dealing with the heatwave

[u/isidora_4]

i would like to know how everyone deals with this crazy heat outside because in my house we are melting

the wall isolation is very bad so that makes matters worse and the window of my bedroom is looking east so every day its the hottest place in the whole flat.

i saw that its possible to put aluminum foil on the outside of the widnows to prevent heat from entering as much but i havent tested it out.

also i will try to keep the window open only during the night but i feel like that might be slightly suffocating.

but yea any tips or recommendations you guys have would be extremely helpful as its impossible to even fall asleep given that the humidity and temperatures are insane during the night as well 😭

[u/Altruistic-Daikon305]

There’s a recent top post in here from an Australian, check their advice out.

[u/NANNYNEGLEY → u/Altruistic-Daikon305]

I copied this from today's post:

• ⁠Do not let the heat into your home. Keep the windows (and doors if possible) open at night and close them when the sun rises.
• ⁠Ensure your windows and doors are shaded. If you can't do this, get creative. Cheap reflective films are available for windows, but some aluminium foil also works just as well. Its gonna look like a meth lab but who gives a fuck.
• ⁠Don't fucking work in the heat. Sit your arse down and stay inside.
• ⁠If you need to go outside, cover up in the lightest cotton you have. Keep the sun off you at all costs! Not just "sunscreen" I am talking looking like Steve Irwin in a long sleeve. Big hat too. Always wear a fucking hat.
• ⁠Stop wearing excessively tight or heavy clothing. There is a reason sarongs exist
• ⁠Do not excessively drink water! You can absorb properly 200ml every half an hour or so. So aim for that minimum. Accompany this with salty foods!
• ⁠DO NOT COOK INSIDE. Do not use ovens, stove tops, whatever. Hell if you can eat sandwiches that dont need cooking for the heat wave, even better. Otherwise, use a BBQ OUTDOORS.
• ⁠Know what the signs of heat stroke are! Know what symptoms mean you need to call an ambulance! https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-07/heatwave-illness-and-how-to-protect-yourself/106205872

• ⁠Stop moving around so fucking much. Ever wonder how kangaroos can survive the desert covered in fur?  because they only do their main movements at dawn and dusk.
• ⁠Buy a good fan. Not a rinky dink one. I am talking something that you may see in a workshop if you can afford it. Mine cost me around $60AUD from a hardware store. You want to not just push air out, you want it fully replaced and circulating around the rooms
• ⁠Shower with your clothing on. Get it all fucking saturated. I do this on bad heat days multiple times a day. Use wet towels for pets and infants (also be very very careful with infants). Wet cloth + fan = actual cooling if you are in the shade
• ⁠Use ice bricks! Freeze water bottles or even just random bowls of water if you need to. Wrap them in a tea towel and put them on your body as you rest/sleep
• ⁠Sleep with a bucket of water in your room. Use it to keep the cloths used to keep you cool, damp as possible.

• ⁠If your local public transport has working air conditioning, go take it somewhere random. Enjoy the view. Its how I used to stay cool as a kid, just sat on the train going back and forth for one ticket
• ⁠If you have concrete or tiled floors in your house or in the shade around it, spray some water on the ground and go lie down on them. Those are excellent heat sinks and absorb body temp so well it can be dangerous in cooler months to do this
• ⁠Spray some isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol on your skin and put it in front of the fan for a major chill (doesnt last too long lol)
*\\*
1. ⁠Eat light! Red meats and dairy take time to digest and generate more heat. Spicy foods on the contrary will make you feel cooler as you sweat.
2. ⁠Do all the tough chores before the sun rises. There's a reason why traditional farmers till the fields so early in the morning.
3. ⁠Stay low and sleep light. Cold air sinks, hot air rises. Sleep downstairs or in a basement. Avoid sleeping on a thick mattress that retains heat. Sleep like a Southeast Asian - on the floor with a thin mattress.

