If You’re Struggling To Cope With A Heatwave, Here Are 9 Tips To Keep Your House Cool
Interview With AuthorLet’s just say you’re not alone in not remembering the last time you had a good night’s sleep. With temperatures soaring up to 95 degrees and more in Britain, and the parts of the States being hit with a record 117 degrees, it’s fair to say our homes have been feeling like Death Valley lately. Speaking of which, it’s now sizzling at about 125 degrees, which is 4-8 degrees above the average temperature for this time of year, according to AccuWeather.
The worst part of this hell on earth ordeal is, you still gotta find ways to quasi-function in this world. Like making a meal, maintaining at least a minimum level of hygiene, and shutting your eyes for a night’s rest.
So in order to save our overheated bodies and souls, the property expert Kyle Mattison, also known as “That Property Guy” on social media, has been sharing some life- (and sanity-) saving tips and tricks to make the hot temperatures more bearable.
With 298.1K followers and counting, and 3.9M total likes on TikTok, Kyle’s videos have been going viral for handy and helpful advice on all things property. So get your notes ready, everyone, we may finally get that dreamy coolness we haven’t heard from in a while.
More info: TikTok | Instagram | Youtube | ThatPropertyGuy.uk
@thatpropertyguyStruggling with the heat? 🥵 Some ways to stay 🆒☀️ #summer #home #tips #sun #lifehack #uk #hack #fyp♬ 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) – Gorillaz
Bored Panda reached out to Kyle, the creator of the TikTok channel That Property Guy, where he shares a bunch of handy advice and know-how related to all things property, from what to know before buying one to sharing his own renovation updates. If you’re about to get into the property ladder, That Property Guy is a go-to source for help, so make sure to hit up Kyle on his Instagram page!
Kyle said he started a TikTok channel “as a way to stay productive during lockdown and help first-time buyers with tips and advice on how to get onto the property ladder.” Since then, That Property Guy’s media channels, including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, have grown exponentially. Kyle said his content mainly revolves around “DIY hacks, interesting property news/features as well as my own property renovations and journey.”
Shut your windows and blinds during the day
Circulate cool air inside
If you need to open windows, create air flow
When asked what are the most common mistakes people make when battling hot temperatures at home, Kyle said the most common one is opening the windows when it’s hot. “A lot of people think that it lets cool air in,” but he said that the opposite happens: “When it’s sunny, the outside air is warm—so you want to keep it outside and circulate cool air in your home.”
Kyle also suggests trying to use appliances and halogen lights as little as possible, since if they’re all being used, they can create a lot of heat.
Try to use ovens less
Even though housing standards vary a lot around the country/world, Kyle said that “ironically, the more insulated a house is, (normally) the better it is at staying cool. As mentioned, it keeps the cool air inside and insulates from the hot air outdoors (which is why keeping windows and blinds shut is important).”
Moreover, “Older houses and some poorly built newer houses that don’t have insulation/double glazing will start to warm up with the weather,” he said.
Get rid of the duvet
Cool your bedding in the freezer
Consider changing your light bulbs
Turn off appliances when not in use
Image credits: thatpropertyguy
“Going forward, governments and local authorities will start to look into building ‘passivhaus’ homes that stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It’s also important to get energy-efficient appliances to help with the above!”
And this is what people had to comment
Really? Don't cover yourself with a duvet during the heatwave? What a revelation!
I think they were saying take it off to put it in the freezer
Load More Replies...Want to keep your house cooler when it's hot? Don't do things in the home that create heat. Do things in the home that create cool. Like Denzel. Do Denzel in your home and it will be cooler automatically.
Not to British people at least. I've been living in the UK for years and summers are hilarious here, as no one really knows how to deal with "extreme" heat (i.e. over 30°C).
Load More Replies...Are these lessons for people who just woke up from a coma for the last millennia? What a waste of an article. If you didn't already know all of these "tips", you shouldn't have the right to vote, drive, hold a job... or procreate.
Want to stay cool this summer? Don't take hot showers for hours! Gawd, these are some of the dumbest suggestions I have ever heard.
