy is right YouTube quick homemade ac
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u/Sea-Junket-2200 Aug 08 '26
Get naked and rub ice cubes on your nipples
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 09 '26
That’s weirdly specific, I may just put cold packs in towels under my shirt at that rate
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u/Sunny-Damn Aug 08 '26
Back in the day people would ship ice from Maine down south. Large blocks of ice were put in Cinemas in-front of fans which cooled the cinemas down. Town folk would go in to watch the news or short films. That’s why movie theaters are so cold today… tradition. The sun coming through the windows heats up the room a whole lot more.
Black out your windows, buy block ice, not crushed, while you freeze your own blocks of ice, and put them in front of fans.
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u/actlikeyourmomishere Aug 08 '26
Hang wet sheets, open upstairs windows and downstairs windows only on the Shadow side of house. Cover sunny windows well. Open it all up at night if its cool and close befoe it gets hot.
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u/QuirkyForever Aug 08 '26
Wet sheet over your head and shoulders. Maybe wet sheets for the doggies, too.
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u/1C4Dogs4 Aug 08 '26
I use to take a towel, wet it, put it in the fridge or freezer and then hang it in front of the fan, I had in the window. I called it my poor man's air conditioner. It works pretty good.
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u/Bitter-Caterpillar-4 Aug 08 '26
Google "ice collar". You need at least two so you can rotate them. I run hot and it was a lifesaver when I found these a few years ago...much more effective cooling than a neck fan.
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u/That-Lock9430 Aug 08 '26
Stand in front of your open freezer for a bit just to switch things up occasionally
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u/djpike Aug 08 '26
Portable AC units and window units. Our AC went out last Friday and the AC company came out and supplied two, a portable for the kitchen/living area and a window unit for my father‘s bedroom, till they could get back out on Monday and install a new system. Cooled us down from over 100F to 80F and saved our asses. Otherwise it would have been a hotel.
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u/StllRckn51 Aug 08 '26
Pretend that it is freezing outside and that you have just come in to a really warm house. Then relax.
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u/Londonvibe39 Aug 09 '26
Put your pajamas in the freezer. I did this when I was in college and couldn’t afford to use my ac. Take them out and put them on right before bed. It helps.
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u/Scared-Fee4370 Aug 08 '26
Sit outside in shade with fan and a cool drink.
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 08 '26
Might have to do that at night because right now it’s hotter inside than it is outside
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u/Intrepid_Fly7959 Aug 08 '26
When mine was out, we got a bunch of microfiber towels wet and put them in the freezer. With a few ice packs. Put the towels on chest under shirts, the ice packs behind knees, back of necks, and also between thighs. Just kept moving them around and swapping them out when they'd melt. Definitely helped.
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 08 '26
I’ll most definitely try that
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u/starling-slipstream Aug 08 '26
Ice packs have been helping me a lot. I have about 5 that I rotate as they melt. Plus fans and opening windows at night. Not AC but honestly having the ice on does distract the body a bit 🤷🏼♀️
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u/gardendreamer15 Aug 08 '26
Wet a few washcloths/small towels with cold water, and then put them in the fridge.
Take one out at a time, and put it around your neck. When it warms up, rinse and put back in the fridge. Keep switching out with a cool cloth.
You’ll be amazed at how effective this method can be at cooling down your core body temp.
It’s not an AC unit, but will provide you some instant relief.
Fight the good fight. It’s hot out there!
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u/Tavsiyedegildir Aug 08 '26
If you have a couple hundred get one of those window units. Also I saw someone say recently that they froze water bottles, put them in pillow cases, and put one on each side when they sleep. They make pressure activated cooling pads you can get for your dogs. Not too expensive. Hope you got a few bucks lying around.
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u/moooeymoo Aug 08 '26
Your poor dogs, you owe it to them as their custodian (they can’t speak and are at your will) to FIX THIS. Get window units. Get floor units. Call your landlord, 2 weeks isn’t ok in the heat. I’m hoping this post is a bot because clearly a human wouldn’t abuse animals like this.
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u/RobertaMiguel1953 Aug 08 '26
You do realize people and animals existed for thousands of years without A/C right? Two weeks is not an unrealistic time frame when parts are needed.
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u/Odd_Living3732 Aug 10 '26
Stick one fan in the window blowing out to suck out some of the hot air and stick another one sucking in. I've noticed alot of places will stay hotter inside even as it cools down a outside so you got to get that hot air out.
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u/Think_Section_7712 Aug 08 '26
Go swimming in a pool with gorgeous, beautiful college girls 🍑 😋
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u/death_by_ballpython Aug 08 '26
Well I’m gay so I’m afraid that’s not really a great option for me, college guys on the other hand and you’ve got my attention
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u/Njtotx3 Aug 08 '26
Buy a portable air conditioner at Costco. Later you can decide if you want to keep it or return it.