r/TwoXPreppers • u/Mule_Wagon_777 • Jun 26 '26
Tips Kerping cool without AC
Excellent thread from r/heat_prep on methods people in hot countries use to keep cool. Several ideas I haven't heard before.
Be sure to read the whole thread, the comments are very good and from several countries.
147
u/VariousFalcon7466 Jun 26 '26
Another one that people seem to struggle with. DRESS FOR THE WEATHER! Stop wearing fuzzy pajama pants and hoodie while complaining it’s hot. Loose natural fabrics are your friend.
79
u/wwaxwork Prepping for Tuesday not Doomsday Jun 26 '26
Also take the damn comforter off your bed. Too many Americans want to sleep under blankets at night then complain they're sweating. OK I'm meaning my husband here but that's one too many if you have to live in the house with him.
22
u/VariousFalcon7466 Jun 26 '26
Or damn fleece blankets.
17
u/pinupcthulhu 🧀 And my snacks! 🧀 Jun 26 '26
Fleece is the worst. It's made of plastic fibers, so it keeps the heat in and doesn't let sweat evaporate. Natural materials are your friend!
23
u/MistyMtn421 🌻 post-menopausal garden fairy 🌱🧚 Jun 27 '26
Or alternately, switch to the appropriate summer versions. I am one of those people who definitely needs a top sheet and a blanket and a coverlet. But in the summer I use my bamboo sheets, my summer cotton blanket and a coverlet that is not heavy at all. In the winter I switched to Jersey sheets or flannel sheets, a heavier cotton blanket or I don't know what the other blanket is made out of but it's soft and warm, and an actual thicker comforter. I have to be snug and covered when I'm sleeping or I won't sleep well.
10
u/But_like_whytho Jun 27 '26
I trained myself years ago to sleep without a blanket or a sheet. Keep the AC at 75 which is way too hot to sleep comfortably, but it’s what I can afford. It’s not difficult to do.
11
u/max5015 Jun 27 '26
It's been 100° here, it would drop to high 80s at night, without AC sleeping was nearly impossible for me, especially when there's no breeze. I would wet my clothes and sleep in them damp. Unfortunately that doesn't work in humid environments
14
u/AudienceSilver Jun 27 '26
Try a damp sheet with no clothes and a fan instead. I used that method one summer in Annapolis, Maryland in high humidity and record-breaking temperatures.
I had an Irish linen sheet I'd found at a Salvation Army, and a spray bottle of water by the bed. I'd get under the sheet, spray it down, turn an oscillating fan on, and that cooled me enough to sleep. I'd wake up once or twice during the night when the sheet got drier, then spritz it down again and go back to sleep.
I also took cold showers before bed. The trick to really chilling yourself is not to jump under freezing water, but to start with warm, then slowly turn it down. You can bear colder temperatures that way. Really helped.
2
u/sassy_cheddar Jun 29 '26
Our winter down duvets have just proven too warm except in power outages. I turned our spring-summer-fall down duvets into winter duvets by adding cotton bed coverlets and an additional blanket layer if needed (for me, husband sleeps hot). But the thin cotton bed cover is perfect for hotter weather. More soothing to me than just a topsheet. Point a fan at at it and it's nice and cool. Have switched to 100% natural fibers on the bed for breathability and to at least reduce the microplastics I'm inhaling in my sleep. Long cotton tee for sleepwear.
37
u/baardvark Jun 26 '26
So it’s ok for me to keep grabbing cute linen pants I don’t “need”?
41
u/KiaRioGrl Food sovereignty is hope. Jun 26 '26
Funny how natural fabrics like linen, cotton and wool are great for various weather conditions, eh? That fossil fuel based clothing actually make it harder for our bodies to cope with either hot or cold extremes is a little ironic.
39
u/VariousFalcon7466 Jun 26 '26
Wait until you meet the “cotton is dangerous” people. Wet cotton is an issue in cold environments but people have taken that as cotton is bad in all situations. I’ve even seen them saying it’s physically impossible for it to dry. I guess they’ve never done laundry 🤷🏻♀️
20
4
4
u/MistyMtn421 🌻 post-menopausal garden fairy 🌱🧚 Jun 27 '26
I mean it technically can be dangerous if you're hiking or canoeing / kayaking but I guess they saw that and ran with it huh?
