Help me survive this week’s heatwave

[CatesandAle]

Not really an AIBU, posting for traffic. In brief: I usually work (in home office) and sleep on the third floor of my house (kids are on second floor), but the third floor becomes unbearable above about 27 degrees, which of course is becoming an issue with increasingly hot summers. We’re also unfortunately near a busy road which makes opening the window unpleasant (didn’t used to be like this but has become busier over time).

I’m looking into permanent air con, but I have a work deadline this week and need to be able to sleep and work. May be able to work in the local public library which has air con, but I need to be able to sleep!! Hit me with your best recs for portable air con units and/or light roll up mattresses that I can use to sleep temporarily on the ground floor and/or anything else? Am I right to think portable air con units will all have a hose that needs to go out an open window? In which case, unfortunately, it’s not a great solution for my house due to traffic noise. Very open and grateful for any proposed short-term solutions…

If you freeze your hot water bottle repeatedly, don't use it for hot water in future as it weakens the rubber and can lead to splitting. You can buy cold packs online which are specifically designed for repeated freezing. Just wrap them in pillowcases and take to bed with you or wherever you need them.

Bamboo satin pillowcases and sheets.

There are some really good freestanding fans on Amazon which have a cooling effect despite not being air conditioning units. They're best on a low setting blowing air straight at you, but you might find that they help cool the room down very slightly.

For those suggesting a frozen hot water bottle in bed . . . does the condensation from this not make the bed wet?

Won’t help you for this week - unless you can get an electrician very quickly - but ceiling fans are the way forward! We have very large wooden bladed ones in our main bedroom, my son’s bedroom and the living room. So so much better than a stand alone fan and a whole lot quieter than an aircon unit - which we also have but don’t use since we had the fans fitted

www.amazon.co.uk/Dnenellr-Portable-Rechargeable-Bladeless-Hands-Free/dp/B0GDJ34PT6/ref=mp_s_a_1_13_sspa?crid=BC9I5FETD9YP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mLFZji75qa_GP57tI5-5OzQhxwxBDHowC9E1z6GwxZd7X9knVMZnrzGUUIvXbNQ3ufNTQbvxIptfTuf9DQSv-5MFhsmWxIgF34FLkZ2UpQd6xNyPl-bLkvutBqPkjc2zfp3puKgL9iHO4JJ4gpmjo80yR2rdqf3z9FBWZyabJYJgAo-B_1ZxTMpG40c_61xSgumgUTQencRQ2-7qsEuB_g.smXgjQaC56_HmSArkhH192lJEqNkbqSzP0NKi_vE2Pw&dib_tag=se&keywords=cooling+neck+fan&qid=1782078391&sprefix=cooling+neck+fan%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-13-spons&aref=eENAnZBofE&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1

. . . does the condensation from this not make the bed wet?

Just like everyone else. Keep windows and curtain closed to keep the heat out, but yeah, it gonna be hot for everyone. You’ll have to just deal with it sadly. Get a paddling pool to dip in a lunchtime

A good portable air con is £600 so no point spending this money if you’re planning to put in a permanent one (I did and I regret). And yes, there’s a thick hose that goes out the window.

I would sleep on the ground floor, amazon blow up mattress with suffice

I have the blinds down in my suntrap room
until about 10pm. Then I set the fan up to suck up hot air from the room out of the open window for a couple of hours. Brings the temp right down. I also bought a cooling blanket on Amazon which has been saving me. I have 3 frozen bottles of water, a frozen ice pack, a frozen hot water bottle and two knee length socks stuffed with rice in the freezer. I cover myself in them and they help!

