Keeping your home cool: I bought survival blankets for my windows
As the UK experiences some of its hottest June nights on record, many are seeking innovative methods to keep their homes cool. Bethan Earley, from Rugby, uses foil blankets on the outside of her windows before closing them.
"The house does still get warm,"she told BBC Your Voice,
"but it takes much longer to warm up."
John Turbefield, 38, from Chichester, has placed white bed sheets on the outside of windows in the hottest rooms of his house. Recently, he purchased survival blankets, commonly used by athletes to regulate body temperature, which he taped to the remaining windows.
"They're designed to reflect heat and they are large, so they're ideal for taping to the window frame to reflect most of the light back out,"he explained.
John also stocked his freezer with two-litre plastic bottles of water, positioning them in front of and behind five fans set up throughout his home. He cautions that large bottles may require a couple of days to freeze.
"Anyone who wants to copy me will need patience,"he added.
The UK Health Security Agency advises opening windows only when the outside air is cooler than inside and recommends turning off non-essential electronics that generate heat, such as TVs, laptops, and chargers.
Getting your Zzzs: I put the bed sheet in the freezer shortly before bedtime
Stephanie Reed, 39, from Chorley, emphasizes the importance of staying cool as extreme heat triggers her epilepsy. At night, she wets a hand towel and places it across the end of her bed, sleeping with her feet and ankles on it.
"It helps to regulate body temperature and it does stay cool all night,"she said.
Stephanie also sprinkles her seven-year-old daughter's bed sheet with water and places it in the freezer for about half an hour before bedtime. This duration cools the sheet sufficiently for falling asleep without freezing it.
Gordon Cooper, 73, from High Wycombe, shared that he hangs a wet bath towel in his bedroom and places a fan nearby to cool the room.
Others have altered their sleeping locations to avoid heat. During the previous heatwave, Anabelle Holschuh, 30, found it difficult to sleep in her attic bedroom and instead slept on the hallway floor with a blanket and cushion. This time, living in London, she sleeps on her north-facing living room sofa, which benefits from tall ceilings and an electric fan.
"Last night I slept fairly well on the sofa, so no need to wander further downstairs to the hallway,"she said.
Eating in the heat: Use the air fryer over the oven
For Aimee Ludgate, 29, from Bradford, using an oven or hob during the heatwave is undesirable. She has been preparing meals with her air fryer, including boiling eggs and cooking steak. She also freezes a large bottle of water overnight to take to work.
Dietitian Kate Hilton recommends increasing intake of iced water and consuming cool, hydrating foods such as cucumber, tomatoes, melon, and frozen smoothies. Other hydrating fruits include berries, peaches, and citrus. For children who are selective eaters, freezing fruit juice or smoothies into ice pops can help maintain hydration.
She advises moderation with caffeine and alcohol due to their dehydrating effects, suggesting alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic beverages during hot weather.
"Water is generally the best thing to drink, but remember that all fluids, other than alcohol, are considered hydrating, so if you prefer sugar-free squash or other flavourings, this does still count towards hydration,"she said.
Working from home: I moved my office to the coolest room in the house
Some individuals have adjusted their work-from-home arrangements to stay cooler. Oren Brown, 27, from County Durham, typically works in a dedicated office upstairs but finds it stifling. He and his partner have relocated their workspaces downstairs where it is cooler.
Gillian Cooley, near Peterborough, has set up her office in her bedroom, the coolest room in her house. She operates a small business and now works on her laptop in the evening when the room temperature is lower.
"My bedroom is the coolest room in the house so I've set up my office in there,"she said.
Dressing for a heatwave: Avoid silky, synthetic fabrics
Jess Jepson, 31, from Manchester, adapts her clothing choices by wearing loose-fitting, light, and airy garments in pale colors.
"I wore black the other day and really regretted it,"she said. She keeps her hair off her face and neck using a claw clip.
"It's a challenge to keep cool whilst still feeling put together,"she added.
Stylist Chantelle Znideric recommends natural fibers such as cotton and linen, which are breathable and disperse moisture rather than trapping it against the skin. She advises avoiding silky, synthetic fabrics that can increase sweating.
Regarding accessories, she notes that basketball caps shade the eyes but leave ears and neck exposed. Instead, she suggests wide-brimmed fedoras or bucket hats for full coverage.
Changing your routine: We do enrichment activities with our dogs indoors
Annie Smith, 27, from St Albans, and her husband have modified their daily routines to manage the heat. They walk their two dachshunds early in the morning and engage in enrichment activities indoors since it becomes too hot to walk the dogs after 8 or 9 a.m.
They have purchased cooling vests for their dogs and store wet dog food in the refrigerator.
Annie explained,
"We try to get our house chores done before about 10am so I can sit still and stay cool the rest of the day."
Helena Kandzialka, 55, has been spending time outside in the shade where breezes make it cooler than inside her home and is minimizing car journeys when possible.
Get in touch
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