If you use an indoor refrigerator to make ice, etc, you wind up with more heat overall. As with an AC unit, the condenser has to be outside to help inside. I stockpile ice when it is cool. I use a fan to draw cool night air through the house, and this year, I realized that most of it was flowing along the floor. I added another fan to mix it up inside. Indoor/outdoor thermometers tell me when to run the fans and when to seal the house. I'm also using reflective window insulation between glass and drapes.
In Denmark we use duvets during the summer, "summer"duvets, as the Danish summer nights usually are too cold without
Load More Replies...When it's really hot and humid I sleep naked and put a small wet towel on my chest with the oscillating fan it keeps me cool enough to sleep.
I just put a hot water bottle full of cold water in the freezer, come bedtime I have a nice cold refreshing thing to keep me cool. xP
Load More Replies...Living in an area that has been hit hard by the current heat wave, I have no a/c but user most of these tips and am able to keep the house 65 to 70 degrees even on the hottest days.
I am sympathetic to your situation if you are suffering in the heat. I live on the steamy gulf coast of TX. the temps got up to 109 degF a few years ago. I had to work outdoors in that heat. solutions: do outdoor work in the early morning at first light & indoors work in the afternoon if you can split up the tasks like that. start your shift early at 6:00 am and quit at 2:30 when the heat is the worst. take frequent breaks in the AC. drink lots of water & take electrolyte tablets you can order online. if having to work outdoors for over 30 minutes in the full sun, set up a beach umbrella or buy a blue tarp & rope at the hardware store, & string up a temporary shade awning. set up a large fan to blow air on you even if it is hot. if too hot, take extra breaks inside. go stand in the change house shower & get completely wet, then go back outside (yep, extreme, but it works). know the warning signs of heat exhaustion & take care of yourself. Heat exhaustion quickly can turn into heat stroke. Heat stroke can cause a real stroke with permanent disability. Untreated heat stroke can cause heart attack and death.
I though "turn on air conditioner" would be #1. I guess I'm doing it wrong.
One of the worst advices I keep hearing in my country is to use light colored curtains. We have 3 rooms, 2 of them had dark gray and brown curtains and the third had white ones. The third room was the hottest. We have changed curtains from white to dark blue and in the next hour the temperature in a room dropped by 1,5 C.
When you use your freezer to make ice - the heat that's pulled out of the water goes into the kitchen air - it's not magic.
I have insulated windows. They are closed during the day or if I'm home only open on the side of the house where the sun isn't. Also light blocking curtains. These reflect the sun rays that do come in through the windows back out an a dark room stays cooled. A floor box fan helps move the air around during the day. If you have ceiling fans get them into summer mode. You will feel the fan pull air up. This pulls the heat up. In winter you want the fan to push heat down to keep warm. Heat naturally rises. So open a window away from the suns path on your upper floor. Set your box fan up on first floor so move that air. Use ceiling fans to pull that heat up an out. As for hot bedding just take a cool shower before bed. It helps more than making room in the freezer for a sheet set. And run your ac on low for pets. 70-73 is fine inside for them. Fans can be a hazard if they fall over or pets tangle in cords. Any more questions? Yes. Use the grill instead of the oven. If you can.
more advice for beating extreme heat if your house does not have AC... take some old blankets and a staple gun. Cover all the south-facing windows with blanket covers on the outside... yep, looks tacky, the neighbors will complain, but you will be surprised how much cooler the room will be without the sun coming in... more expensive solution: buy a window AC unit and set up a cool room for the family... everybody can camp out in the master bedroom & get a nice cool night's sleep... next winter when it is cool up there, install an old-school attic/whole house fan in the ceiling. This will be cheaper than installing central AC or window units in every room... don't try to install this in the summer when it is 135 degF in the attic.
if you do not have AC during extreme heat, sleep outdoors. Set up a bed or couch on the porch with a box fan pointed at you. You will be surprised how cool that will feel about 2:00 in the morning... or go to the sporting goods store and order a cot with a built-in awning cover plus mosquito net... sleep in the back yard with a box fan blowing on you... do not try to sleep inside with a box fan set in the window... it can get up to 110 degF inside during the day, especially if you closed up the house during the day when off at work... a box fan in the window is not going to fix that...
