Are you doing anything specific to prepare for the heat next week?

[QuirkyLirky]

I was chatting to friends and a few were prepping for this. Ideas they came up with:
Checking the car so less chance of breaking down
Several bottles of water in the car and snacks
Reflective blanket for windscreen when parked at work
Buying extra water in case supply temporarily shut off
Filling the baths with water for repeated quick dips
Opening the loft hatch
Putting parasol in front of patio doors to give more shade to a room
Planning 'no-cook' meals for a few days
Ice blocks to put in front of fans
Frozen water bottles to take to school

All I could add was that I had made sure my ice cube trays were full in the freezer and I had a stock of ice pops frozen and some lollies to pop round to an older neighbour with as a good excuse to check on her.

I have good system for which windows and curtains to open and close throughout the day when I am at home but am working full days so will be out 7.00am - 6.30pm, so not really much use as they will all be closed).

I am trying to get my house as cold as possible now as it really holds on to heat or cool once its got it, so we can enter the heatwave without stored heat in the house and hopefully it will take longer to turn into an oven.

Is anyone else making specific plans to ease the days next week?

The only thing I've done is defrosted the freezer as it was already pretty iced up and the last thing I need is it conking out in predicted 38-40°C weather.

I need to clean out the fridge and put gel cool bags in there for sleeping.
(www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B014R8VA0Y)

Closing windows really doesn't work as it's a tiny south-facing city flat so acts as a greenhouse in this weather, so the only thing I can really do is open windows wide with (thankfully light colour) curtains closed. Im in the property, I wouldn't leave anything open otherwise (this weather is probably burglars' paradise)

Not really

Will just keep curtains closed to hot sunlight

and avoid public transport including dc (buses more than trains which can have a/c) so won’t do a trip planned

Actually rail too due to tracks but it wasn’t on the cards anyway

While everyone bought out all of the ice lollies available in the shop (not joking - shelves were bare) I bought up some bags of frozen fruit and I am making sorbets from them for myself and the kids, together with some homemade ice lollies from fruit juice/ squash and water.

Ice water bottles and frozen bottles in rooms are a must, duvets are removed from covers like we used to when I grew up.

Kids all have a mini version of sunscreen to take to school.

I am also doing all of my laundry this coming week - everything will be dry within the hour of hanging it up outside.

Swimwear & hats out, pool filled, sun cream at the ready and a fully stocked fridge freezer.

This too - although will be using shade for dc

This made me laugh as it sounds like you'll be cleaning out the fridge so you can sleep in it 😂

In the red zone here, currently predicted 38 for 2 days. Planned no cook meals for a few days and checking out local options for places to go that have air conditioning in case we just need a little time somewhere less horrendous. Fans are on standby and we also have cooling towels and a pet cooling mat for the cat (although he's ignoring it like he does anything else we buy for him). About to find the ice cube tray and get some ice cubes freezing.

Our schools are off already, so I have made a few preparations (without any hysteria. Just bits as and when I thought of them)

dug the USB fans out of the camper and put them on to charge
frozen some water bottles to stand in front of them
frozen some whole sardines for the dogs to help them cool off and found their cold mats
bought a bag of ice so I can be generous with it
Made my favourite ice lollies from our ridiculous blackcurrant glut last week
put some bottles of water in the fridge so we can have cool drinks
I’ve rigged up some extra shade to stop the patio getting so hot and I think I’ll move downstairs tomorrow. It’s always much cooler and the dogs can lie on the hard floor. I’m mildly concerned about them, as one of them is quite poorly and they can’t undress or sweat. I’ll take them for a long walk early tomorrow and then no walks for a few days. We will be fine, although it won’t be very pleasant and quite boring. The house faces south-east north-west, so we don’t get much sunlight this time of year. The extra shade I rigged up last week and a handy tree I haven’t got round to cutting back mean that most of the morning sun is blocked and the afternoon sun glances off (which I’m normally irritated about!) so it’s relatively cool here. I’ve done what’s reasonable and we’ll have a couple of days loafing around out of the sun.

I’ll have a think about meals later - I can’t imagine I’ll fancy cooking. I like the quiche and roast chicken ideas. I must put some water out for the hedgehog. They seem to like our front, although I can’t think why. I already have big trays for the dogs to lie in out the back already.

Bought a very expensive fan

I'm a chef and I'm planning on wearing a t shirt instead of whites and working with a wet towel around my neck.
We expect the kitchen to hit at least 60 degrees.

To be fair that's not a bad idea 😅👍

I've ordered another fan which I hope will be here by Monday.
I've bought another couple of bags of ice.
I haven't booked any meetings I have to go out for.
I'll just hibernate as I hate hot weather.

We're in the middle of filling our pool at the moment. The children who have bedrooms at the top of the house are moving down to our air conditioned annexe for the next few nights. So glad we put that in!! The dog has his own sprinkler which he can operate himself so he's in that a lot. Two drinking bottles per person and rotated in the fridge. Ice maker topped up.
And keeping them off school on Monday/Tues as the don't have air con at school.

Water bottles are in the freezer 2/3 full will top off with cold water before we leave the house for the school run. Paddling pool is full, air taken out the hot tub (lazy spa ppl it stops the bulge damage). 2 days leave booked to sun bathe and play in the garden. We've bought bbq stuff for Monday and will likely fire up the pizza oven on Tuesday 🤞🏻

American grandmother here who was raised in an unairconditioned home in the 1950s. Windows were closed and shades drawn as the day began to heat up. At night one window in each room was opened a couple of inches and a fan was placed facing out in a more open window to draw in the cooler air. Some nights we slept on the floor on blow up pool float mattresses as the air was cooler lower down. My mother kept a plastic bag with wet face cloths in the fridge and we would use one of those as needed to wipe down faces necks and pulse points. We had a basement so we could go there during the day or my mother would place a fan in front of the open basement door to draw the cooler air up into the house. Mom made large pasta , vegetable, or potato salads which we would eat for several days ...only had to cook the meat. Slow cookers are wonderful for that these days. These things kept us going thru 102 to 106 humid heat waves. I hope some of these tips help some of you during the awful heat crisis you are going to have.

We're camping outside in the garden. The house is just too warm to sleep in. The fans will just blow hot air.

No… foil can go in ovens…

Keeping door to conservatory shut while making sure cats are not in there (after a slightly scary experience yesterday where we did not notice one cat had snuck in and was being quickly cooked - she's fine).

This used to be a big fear of mine - we'd be on a day out and I'd be worrying that the cat was baking in the conservatory 🤦‍♀️

Filling the pool up right now

All food shopping done for several days.
Water around the garden for birds, hedgehogs etc.
Lots of ice cubes in the freezer.
Elderly neighbour on the radar.
New book to read.

Er buy ice cream? Seriously they have these temperatures routinely in other countries and they cope. Yes it's hot for the U.K. but it's literally 2 days of high temps (over 35) then rain and back to 23.

As well as keeping windows/blinds/curtains closed most of the day I make sure my loft bedroom door is firmly closed. If not all the hot air from the whole house goes straight up into it.

Oh we did put down 2 water bowls for the cat because we are out overnight.

Me too - and it’s worth every penny! Filled the fridge with cold meats, quiche, salad and fruit. Freezer has ice cream and lollies and ice cubes. Keeping curtains closed on sunny windows. Have been cleaning and ironing so don’t need to do much during the heat.