5 Cool Ways To Beat This Crazy Central NY Heatwave

Some people love hot weather.  I am definitely NOT one of them.  Starting today, our Central New York area is looking at some of the hottest days of the summer. So when the heat really kicks in and we've all got sweat rolling down our faces, we'll finally know what it must be like to be Frosty the Snowman when the sun came out!  I'd rather skip that experience and stay cool and fortunately, even if you don't own an air conditioner, there are ways to not melt in this crazy heat.  You can feel more comfortable if you follow some of these easy, beat-the-heat tips that I found at realsimple.com.

Realsimple.com gives you 23 ways, and I've selected five of my favorites:

5 Ways to Beat the Heat...

 

Close everything. Apparently, most people start sweating when it's 78 degrees. I find that a digital outdoor thermometer is a necessity for monitoring outside temps. In the summer with hot temps expected most days, close all your windows where you live to keep the heat out. It really works!

Block the sun. It's amazing how fast your home or apartment can heat up if the sun is shining in through the windows. Close your curtains and blinds first thing in the morning to keep that cool night in and the hot temps from the coming day out. I have found that this makes a big difference in keeping temperatures cooler in my house. 

Make a makeshift air conditioner. This is going to sound silly but if humidity is relatively low and it's just hot outside, you can actually make the room cooler by putting a bowl of ice in front of a fan to have it blow that cool air into the room or at least on you. 

Spritz yourself. On a really hot day, I fill a spray bottle with cold water and spritz away when you start to feel uncomfortably hot. Feel free to add some ice to make it REALLY cold to add to this method that is sure to be refreshing.

Fan strategically. This means take advantage of the night's cooler temperatures! Get as many fans in your windows as possible to blow that cooler air in although Bill Nye the Science Guy says to face fans outward to blow the hot air from inside out. He says that works better but I have had mixed results with that one and overall, have better luck when blowing the cooler outside air in.

 

Make sure you stay hydrated as well! I've had heat exhaustion and it's really not fun and it can be very dangerous! It's what happens when your body just can't cool itself down. Visit www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-exhaustion to find out more about it. In the meanwhile, you may want to just take it easy today and not do too much physically (if possible).

It's on days like this that I really appreciate and feel sorry for anyone whose job takes place outdoors like construction workers, mail carriers, farmers, etc. Try to stay cool!