It depends on the house. I rented a house for awhile that was like an oven. It was a stucco house with no insulation in the walls or attic, single-paned windows, barely any eaves, no plantings shading windows. It would get hotter in the house than outside and took hours to cool down in the evenings even with window fans drawing in cool air and exhausting hot air. The house I own now in the same neighborhood has good insulation, double paned windows, eaves, shade trees. I did eventually put in AC, but lived here for a couple years before I did. Even on a 100F (38C) day it's get up to about 85F (30C) in the house if I just did simple things like keeping the windows/blinds/drapes shut while the sun was out and opening up to cool down at night. Still a bit warmer than I like, hence the AC, but livable. I could cool it down in minutes after the sun went down with some fans. Even though I have AC now, all this helps keep the power usage lower since it doesn't have to run nearly as often.
Load More Replies...Drink hot drinks (coffee, tea), take warm showers. Drinking icy stuff or taking cold showers makes your body think it's too cold and it will try to warm you up more. Linnen and light cotton clothes are usually better than no clothes at all
You were downvoted for being right, as often on BP. Your body create heat to keep his temperature if you take a cold shower or icecold drinks, if you take hot drink you sweat more and the purpose of sweat is to refresh your body (you just have to drink more to create more sweat), and by taking lukewarm showers it allows your body to cool off without creating energy (heat) to get back to it's temperature so you would feel more fresh after than after a cold shower. It's science, the human body have an average temperature and anything too far from it create a reaction from the body, our bodys are highly effective machines that are made to maintain our inner temperature, we can't fight against it.
Load More Replies...Really? Don't cover yourself with a duvet during the heatwave? What a revelation!
I think they were saying take it off to put it in the freezer
Load More Replies...Want to keep your house cooler when it's hot? Don't do things in the home that create heat. Do things in the home that create cool. Like Denzel. Do Denzel in your home and it will be cooler automatically.
Not to British people at least. I've been living in the UK for years and summers are hilarious here, as no one really knows how to deal with "extreme" heat (i.e. over 30°C).
Load More Replies...Are these lessons for people who just woke up from a coma for the last millennia? What a waste of an article. If you didn't already know all of these "tips", you shouldn't have the right to vote, drive, hold a job... or procreate.
Want to stay cool this summer? Don't take hot showers for hours! Gawd, these are some of the dumbest suggestions I have ever heard.
If you use an indoor refrigerator to make ice, etc, you wind up with more heat overall. As with an AC unit, the condenser has to be outside to help inside. I stockpile ice when it is cool. I use a fan to draw cool night air through the house, and this year, I realized that most of it was flowing along the floor. I added another fan to mix it up inside. Indoor/outdoor thermometers tell me when to run the fans and when to seal the house. I'm also using reflective window insulation between glass and drapes.
In Denmark we use duvets during the summer, "summer"duvets, as the Danish summer nights usually are too cold without
Load More Replies...When it's really hot and humid I sleep naked and put a small wet towel on my chest with the oscillating fan it keeps me cool enough to sleep.
I just put a hot water bottle full of cold water in the freezer, come bedtime I have a nice cold refreshing thing to keep me cool. xP
Load More Replies...Living in an area that has been hit hard by the current heat wave, I have no a/c but user most of these tips and am able to keep the house 65 to 70 degrees even on the hottest days.
I am sympathetic to your situation if you are suffering in the heat. I live on the steamy gulf coast of TX. the temps got up to 109 degF a few years ago. I had to work outdoors in that heat. solutions: do outdoor work in the early morning at first light & indoors work in the afternoon if you can split up the tasks like that. start your shift early at 6:00 am and quit at 2:30 when the heat is the worst. take frequent breaks in the AC. drink lots of water & take electrolyte tablets you can order online. if having to work outdoors for over 30 minutes in the full sun, set up a beach umbrella or buy a blue tarp & rope at the hardware store, & string up a temporary shade awning. set up a large fan to blow air on you even if it is hot. if too hot, take extra breaks inside. go stand in the change house shower & get completely wet, then go back outside (yep, extreme, but it works). know the warning signs of heat exhaustion & take care of yourself. Heat exhaustion quickly can turn into heat stroke. Heat stroke can cause a real stroke with permanent disability. Untreated heat stroke can cause heart attack and death.