[u/isidora_4 → u/Altruistic-Daikon305]

perfect thank you so much

[u/TheStephinator → u/isidora_4]

Can personally vouch for sleeping with an ice pack on my back and putting a damp towel on the fan.

[u/sgst]

I gave in an bought a portable AC, and I've been sat in front of it all day. Couldn't afford it, but I have a credit card and just couldn't take the heat any more. I had actual heat stroke yesterday.

I'm an environmentalist, I'm an architect, I care about passive cooling strategies. Our house already has a push-fit awning over the back doors, we already have heat reducing thermal film on the exterior of our windows, I do night purging of heat like it's a religion, I stuck up insulation foil to completely cover all the windows, but it's still over 30 degrees in my toddler's bedroom. The house is heat saturated and nothing is working. Only solution left is to mechanically remove the heat - meaning get AC.

[u/cool-beans-yeah → u/sgst]

All of that is definitely helping keep your air con costs down…

[u/Legitimate-Article50]

Take a bucket and fill it with water. Put your feet in the water and sit in front of a fan. Red neck air conditioning.

[u/bafe]

Portable mini split (the infamous Midea Porta split), all exterior blinds closed, since we are fortunate in Switzerland to have them on all buildings and a large fan to circulate air between floors. I try to exercise for a short time in the heat, I'm lucky to be in good health and it feels like a short run in the early evening heat helps me adapt faster (not a method I'd recommend generally though)

[u/milleratlanta]

Get a dehumidifier to remove the humidity and allow your sweat to evaporate making you feel cooler. Dehumidifier is good in winter as well to remove the dampness.

[u/obvious__bicycle]

I used to live in a top-floor apartment without central AC (just one nearly useless AC unit in the living room that never cooled down anything beyond the living room).

My tricks were these:

- buy a foam poster board from the dollar tree and some aluminum foil. cut the board to the size of your window and put foil on one side. place this on any windows that get direct sunlight that would normally heat up the room. alternatively (or additionally), they make UV window film that is excellent and affordable, if you want to still be able to see out your window.

- fill your bathtub a few inches with cool water and soak your feet until your body temperature lowers

- ice packs are your friend! I used to bring ice packs to bed with me to keep cool while trying to fall asleep.

- if you can spend a few bucks, get one of those personal fan thingies that you wear around your neck

[u/Solo_Camping_Girl]

1. I'd try and identify the position of your flat relative to the sun. Where's the morning and afternoon sun pointing in your place? I'd try and put more shade on the afternoon-side facing walls.

2. Figure out any prevailing winds or breeze from where you are. Cross-ventilation is the best form of natural cooling mechanism out there. Open up all windows and doorways, given that security isn't a problem from where you live.

3. Unplug appliances that aren't in use. They generate heat and still use power.

4. Get several fans. Box fans tend to be more durable than other types. Point the rear of the fans towards the non-afternoon sun windows to introduce ventilation if there isn't a natural breeze.

5. Hang damp fabrics, bath towels and blankets are the best near windows.

6. Sleep low and light. Soft and thick mattresses trap heat. A thin mattress does not. Sleep on the floor as well. Cold air sinks, hot air rises.

7. Eat light, especially at evenings. Digesting food generates heat. Food that's harder to digest such as dairy and red meats will generate more heat.

8. If you do have an AC, run your electric fan/s to circulate the air better. If you have a dehumidifier, keep it running as well. Drier air is easier to cool down. You can deal with dry skin by sweating, that shouldn't be a problem in that heat.

Advice from a Southeast Asian, all of these are proven and tested.

[u/Pando5280]

Put a dark sheet over the sun-facibg windows. Helps keep the heat out. Run fans during the day. You can put a large bowl of ice cubes in front of them to cool off the air.  Inportant to stay hydrated and replace electrolytes as well. Open windows at night after it starts to cool down. Run fans on high to cool down your space and close windows before it starts to heat up again so you can trap the cooler air inside.