WITH the weather predicted to peak at 36 degrees on Saturday and Sunday in Perth by the Bureau of Meteorology – those of us without air conditioning are breaking out a sweat just thinking about the coming heat wave.
There are ways to beat the heat when your $15 Kmart fan just isn’t cutting it anymore.
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READ NOWHere are our top 16 tips for keeping cool this weekend:
1 Pop your sheets or a damp flannel in the freezer
Throw a cool sheet over your body and a cold flannel on your head to cool down in bed.
2 Nap during the hottest part of the day
Avoid the hottest part of the day by napping through it – it’ll be even better with the cold sheets and flannel.
3 Rig up a redneck airconditioning unit
A bowl of ice placed in front of a fan will cool down a room.
4 Keep curtains and blinds shut during the day
The curtains and blinds will keep out the hottest of the suns rays.
5 Wet the house down with a hose in the late afternoon
Then open the windows and blinds – the temperature of the afternoon sea breeze will drop as it flows through the wet windows and cool the house.
6 Take your clothes off
Lose the layers and Netflix in your undies.
7 Eat a curry and drink hot tea
It’s what they do in the tropics! People living in India swear by drinking and eating hot food to cool down. A number of studies have found that hot foods and drinks increase sweating and drops the body’s heat load.
8 Ice your pulse points
Pop ice on your wrists, ankles, elbows, neck and behind the knees.
9 Sleep alone
In summer singles have the advantage over couples. This is the time to sneak off to sleep alone on the couch!
10 On the floor is even cooler
Even better – drag your mattress on to the floor – remember hot air rises and cool air falls.
11 Get out of the house
Visit the library or the shops – they’ll have air conditioning!
12 Don’t run the dishwasher or dryer
These appliances push out hot air and humidity.
13 Eat salads and fruit
Running the oven and the stovetop heats up the house. This is the time to eat fresh salads and fruit, fire up the barbeque if you must cook.
14 Grains stay cooler longer
Pillows and bags filled with rice and buckwheat placed in the freezer will stay cold for 30 minutes.
14 Cool treats
Stock up on the Zooper Doopers – now is the time for unlimited icy treats!
15 Buy a spray bottle
Even better, keep it in the fridge and spray yourself throughout the day.
15 Get a paddle pool
It is your home now.