Keep clothing light and preferably natural fibres
If it’s a cool morning and/or evening, open windows up.
When the air outside is around 20 C, close windows and curtains/blinds to keep heat out.
Drink fluids.
Cool fruits in the fridge to snack on.
Wash in the morning, and early evening when it’s getting cooler.
If it’s cooler in the evening, head outside and let your body cool down.
If you can, make use of any public cooling spaces eg library, shopping centre etc.
Don’t over exert yourself especially in the heat.
Try to stay in the shade if outside and move at a slower pace.
Cool shower before bed if needed.
On really hot nights, I lie as still as possible knowing that I will eventually fall asleep. Light cotton top sheet if needed. Water nearby.
If there’s a public pool, especially outside, make use of it to cool down especially late afternoon after 4 pm.
This too shall pass

I live in a three storey house, my bedroom on the top floor is the warmest room. I have a cool shower before bed, wet a large towel under the shower, squeeze the excess off and use it as a bedsheet. It really works. I got the idea from cooling towels that we used on a trip to Florida.

Australian here in Perth.

We have a reverse cycle air conditioner and mostly run it on Dry mode. I save the Cool mode for the worst part of the day. Movement of dry air by fan is much more comfortable than still humidity. So, my biggest tip is to close up your house and get out your dehumidifiers. You really will be so much more comfortable.

I find a larger airspace cooler than a smaller, enclosed room so often sleep in my lounge room near the doorway as that’ll be where the air is moving.

I may also have a fan on. I don’t like the fan on me directly so point it at the wall and have the air slide over me that way.

Same problem but sleep on a Jay-be folding bed downstairs (Argos). Failing that I recommend a Vango inflatable mattress, one of the 15cm plus thickness ones.

Oooh now this is interesting! Who did you rent it from @easterb?

Thanks to everyone for the recs!

Did the delivery men bring it up the stairs for you? I don’t have a strong man in the house unfortunately…

OP I also sleep on the top floor of the house and work here and it’s baking. When it gets above 30 my brain actually doesn’t work and fans don’t help. I finally gave in and ordered an ac unit last week. I only use it for 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon, but gosh it makes such a difference.

I sleep in the lounge on the sofa in this heat.

I bought a gel cooling mat for my dog, but looking at the reviews people use the large pet ones to sleep in in bed

We are in a Victorian loft conversion and it’s hot. Through trial and error I have pretty much decided that it’s actually better to leave the windows open (velux one side, normal the other) as other wise the heat gets trapped and it ends up like an oven. I understand the theory about not letting the hot air in but I think there a limit as to how effective that is. I do have thermal blinds on the velux windows but keep them open.

I keep both bedroom doors open to make the most of any breeze.

https://amzn.eu/d/05KrrWBQ

I've bought this blanket off amazon. It came today. I don't know how it works, but it's absolute saving me right now. Just me, my period pants and this blanket are having a fabulous time. It's 23 outside right now which is hotter than the 28 in my bedroom so I've got the window open for as long as I can.

I absolutely cannot sleep with them (windows) open through the night. Hard no. We are very rural and have bats etc.

I have a Dyson fan which is pretty good.

You can get a flat thing you freeze and put in your pillowcase and your pillow will be cooler for much longer.

I have some cool gel inserts I put in my bra. I freeze them and they are amazing. Because they are over your chest/heart they really make a difference.

On holiday in Italy with no air con we froze large pans of water and put them in the bedroom an hour or so before going to bed. This was quite effective and the ice cracking sounds might help cool you as you pretend you are in icy seas.

I drink a hell of a lot of water - if you are like me and risk drinking too much, put a pinch of salt and sugar in to replace electrolytes and ensure you stay hydrated.

These are the bra inserts https://issviva.co.uk/products/issviva-cooling-bra-inserts
it says £19.99 but seems to give a £5 discount at checkout, or a slightly bigger discount if you buy two pairs.

They are amazing and should be better known!

This is exactly what I was going to post. My dogs weren't interested in them so I put them on the sofa and in the bed. I don't know how much they are now, but I paid £5 for each of them a few years back from B&M.

I'm fine with a floorstanding fan and earplugs to block out the noise. And I'm defo somebody that runs on the hot side and doesn't really feel the cold.

Library with air-con???? Good luck with that

Wash your hair and don’t dry it, go to bed with it wet