Any tips on keeping cool?

[dexterdoglancashire]

We've already had an excellent thread on keeping our pets cool.
I was wondering if any grapes had any tips on keeping ourselves cool. Yes, I know HM Govt are handing out advice, but while I wait for another leaflet to land on the doormat - any ideas folks?
We've got all the windows open to try to allow a flow of air through the house, we've got a fan on full blast as well, but, even at this time of night, nowt seems to be working.

[HeyWayne]

Get nekkid!!

[shirlthegirl43]

Keep the curtains closed during the day, at least on the side the sun comes in. It is surprising how much warmth you can keep outside that way.

Also, don't have your fan sitting in the room - put it with its back to the open window.

[FionaH]

Gonna buy a paddling pool and wallow

[NOG]

Keep the curtians closed upstairs till 7pm then as it cools open all the upstairs windows and curtians...this will let the heat out.

Its a bit late but you should have cavity wall insulation and loft insulation...that should help.

You can also wet the patio and as it drys it will cool the area.

[HeyWayne]

Its a bit late but you should have cavity wall insulation and loft insulation...that should help.

We had ours done recently and it seems to have made it worse!

[Hilary B]

Cool (not cold) wash of exposed skin (eg face, hands) and do not dry off!
Anywhere that water can evaporate from, that will use up some heat.

[scarey55]

If you get over heated, run cold water over pulse points especially wrists, this pumps colder blood around your body.

[MaureenHall]

I'm sitting here with wet hair just after a cool shower, got a cold wet flannel on the back of my neck and another on my forehead (difficult seeing what I'm typing!!) Will take the wet flannel to bed and have it on my head all night - I love that!!!

[Snadger]

I'm sitting here with wet hair just after a cool shower, got a cold wet flannel on the back of my neck and another on my forehead (difficult seeing what I'm typing!!).................

You know how you can picture things in your minds eye...................

[Alice]

If it gets really serious put on a wet T shirt and switch a fan on.
If it gets dire put a wet sheet on the bed and switch a fan on
You'll be shivering in no time at all
Sounds a bit drastic - but it's how the professionals do the cooling for patients with temperatures out of control - well it was in my day .
And you coud put some paracetamol whrere the sun don't shine
But seriously DDL, downstairs in the house will be much cooler than upstairs.
You might want to abandon the upstairs bedroom and sleep in the dining room or something.
Hope you cool down soon. It's been pretty hot here too. We had a big thunderstorm - but it's no cooler.

[snohare]

Hang up a wet cotton sheet somewhere that there is a draft - as long as the humidity is not already too high it should make you feel cooler. You can put the bottom of it in a bucket of water, to prolong the effect.
The best house cooler known to man is a running fountain, so you could nip out and get a solar powered one. If you can get one with packets of dehydrated water, that's perfect.
Out of doors, when working in fields the rule was start off totally hydrated, don't drink or eat anything sugary, and wear a double layered wide brimmed hat with the inner layer kept wet. A bit of mud on the skin didn't go amiss either, slows water loss I suppose.
The bad news is that once the atmospheric carbon levels have gotten up to twice pre-industrial levels, sweating will be way too inefficient to cope with higher temperatures - human beings are already less efficient at cooling themselves than in Dickens times. Plants are evolving larger and more numerous pores quicker than we are...

[piskieinboots]

If you get over heated, run cold water over pulse points especially wrists, this pumps colder blood around your body.

ditto that

I'm sitting here with wet hair just after a cool shower, got a cold wet flannel on the back of my neck and another on my forehead (difficult seeing what I'm typing!!) Will take the wet flannel to bed and have it on my head all night - I love that!!!

ditto that also

and - sitting outside with neighbours, sipping wine until now o'clock is very cooling

[ginger ninger]

Air Conditioning unit ...OH bought one today, i love the hot weather, but in moderation.. last night was a stinker of a hot one... its also a dehumidifier as well, cost, i don't know and to be honest, i don't care...good nights sleep.... priceless. He dosn't have many good ideas, but this was one of the better ones...bless him

[Michael Johnson]

This sort of weather is extremely bad for growing tomatoes, maybe also other things like peppers and Aub's.
With tomatoes the vast heat causes a condition called pollen clumping with available pollen on the flowers, and the heat also stops them from making more pollen, hence no tomato flowers usually set and form fruit during this type of heat and humidity, I personally -may lose as much as two trusses of flowers because of it and subsequent loss of two trusses of fruit later on, as most of the flowers from the last two trusses are wide open but shedding no pollen, later trusses of flowers half way through the month may be the only chance to set further tomatoes.
The ideal temp for tomatoes to set pollen is surprisingly low -in the low sixties is best, but if only this sort of temp would come in early september it would be ideal for ripening the crop- but not this early ???

There are a few varieties that will set fruit during high heat and humidity- but they are few and far between, several varieties from Malasia and Hawaii have been developed by the various universities there studying plant sciences that will stand the heat, especially for their countries environment.

Whoever heard of temps reaching 32 degrees in the UK before, as todays temp is reported on the weather channel of doing just that-yesterday was horrific especially at night- I personally slept with the fan on half the night and was still hot-bedroom temperature was around 80 degrees F at five am this morning, and found myself watering container plants and hanging baskets around three times a day-which was exhausting .