I though "turn on air conditioner" would be #1. I guess I'm doing it wrong.
One of the worst advices I keep hearing in my country is to use light colored curtains. We have 3 rooms, 2 of them had dark gray and brown curtains and the third had white ones. The third room was the hottest. We have changed curtains from white to dark blue and in the next hour the temperature in a room dropped by 1,5 C.
When you use your freezer to make ice - the heat that's pulled out of the water goes into the kitchen air - it's not magic.
I have insulated windows. They are closed during the day or if I'm home only open on the side of the house where the sun isn't. Also light blocking curtains. These reflect the sun rays that do come in through the windows back out an a dark room stays cooled. A floor box fan helps move the air around during the day. If you have ceiling fans get them into summer mode. You will feel the fan pull air up. This pulls the heat up. In winter you want the fan to push heat down to keep warm. Heat naturally rises. So open a window away from the suns path on your upper floor. Set your box fan up on first floor so move that air. Use ceiling fans to pull that heat up an out. As for hot bedding just take a cool shower before bed. It helps more than making room in the freezer for a sheet set. And run your ac on low for pets. 70-73 is fine inside for them. Fans can be a hazard if they fall over or pets tangle in cords. Any more questions? Yes. Use the grill instead of the oven. If you can.
more advice for beating extreme heat if your house does not have AC... take some old blankets and a staple gun. Cover all the south-facing windows with blanket covers on the outside... yep, looks tacky, the neighbors will complain, but you will be surprised how much cooler the room will be without the sun coming in... more expensive solution: buy a window AC unit and set up a cool room for the family... everybody can camp out in the master bedroom & get a nice cool night's sleep... next winter when it is cool up there, install an old-school attic/whole house fan in the ceiling. This will be cheaper than installing central AC or window units in every room... don't try to install this in the summer when it is 135 degF in the attic.
if you do not have AC during extreme heat, sleep outdoors. Set up a bed or couch on the porch with a box fan pointed at you. You will be surprised how cool that will feel about 2:00 in the morning... or go to the sporting goods store and order a cot with a built-in awning cover plus mosquito net... sleep in the back yard with a box fan blowing on you... do not try to sleep inside with a box fan set in the window... it can get up to 110 degF inside during the day, especially if you closed up the house during the day when off at work... a box fan in the window is not going to fix that...
It depends on the house. I rented a house for awhile that was like an oven. It was a stucco house with no insulation in the walls or attic, single-paned windows, barely any eaves, no plantings shading windows. It would get hotter in the house than outside and took hours to cool down in the evenings even with window fans drawing in cool air and exhausting hot air. The house I own now in the same neighborhood has good insulation, double paned windows, eaves, shade trees. I did eventually put in AC, but lived here for a couple years before I did. Even on a 100F (38C) day it's get up to about 85F (30C) in the house if I just did simple things like keeping the windows/blinds/drapes shut while the sun was out and opening up to cool down at night. Still a bit warmer than I like, hence the AC, but livable. I could cool it down in minutes after the sun went down with some fans. Even though I have AC now, all this helps keep the power usage lower since it doesn't have to run nearly as often.
Load More Replies...Drink hot drinks (coffee, tea), take warm showers. Drinking icy stuff or taking cold showers makes your body think it's too cold and it will try to warm you up more. Linnen and light cotton clothes are usually better than no clothes at all
You were downvoted for being right, as often on BP. Your body create heat to keep his temperature if you take a cold shower or icecold drinks, if you take hot drink you sweat more and the purpose of sweat is to refresh your body (you just have to drink more to create more sweat), and by taking lukewarm showers it allows your body to cool off without creating energy (heat) to get back to it's temperature so you would feel more fresh after than after a cold shower. It's science, the human body have an average temperature and anything too far from it create a reaction from the body, our bodys are highly effective machines that are made to maintain our inner temperature, we can't fight against it.
Load More Replies...
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