Ask HN: It's 39°C (102F) in Belgium, what hacks do you have to cool down? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: It's 39°C (102F) in Belgium, what hacks do you have to cool down?

15 pointsMojah14 comments

We're experiencing one of the biggest heat waves in decades, with temperatures reaching 40°C (more than 100F).

Besides the usual fans and swimming pools, what are innovative tricks to cool down?

Some things I'd do (I'm from Australia):

  * close curtains/blinds during the day (as long as it doesn't make things too dark).


  * leave as many windows as possible open during the night (outside will cool down quicker than inside, so a breeze coming in a window will be very nice).


  * chuck a few drinks in the fridge (a late afternoon cold lemonade will be amazing if it's almost 40 degrees).


  * turn unnecessary lighting off.


  * have a salad or something not-cooked for lunch/dinner


  * accept that you'll struggle to get six hours of good sleep.

Turn down the AC at work, and home will be much more comfortable. People acclimatize to hot weather pretty quickly, but we spend a lot of time fighting it in favor of temporary comfort. A few years ago I found myself freezing trying to sleep in an air-conditioned tent in Kuwait. I had to pull out my sleeping bag to stop shivering. When I checked the thermometer it showed that it was still 35C (95F), but that was much cooler than it had been during the day: 55C (130F).

If you went into a portajohn you saw the same effect much quicker: 55C felt like a wonderful relief when you stepped out.

Your hands are heat radiators. Plunge them in cold water.

"Eight low-tech ways to keep cool in a heatwave" http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23255554

Sorry to hear about the heat. Some things that I have done:

- Go for a swim... ideally in the ocean or a river. Open air pools often have cool water as well due to cooling at night (if it is, in fact, cool at night). In the absence of a swimming area, just take a cold shower. It has a similar effect, but not quite as thorough at cooling the body down.

- In general, if you are not on the coast, get to the coast. The ocean water usually keeps the temperatures much more moderate. Even as little as a few kilometers can make a huge difference.

- Go spelunking. Caves maintain a fairly consistent (and cool) temperature throughout the day.

- Go to a winery, ideally one at which you can spend some time in the wine cellar and/or chai. Some beer breweries may have similar facilities.

- Go to a movie theater. I am not sure about Belgium, but they frequently have air-conditioning (at least in the US, where I am from).

- Try to stay away from carbs when you eat.

- Ice packs on the back of your neck does wonders.

Good luck!

Edit: Spelling.

Wear a light straw or nylon hat, soak it with water and shake it out. The evaporation will cool you down a bit.

I've never tried the following, but I know the above works so this should work too: Carry a spray bottle of water, and spray your clothes and hat/head periodically. Evaporation.

And the obvious, stay in the shade and cool places as much as possible.

Stop being cheap and power up those air conditioner units!

Other than that, just take very hot showers and drink hot tea; avoid extremely cold drinks (i.e. beer, soda) and beverages that doesn't really help with water retention (i.e. coffee, alcohol).

I wouldn't be surprised if the OP didn't have A/C. It's very common in Northern Europe not to have it.

(not) Obviously enough, the AC part was a joke :)

Go to a public library which has an A/C, get some work done or just read a book :)

Also in Belgium. It should be relatively fine the next few days. Some rain tomorrow to cool it down.

Open the windows during the night, close them during the day. Have a fan with an ice pack pointed at you if it's really getting bad. Love the other tips with evaporation, going to try that.

To help you sleep lay a damp towel over top of you. The evaporating moisture cools you nicely.

Cold showers work really well to bring your body temperature down.

Wet a wash cloth and wring it out, and then put it on the back of your neck and then point a fan at yourself. Repeat as needed.

1. Point a 20" box fan at yourself.

2. Sip on iced drinks.

3. Repeat #2.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com