<p>AC and cold beer. I am in a hot part of China, and the local 2.5% alcohol beer is pretty good for cooling purposes.</p>
<p>Everything is relative. When you are used to lower temperatures the increase feels worse than when you are acclimated. Many southern states would be far less populated without air conditioning- I know I wouldn’t be in Florida without it! H likes the heat- he’s from India. Neither of us miss Wisconsin winters, however.</p>
<p>Seattle and the Pacific NW can be a wonderful place to live. However- there’s NO air conditioning! Son did an REU at UW-Seattle one summer with above 100 degree temps- they finally moved to the only air conditioned building on campus- computer science (needed for the equipment). Brand new upper class high rises do not have air conditioning.</p>
<p>Above 90 degrees in the shade means no standing around outside talking- sweat drips off you with high humidity. I have gotten used to 80’s here. All I can do is offer sympathy and hope the current heat wave ends soon for you. I still remember lying on the hard wood floors as a child when the night time temps remained hot- couldn’t sleep because of the heat.</p>
<p>Drink cold beverages- that will cool your core. Actually- alcohol (beer counts) isn’t recommended- watch for dehydration. Get wet- evaporative loss will cool you. Kids run through the sprinkler- why can’t you hose yourself down? T shirt and shorts time. Barefoot or sandals as needed help. </p>
<p>Know it won’t last. Escape to cooler altitudes this weekend- assuming the temps don’t plunge by then.</p>
<p>Oh- in answer to the question. T shirt, shorts, bare feet/sandals. I stay indoors, with the air conditioner at 78, not 80 like H prefers. I go in our pool in late afternoons when it becomes somewhat shaded. I postpone outdoor activities- gardening, redoing the landscaping- until fall/winter here as much as I can. Reverse of hibernating in winter up north, although hurrying indoors is a lot easier in heat than dealing with snow and ice. Go window shopping in air conditioned malls.</p>
<p>Ek, I used to live in Seattle and I remember how miserable it is when it gets into the high 80s and above. My brother lives up there and after his first Seattle summer he installed central air. It doesn’t get much use, but for those awful three or four weeks, he says it’s worth every penny. </p>
<p>My favorite beat-the-heat trick is a glass of ice water. It’s amazing how much it helps. Also splashing cool water on my face and the back of my neck. </p>
<p>We have only had over 100 twice in my memory - about 103 for less than a week about 15 years ago and we had a bad week of 105+ about 7 years ago. I think we deal with extreme heat like we deal with snow in Seattle. We just shut down and go on holiday for a couple days - build a snow fort or lay in front of the fan with an ice pack - then before you know it we’re back to normal and get on with our lives.</p>
<p>True heat coping story. Back in that 105+ week long heat wave Saintkid #1 happened to have a state level sports tournament so I was doing a lot of driving back and forth over the mountains for games (strangely, it was several degrees cooler in E Washington that week!). The boy called to tell me that he and the cat were laying down on the wood floor in front of the fan and he was ice packing her with a bag of frozen asparagus tips - and she liked it! After that whenever it got hot he would get out some frozen veggies to ice pack the cat.</p>
<p>When we had our house built 28 years ago, we had the duct work put in for central air, but didn’t buy a unit. We had a whole house fan and decided to see how that worked before spending the money on A/C. That first summer, I was home with a newborn. On the days that it wasn’t too hot and humid, we did OK, but when it’s humid the whole house fan just brought the humid air into the house. I used to put the baby in the car and take a drive to get the A/C on the worst days. By the next summer, we installed the central air unit.</p>
<p>We still use the whole house fan in the evenings when it’s definitely cooler outside (and not too humid), When we have days like this week (in the 90’s and high humidity), we run the A/C. </p>
<p>^ Yes, the air outside needs to be cooler and dryer for the whole house fan to work. </p>
<p>For years, we didn’t have AC, but lived in a place where it rarely got unbearable, and it almost always cooled down at night. So all the tricks mentioned – closing windows and shades during the day, window fans, etc., – worked. We had a full basement that stayed cool, so when it got really bad, that’s where I slept.</p>
<p>Then we moved a little south. We have a whole house fan, but on the really hot days and nights, it did absolutely nothing to cool the house down. After suffering last summer, we got a split ductless system for three of our rooms, and based on the last 2 days, it was worth every penny. </p>
<p>Oh- I forgot to mention spending time in the unfinished basement on hot days as a kid. No basements here in FL. btw- ground water up north was 55 degrees, here it is 72 degrees. A “cold” shower- where you live matters! Also- no need for water thru the refrigerator up north, here definitely worth having. I see where the Seattle high is now in the low 70’s- you survived!</p>
<p>Yep - one day 94 and today 69 and overcast all day with a misty drizzle in place. See . . . it never lasts. Just when I got my outdoor shades up it cooled off again.</p>
<p>I usually cook outside if it’s too hot, in the shade of course, but I hate to spend all that money cooling the house using A/C.</p>
<p>Well I baked something for my husband outside oven and it’s still hot inside the house. Even A/C came on.</p>
<p>Now I need advice for my D. She is working on the other side of the mts, where it is very hot. This next week temps will be in the 100’s.
She is also prone to heat exhaustion. She has already vomited earlier this week reportedly. She wears sunscreen and drinks water, but her body has never done a great job of cooling her off, although athletic, she barely sweats.
Most of her work will be outside, although she possibly can stay in during the hottest part of the day.
She has long heavy hair, although she has cut it to just below her shoulders, Im going to suggest she braid it and get it wet, but I dont know what else she can do that she isnt already doing.</p>
<p>
This really contributes to her overheating. </p>
<p>I would say for her to keep what she’s doing - staying hydrated - and for her to wear breathable, nonrestrictive clothing, have a moist scarf or even the ones that have the crystals in them, and for her to get a fan (maybe even one with a spray) to keep herself cool. The clothing choice will help wick away moisture and she can wear long sleeve as well to help protect against the sun and keep her cool. The scarf will also keep her cool with the water. Oh, and a hat. She should wear a hat, if possible. </p>
<p>She has my best sun hat, so I imagine she is wearing it, I dont know how loose her clothing is though. i have some long sleeve shirts that are synthetic, I may suggest she wear one of those, even if she isnt so stylish.</p>
<p>A squirtbottle / fan might help.
I’m also hoping she will consider letting me cut her hair a little.
They are also having wildfires and the heat + smoke is not a good combo.</p>
<p>Where big floppy hat and loose clothing, linens work best for me.</p>
<p>Central air here. I can’t imagine summers without it. We also have a pool.</p>
<p>We live in Georgia and have AC. However when we were in our 20’s we lived in a third floor walk up in Chicago with no AC. At night in the summer we would open the window, place the fan in front of the bed, take bath towels get them really wet and sleep under them. Sounds weird but it kept us cool.</p>
<p>Get one of those things that keep your neck cool. Google cool neck cloth. I take lots of cool showers in the summer too.</p>
<p>We did the wet towels thing one night in the Grand Canyon…the cliffs just acted like radiators all night. It really worked in the desert heat.
If you have a bathtub, soaking in lukewarm water works. </p>