As the UK ramps up highs of nearly 40 degrees today, staying cool is nearly impossible unless you have a top of the range air conditioning unit – something Brits would never dream of needing.
Fortunately, Sam Whilliance, a trends expert at Deal.Town has shared a genius TikTok video, highlighting the mistakes Brits are making when trying to keep themselves and their homes cool.
Whilst many will have their windows open to air their home out, allowing any sunlight on your windows will just make your home hotter than the outdoors, trapping the heat in and making it harder to air out.
It is also important not to drink too much plain water, as when you have too much water in the body, the kidneys can’t remove the excess liquid. As it starts collecting in the body, this can lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
In a recent TikTok video from Ann Russell, she shares some genius hacks that will keep your home as cool as possible.
Watch the video here: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNHsKhCY/?k=1
Here is a break down of Ann’s tips:
Keep heat out of the house
Ann says, when it is cooler out of your house than in, open all of your windows from the top of your house (as heat rises), and position air pushing fans inside upstairs further back from the windows. These fans will push the warmer air out of your windows.
If the sun is on the front of the house, make sure to close all of your blinds. Even better if you have a thermal blind which will stop and absorb the heat, preventing it from getting into the home.
Whilst a lot of people use tin foil as a deflectant, it can actually cause your windows to crack. Simply hang a towel over the window and pull the window tightly shut. .
Once the temperature in your house feels fairly equal to the temperature outside, shut the windows and blinds to stop any hot air from getting in. If you have plants, they are likely to be ok for one or two days without maximum sunlight.
Damp towels wrapped in bin liners
She also warns of how important it is to not put children, babies or the elderly on things that are frozen, as you can cause serious damage to the skin. To cool them down, simply put some damp towels in the fridge, then wrap them in a bin liner and use, whether it is to sit on or wrap around the body.
Frozen milk bottle containers
Another cheap hack she points out is to fill large milk bottle containers with water and put them in the freezer to freeze. Later, bring them out and put them in front of fans, then this will work as a DIY air conditioning system that will cool the air. Alternatively, you can use a large bag or bowl of ice cubes. She points out not to spend too much money, as this heatwave will only last a couple of days with potentially a few more in August
Mist water for evaporative cooling
To cool yourself down, fill up an empty spray bottle with cold water, spray yourself with a mistand stand by a fan as evaporative cooling will help. Alternatively, if you feel extremely hot, a cold shower is always a good idea.
Drink squash and flat soda
Drink plain water but not too much plain water as too much can actually make you very ill. Keep it to a limit of around a pint an hour. When you have too much water in the body, the kidneys can’t remove the excess liquid. As it starts collecting in the body, leading to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Ann recommends squash or any electrolyte mixtures that usually help with upset stomachs, these will replace any lost energy. Also flat coke or soda is generally good to keep your electrolyte levels balanced and keep you at maximum hydration.
