When a heat wave is sweeping across the country, there is always an increased chance of health issues. Heat exhaustion and heat strokes are a serious health issue. Be sure you are checking on your older family members, friends, and neighbors. If you have pets, remember, they need to be taken care of during a heat wave, because they can suffer the same as a human.
I live in Western Washington, where the temperatures don’t normally soar into the 90s often. Here are a few tips I’ve learned to keep cool during the high temperatures..
The other day a friend posted about turning the AC up to 78 to help preserve power. Apparently there isn’t enough power to cool all the homes in their town. So to keep from having rolling blackouts they are encouraged to conserve power by living with warmer homes.
What do we do to stay cool since we don’t have air conditioning. I live in Western Washington, rarely do we have to deal with triple digit weather. Any temperature over 80° outside, I consider a hot summer day! But we are coming up to the hot summer month of August, and it is bound to get hot. So how do we stay cool?
Keep the house as cool as possible!
One of the best ways to keep the house cool is to keep the doors and windows closed. I know. It seems like having doors and windows wide open, a soft breeze blowing through is the way to feel cooler. However, the temperature inside the house is going to rise to the same temperature as outside. In some cases even higher.
Fans! If possible have a couple of fans blowing through the house. Ceiling fans, and portable fans going cause a soft breeze.
Close the curtains and other window coverings. If not all day, at least close them when the sun is shining directly into the window. Even if you don’t have sun shining directly into the window, the heat reflection off of decks and concrete will heat up the air, so definitely keep those window coverings closed during the sunny, hot part of the day.
DIY your own simplified version of a ‘swamp cooler’. A very simple version is to get a bucket of ice and sit it in front of a fan, blowing the cooler air into the room. This is a temporary fix, as the ice may melt quickly. You can make blocks of ice, by freezing water in clean milk jugs, or other such containers. Be prepared, the condensation from the ice bucket will leave a puddle of water.
Don’t use your oven to cook anything. Plan ahead, and have meals you don’t need to cook at all. Example, a big chef salad, or leftovers you can heat up in the microwave. If you have to cook, plan on using the slow cooker, or instapot. I’ve even taken my slow cooker outside on the patio to cook meals.
Keep your body cool.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are serious conditions. It is extremely important to pay attention to keeping your body cool.
Drink plenty of water. Plain water. Tap or bottled. Drink your water! Stay hydrated! Drinking plain water or water with electrolytes helps your body function properly and keep you cooler.
Go swimming if it is possible. Spending time in the water is a sure way to cool off.
Run cold water over your wrists and inside your elbows for a few minutes. Or use a ziploc bag with ice on the back of your neck, the back of your knees helps. Even a simple cold wet washcloth on your neck and wrists helps cool your body down.
Drink plenty of liquids… cold water is the most important. Sip water all day long.
Take a cool shower helps cool you down.
Sheets make a difference, choose cheap cotton sheets! The looser weave is more breathable than the tighter weave sheets.