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From old-fashioned fans to DIY air con and frozen hot water bottles, readers share their top tips for beating the heat
Rachel Avery Community Editor
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Few things divide opinion in the UK quite like a heatwave. For every person embracing each minute of sunshine, there’s another retreating away and counting down the days until cooler weather returns.
So we asked Telegraph readers for their tips and advice on how to stay cool when temperatures soar. Here’s what they had to say.
For some readers, nothing can beat a good old-fashioned fan, while others argue investing in air-conditioning is preferable.
For Trudi, 76, from Scotland, it’s not so much the heat she hates, but the humidity. “I sit with the fan on, “ she says. “When I’m out I have a neck fan, which is brilliant and I keep it fully charged to keep myself cool. I just sit, doing little, hydrating and trying to keep cool.”
Lots of you recommended ceiling fans, like Nina Parkinson, who has “always had ceiling fans in every room.”
“They keep us cool in the hot weather and with just a touch of the switch. In winter, the fans work the other way by pushing the warm air down. They’re very cheap to run, but they may not appeal to those who must have fabulous chandeliers and posh lighting though”.
Stephen, 72, from the South West, uses an air cooler, not to be confused with air conditioning.
“It’s a fan with a water reservoir into which we put ice blocks,” he explains. Stephen uses it in the room he sits in the most and the addition of table-top fans.
The air cooler “stirs the room’s air and makes it more comfortable and the result is an indoor temperature of a 24C or 25C maximum when the outside temperature is 36C,” he adds.
Some readers, like John Smith, argue that “fans don’t do much apart from move the existing air around”. Plus, “you can’t open the windows in this heat as that will just make the room warmer.”
Instead, John uses a “portable air con unit with the exhaust out of the window and a cheap Velcro-affixed piece of zip-up polyester that fills in the gaps around the window”.
“I have also upgraded the window with heat-reflective film which has made a massive difference,” he adds. The window film is as effective as the actual air con unit in keeping the temperature down and that costs all of £15.”
Another option is recommended by Robert James, who insists “the main issue with UK hot spells is humidity”.
“A dehumidifier, which is much more economical and cheaper than a portable AC unit, and a fan does the trick. It’s also useful in the winter when drying clothes indoors,” he says.
Keeping yourself cool during a heatwave can be a struggle for some, but these readers have come up with their own household hacks.
Reader John Pye fills large plastic bottles with water, about three-quarters full and then puts them in the freezer.
Then “place it in a bowl or suitable receptacle in front of a large fan. Job done. Lovely cooling air until they defrost and cheap too”.
Echoing a similar idea, Jane Davies “half fills a hot water bottle with cold water and puts it in the freezer so when I’m sitting on the sofa it cools my back”.
Having stayed in Greece many years ago, where few apartments had air conditioning, reader John discovered an easy tip: “Buy a cheap fan and cover yourself with a wet towel. In this country, it’s hardly worth buying an expensive unit when you’ll only use it for a few days per year.”
Nicolle, 33, from the South East, suggest getting “a pet-cooling mat to keep yourself cool and get your pets one too, obviously. They really do work. I also love putting my feet in cool water as it helps to regulate my temperature”.
Some readers have tried their hand at building their own cooling systems. Stephen Wilkinson made his own air conditioner, “using a fan, some copper and rubber tubing, a cool box and a fountain pump”.
“The pump circulates chilled water through the copper tubes which are attached to the front of the fan. Some bottles of frozen water in the cool box provide the fuel and I’ve got more bottles in the freezer, which I rotate in when the first lot have melted,” he explains.
“It cost me £100 all in, most of which went on the copper.”
Night-time heat is a major source of complaint among readers and some share their tips for staying cool in bed below.
Before bed, Pip, 79, from the South East, fills a washing up bowl with one inch of water for her feet.
Then “I place a towel on the bed, have a shower and go to bed wet. I ring out a hand towel, hang it up in the bedroom and spray the carpet and let it evaporate to increase water consumption”.
For Harvinder, 54, from the West Midlands, “I keep curtains closed during the day and put some wet towels in the freezer for half an hour before sleep. I take them out and use them for cooling overnight”.
“Try cooling pillows,” says Elissa, 56, from Yorkshire. “Now that we have them, I love that lovely shock of cold against the neck. Mind you, one does have to flip the pillows all the time,” she adds.
An anonymous reader suggests “taping cheap foil emergency blankets to the outside of windows exposed to the sun. It is extremely effective in blocking out the radiant heat from the sun”.
For some, it’s all about your mindset, adjusting your daily routine and most importantly, embracing the sunny weather.
“The current summer is being somewhat over-dramatised,” says Sarah, 64, from the South West. “I enjoy relaxing in the garden with the sunshade umbrella.”
“In my bedroom I have a ceiling fan and a standalone fan, which seem to do the trick. A cool shower before bed is also good. Roll on the next heatwave!”
“I struggle a lot with the cold, so for me, this weather is perfect, “ says Lucy, 46, from Wales.
“I appreciate and feel for those who find it impacts them negatively. I open my windows, replace a duvet with a giant muslin sheet at night. I wear airy, light clothes and eat a lot of fruit and salads and switch to iced coffee,” she describes.
Geoff, 69, from the South West, says, “I’m working outside sorting a stock yard so I’ll just get on with it. Use sun cream if you have to be in the sun, take regular breaks in the shade and drink lots of fluids”.
Richard, 74, from the South East recalls “the heat working in London in 1976 and cycling into Grays Inn from Earls Court”.
“There was none of this silly fuss then, apart from reporters seeing they could fry eggs on the pavement,” he adds.
“Just be sensible,” he says. “Keep all doors and windows, blinds and curtains shut while the sun is on them and until air is cooler. Start the day with a short tepid shower. Wear a hat and dark glasses. Drink plenty of water.”
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