If you’re worried about keeping cool in the heatwave, there are cost effective ways to do it without having to plug in a fan and hiking up electric bills – from freezing bedsheets to peppermint tea
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Heatwave: How to cope in extreme temperatures
There are a range of cost-effective ways to keep cool in the heat, including using many household items you will already have.
Following a dismal spring, it seems summer has finally arrived and the UK is set to enjoy soaring temperatures throughout the week. The Met office has issued a four day yellow heat warning across most of the country, so while many will be lapping up the warmer temperatures, it’s important to know how to stay healthy too.
As the cost of living crisis continues in Britain, many people will be looking for tips on how to keep cool on a budget. The cost of running an electric fan has been a hot topic with energy prices remaining high over the last couple of years and although energy bills are falling, running a fan during a heatwave will definitely add more onto your bills. To help combat these costs, we’ve rounded up a range of fan-free heatwave hacks to try during this week’s scorching temperatures.
Hot water bottle hack
It may be the last place you’d expect to find relief from the heat, but the hot water bottle tucked away in the back of your cupboard is surprisingly just as useful during the summer months as it is in the winter.
A hack that went viral on TikTok, simply fill your hot water bottle to around ¾ full with cold water and make sure it’s sealed securely. Pop the trusty bottie in the freezer for two hours and you’ll have a cooling companion come bedtime or to use while working from home. You can also add ice cubes inside the bottle as it starts to thaw, to keep it cool.
According to the Hot Water Bottle Shop website, “It is advisable to wrap your water bottle in a towel if it doesn’t already have a cover to prevent overexposure to the cold and to have a continuous supply of ice cubes by refilling empty moulds.”
Switch it off
An easy way to reduce the amount of heat in the rooms in your house is to switch off your appliances when they’re not in use. The gadgets in your home produce heat even when they’re on standby. Turning them off will not only save you money on your bills, it will keep rooms cooler too.
The same applies to lights as lightbulbs produce heat. With the lighter days in the summer as the sun sets later, you can keep lights off for longer which will help keep the overall room temperature down and energy bills lower. If you have any old incandescent bulbs still in use, it’s also worth switching to the LED variety when you need to replace them as they emit far less heat.
Avoid using your oven where possible and use an outdoor barbeque or grill to heat food or just stick to cooling salads and cold foods instead. Take advantage of the sun and dry clothes outside rather than using a tumble dryer, which also helps to keep the heat on your clothes outdoors.
Tinfoil
This hack will set you back just 68p, or nothing at all if you’ve already got a roll of tinfoil to hand. It involves covering windows that get direct sunlight in foil to prevent the heat turning your home into a furnace. When the sun shines through a window it is magnified, thus exacerbating the heat in your home.
Using a few sheets of tinfoil on your windows will reflect the heat back outside before it enters your home. Make sure the shiny side is facing outwards to ensure the heat reflects effectively. This handy hack has been dubbed as a game-changer for keeping your house cool during scorching temperatures, so much so that Google searches for tinfoil reportedly soared in the UK during the July 2023 heatwave.
Peppermint tea
Reaching for a cuppa might be the last thing on your mind when battling the heat, but this herbal remedy is worth considering. Peppermint tea is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, but it can also help you keep cool too.
Simone Thomas, a nutritionist and wellness coach, tells The Mirror: “Easy to grow in the garden or in pots, and cheap to pick up in the supermarket, peppermint is the perfect pick me and up and offers a natural way to cool down as the herb’s menthol stimulates your body’s cooling receptors.”
When it comes to choosing a hot or cold brew, Simone says she “prefers it cool when it’s warm outside as it’s so refreshing”. “I also love to make peppermint tea and then freeze it into ice cubes to use later in the day as a further way to keep cool and remain hydrated,” she adds.
“You can also add mint and water to a jug of water and call on this natural cocktail all day long when you are feeling the heat and don’t want to hit fizzy drinks”.
Freezing your bed sheets
If the stifling heat is resulting in sleepless nights, this cost-free hack might be your saviour. Putting your bed sheets in the freezer acts as an alternative to running an electric fan, as it will keep your bed and body cool as you go to sleep.
Many people have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to share their success with this hack, with one user commenting that they experienced a “nice cool feeling” when they got into bed after putting them in the freezer shortly before they hit the hay. Another said that the trick “truly does help in the crazy heat.”
Remember heat rises, so if you’re still struggling at night, try putting your mattress on the floor where it’s cooler or sleeping downstairs in your house during a particularly hot spell.
Keeping windows shut and closing blinds
The age-old heatwave debate is whether to open your windows during the day or leave them closed. Many people struggling in the heatwave swear by keeping their windows closed with their curtains or blinds shut, as this helps to keep the heat out of your home.
While opening windows can provide a welcome breeze, the direct sunlight beaming in from your window will heat your home in the long-term. In the evening when the sun has stopped beaming down, you can open your windows to create air-flow.
Praising the heatwave hack, one X user said: “I have to keep reminding the house that right now it is cooler inside than outside so keep the windows closed. It feels colder outside because of the breeze, but that is a lie.”
Think about body temperature
It’s important to keep your overall temperature down during extreme heat. If you feel like you’re overheating, place ice packs or cold compresses on pulse points like your neck and wrist. Soaking your feet in a bowl of cold water is a great way to cool down too and if you use moisturiser, pop it in the fridge so you get a refreshing wake up in the morning when you apply it or at night when you want to get into bed and don’t want to be too hot.
Drink plenty of iced water to stay hydrated and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm and wear loose, breathable clothes made out of fabric such as cotton or your workout / sports gear which is specifically designed to keep you cooler. Opt for lighter colours too that won’t absorb the heat and wear a hat in the sun but remove it in the shade so the heat can escape from your head.
A version of this story was published in 2023.
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