Keep Cool

[Etaski]

Wow, this is interesting that I've lived in pretty much all kinds of hotness (dry Western desert, Gulf of Mexico, and MidWest steam), and all of my experiments on cooling down have shown up on this thread!

In the West I would dab my feet with water (temp didn't matter) and sip water about every 5 minutes (if lounging); I would fan self if outside and moving (and be covered with a gritty layer of salt by the end of the day from the quick evaporation of my own sweat...).

On the Gulf, I would drink lukewarm water all the bloody time and let myself sweat, and sleuce off in a cool shower later. Sometimes I would let cold water run across my wrists (awesome feeling, feeling the cooled blood run up my arms and into my body....)

In the MidWest...I guess I actually drink tepid water all the time, stand in a breeze, and dab my feet if I need to... Guess the humidity will change more often in St. Louis. Up and down.

AC sure is nice...but I used to be a "cold weather" gal that HATED heat. Now I find I've found I've adapted and now tolerate heat better than cold. Working outdoors on a fish farm on the Gulf kind of forced that change...

 

[Weird Harold]

http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/prod_lrg_images/284/204647284.jpg
http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/prod_lrg_images/284/204647284.jpg

Google Misty Mate #2502 for a host of place you can buy one of those online (although the first link where I found the picture is sold out.)

I don't know how effective it will be in the Seatle-ish area because it relies on evaporative cooling. Here in the desert, it doesn't even get a surface wett unless you spray point-blank on it, but in higher humidity it will likely leave things damp. It will however cool the air somewhat in almost any humidity and when filled with tap-cool water will cool your skin quicker than sweating will without much more run-off.

If you're a handy type person and happen to have an old car radiator with a an electric fan attached laying around, you can run cold water through it and power the fan with a battery charger for a low humidity, po'boy air-conditioner. Add a fish tank circulation pump and a cooler full of ice water and you should be able to generate a fairly cool breeze for less electricity than running the A/C without running your water bill up to compensate for the electricity savings.

 

[D_G]

My best suggestion is just to hide in your basement! That's what Im doing right now, where is it is still 80 degrees inside with a perfectly functioning central air system and a very well insulated house! That and cold beer.

 

[tenchikoi]

I just go somewhere that's airconditioned for most of the day. The mall, library, museum. Any indoor activity to escape the heat.

 

[SouthernDom]

It's unseasonably hot here, and I'm pretty miserable. We have A/C in the bedroom and fans, and I spend most of my time downstairs where it's cooler, but I still feel like I'm stewing in my own juices.

Other than A/C, fans, little-no clothing, cool cloths, and the like, do you have any tricks for staying cool when the mercury climbs?

In the south we're currently dealing with highs in the mid-90's and lows around 75 with high humidity..............and that's considered mild for this time of year.

Working and playing in this hellish southern heat I have discovered that diet can play a big role in your personal comfort in regards to your ''real feel'' temp.

Those of us who work outside only drink water and more or less snack off & on throughout the day to avoid the body heat that would be produced by digestion should we eat a heavy/complex carbohydrate meal.

I also lay off the sugar,caffeine and alcoholic beverages. I'm also mindful about taking in too many sport drinks. They are little more than sugar water and the rush may pick up up when you're tired near the end of a long day in the sun but there's a bottoming effect to be faced later when the effects fade as one's blood sugar dips.