With the summer sun finally hitting the UK, it’s often hard to know how to keep yourself and your home cool in the heat. Shark reveals the best ways to keep yourself, your family and your home cool in hot weather.
Tips on keeping yourself cool in the summer
It’s frustrating not being able to cool down when it’s hot outside, but fear not, there are ways to make the heat more bearable. Ensuring you follow the right measures to cool off a room is the first step in beating the summer heat.
How to keep a room cool in the heat
Keep windows closed
As soon as the heat hits your first instinct may well be to open all the windows to let the air in. However, keeping your windows open all day during a heatwave will still increase the temperature inside if the outside temperature is hotter than indoors. Try to only open the windows during the coolest parts of the day, so in the early morning and evening. This way the cold air is more likely to will stay trapped inside for longer.
Close your curtains/blinds
Even with your windows now closed for most of the day. You may find that the sun shining through the glass is causing the temperature inside to rise too. To prevent the sun heating up the rooms of your home. Try to keep the blinds/curtains closed while the sun is at its strongest. Even improvising with bed sheets or towels to cover a window will help to prevent the sun from heating up the room.
Use a fan
Using a fan can help to ventilate a room. For the best effectiveness, place a fan near an open window to help circulate the cooler air. It’s even possible to create a makeshift air conditioning system by placing some ice in front of the fan. Fans such as the Shark FlexBreeze also have a misting function that can be used outdoors when connected to a hose pipe to enjoy the summer sun without overheating.
How do I keep myself cool in the summer?
It’s wonderful to see the sun shining, however when it gets too hot and it feels impossible to cool down, it’s frustrating. Here are some tips to ensure you stay cool in the sun.
Prepare for the sun
Make sure that you are prepared before stepping into the sun so that you don’t overheat. Wearing lightweight clothing materials such as linen or cotton or even light-coloured clothing can make sure you stay cool when it’s hot. Wearing a hat is also a great idea for protecting your head from getting hot or sunburned.
Drink plenty of water
Make sure you’re staying hydrated by drinking enough water in the heat. It may be tempting to sip alcoholic drinks or iced coffee; however, these may have the opposite effect by causing dehydration. Nothing beats a glass of water to keep you cool.
Have a cold shower
If you’re feeling especially warm, a cold shower might just do the trick of bringing your body temperature down so you can get back to enjoying the sun once more.
Use a cooling spray
If you’re travelling or at work and don’t have time for a shower, another option could be to use a cooling mist spray.
Keeping the rest of the family from overheating
Children
Children can be particularly sensitive to the sun so it’s especially important to take precautions on hot days. Make sure children are wearing protective clothing such as sun hats and sunglasses. If you’re travelling with children in the car on hot days, you can use sunshades on car windows as well as cooling lining for car seats to prevent them overheating.
Pets
Let’s not forget that our furry friends can also suffer when it’s hot. Having a fur coat on all year round makes cooling down for our pets a little trickier.
But how do I cool down my dog?
Thankfully, there are numerous ways to help your dog stop from overheating in warm conditions.
- A simple yet effective way would be to change your walking schedule. Instead of walking at midday, try taking your dog for a walk during the cooler parts of the day, in the morning and evening.
- When indoors, using a fan can help circulate the air to keep your dog cool too.
- Another good idea is to ensure they have ample places to cool off at home – this could be providing shade in the garden, pools or sprinklers for them to cool off in, or towels and refrigerated gel packs for them to lie on.
- Adding ice to your dog’s water bowl can also help to keep their water cool throughout the day.
Is it possible to cool down cats too?
- Although most cats love sun lounging, they too can overheat in the sun. Here are some ways to make sure they stay cool.
- Although outdoor cats may want to go out in the sun, they could be at risk of overheating. It might be a good idea to ensure outdoor cats are kept indoors during the hottest times of the day.
- If you would rather let the cats outside, make sure that they have shady areas to escape the sun.
- For indoor cats, using a fan could be beneficial to cool them down as well as switching fluffy beds to a cooler summer bed to allow for ventilation.
