10 DIY Ways to Beat the Heat

With a heatwave sweeping across Australia, you gotta do what you gotta do.

You can blast your A/C — or just do it yourself.

When you just can’t take the blistering heat any longer, it’s easy to just blast the airconditioner in your house or open your refrigerator or freezer every few minutes to feel the cold air. Surely, there are ways to beat the heat frugally, but did you know that there are some easy ways to dial down your body temperature?

We gathered here 10 of the hundreds of DIY ways to beat the heat this summer, and by the end of the list, you can definitely save a little cash.

1. Make a Do-It-Yourself airconditioner.

If you decide to make your own airconditioner, you only need two buckets with a lid, PVC pipes, a drill, a small electric fan and some ice. This homemade air conditioner can go on for five hours. Watch this instructional video:

Or you can just put some ice in front of your electric fan and let the fan blow the cool air from the ice inside your house.

2. Hang a wet towel by the window.

By hanging a damp light-coloured towel by the window, the water that evaporates will cool down the air. Use a ceiling fan to make sure the cool air is circulating well. Once the towel gets dry, you can always get it wet again so the cool air continues to flow inside the room.

3. Do a unique breathing exercise.

Try doing this breathing exercise called Sheetali Pranayama, which is an exercise to lower your body’s temperature. Just curl your tongue and breathe in through your mouth, hold your breath and exhale slowly through your nose. This way, you can enjoy the cool air going into your body.

4. Use an Aloe Vera plant.

You can apply aloe vera to your skin for a cooling effect just like menthol. Aloe vera also soothes burns.

5. Put chilled ice packs on your mattress.

You can put some chilled soft gel ice packs on top of your mattress and under your sheets. You can also use it under your legs, neck, lower back or on areas of your body that you feel need cooling. Real Simple also suggests making a cold compress by putting a cotton sock filled with rice inside a freezer for two hours before bedtime then placing it inbetween the sheets. The rice will make the cold last longer.

You can also put your sheets and pillowcases inside a freezer bag and take them out to use them as you sleep.

6. Use dark-coloured curtains.

By using dark curtains, you can keep out the hot sunrays and maintain a cool surrounding inside your home.

7. Turn off the lights.

Shutting off the lights can minimise the heat produced by electrical items such as light bulbs. You can also change the bulbs to long-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs that produce around 70 percent less heat than standard bulbs.

8. Eat spicy foods.

Believe it or not, but eating spicy foods can actually cool you down. Rick Bayless, the James Beard Award-winning chef of Frontera Grill, in Chicago says: “Chili peppers contain capsaicin, a chemical compound that helps us to perspire more readily,” and thus, makes you cool down. So, the next time you feel hot, eat hot foods!

9. Spray water or mist on yourself.

Fill a spray bottle with water or any of your favourite mists (you can try brewed peppermint tea) and keep it in a refrigerator. When you start to feel the heat, give yourself a good squirt of your cool mist to freshen up. Begin first with your wrist to quickly cool down the blood flowing through your veins.

You can also drink chrysanthemum tea. According to China Daily, chrysanthemum tea can reduce body temperature. Natural Health also states that it can soothe heat rash.

10. Dip your feet in cold water.

You can just use a bowl where you can dip your feet. This is much like running your wrist under cold running water for 30 seconds. The coolness of the water will also cool and refresh your system.

There are a number ways to cool down when the going gets hot, but the most important tips to remember to keep your cool during hot weather is to wear comfortable clothes, take a cold shower, seek shade when you’re out in the sun and of course, stay hydrated by drinking lots and lots of water. If all else fails – go grab some ice cream!

So, how do you beat the heat?