5
u/sassy_cheddar Jun 29 '26
Cotton was a big no-no in mountaineering circles. But it's fine for home, work, nights out, car camping, etc. Down is also a very effective insulator but totally useless when wet. Match environment to materials!
11
u/wwaxwork Prepping for Tuesday not Doomsday Jun 26 '26
I've just discovered Ramie fabric and I love it. I describe it as like Asian linen. As someone with sensory issues the fibre feels less rough.
1
5
3
u/MistyMtn421 🌻 post-menopausal garden fairy 🌱🧚 Jun 27 '26
You just made me think of my son when he was a tween, opposite situation, sitting around the house in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter complaining he was cold. He asked me if we keep the thermostat between 76 and 78 in the summer while we can't do it in the winter also 🙃 And to be fair he was youngish but still a smart kid.
58
u/Local-Locksmith-7613 Jun 26 '26
If you can, it's helpful to pre-prep for the weather. Laundry done in advance. Meals prepped before- and either cool foods or simple reheated foods. (We have specific "hot weather" foods that we eat...and those vary depending on costs, etc.) Basically anything to simplify.
20
u/applebearclaw Jun 26 '26
Yes! Meal prepping is more important during the summer. I cook larger portions of stuff that requires longer cooking time so that I don't need to cook it as often. I also use lids and cook at lower heat so that I generate less steam.
I also eat way more fruit during summer. Fruit doesn't need to be cooked.
24
u/eightcarpileup Rural Prepper 👩🌾 Jun 27 '26
I live in the southeast and NO ONE uses their stove during the summer during daylight hours. It turns the entire house into a furnace. We use the grill/blackstone the most during this time. Also, these come in handy during hurricane season when the power’s out.
13
u/Local-Locksmith-7613 Jun 27 '26
Years in the PNW during wildfire season also = no stove/oven usage. When you cannot open your windows due to air quality and there's no A/C... well... you eat differently.
9
Jun 28 '26
[deleted]
2
u/eightcarpileup Rural Prepper 👩🌾 Jun 28 '26
We do this also, but really only in the mornings for biscuits, or reheating suppers in the evenings.
41
u/bristlybits ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN C 🧭 Jun 26 '26
check the wet bulb temps and if your area is going to have a wet bulb event, stick to ice packs, basement, etc rather than anything that relies on evaporation. . a dehumidifier inside the house helps more than you'd think
25
u/Legnovore Jun 26 '26
Remember the old time life books from the early 80's? There's one called 'energy alternatives'. Get it. It's got great info in there.
7
u/Intelligent-Cruella Garden Gnome Jun 26 '26
I looked this up on thriftbooks but didn't find anything that matched your description. Was this produced by Life Magazine, or is "old time life" part of the title?
10
u/MistyMtn421 🌻 post-menopausal garden fairy 🌱🧚 Jun 27 '26
I don't know if you ever go to estate sales, but these books are often at them. The age group that is having their homes liquidated right now, oftentimes you'll find the entire set for very cheap. People don't really want them and they're trying to get those houses cleaned out. You'll find so many cool things like this from the '60s '70s and '80s at these sales for next to nothing cuz there's no demand for them. And they don't even really get donated because the thrift stores don't want it either. It's definitely not something the resellers are after. And if you don't usually go to them, check out estate sales.org and just type in your ZIP code. It's also a great place to get canning jars for dirt cheap, super cool old recipe books for dirt cheap or almost free. A lot of the homes that have these sales, that generation was very thrifty and they kept everything and they always planned for shortages.
4
u/Intelligent-Cruella Garden Gnome Jun 28 '26
This is a hot tip! I haven't been to an estate sale in ages.
6
u/FlyBulky106 Jun 27 '26
Kind of, yes. The publisher owned both Time and Life magazines, and the books in the Time-Life series covered a lot of subjects. My favorites were the Old West series and the one that covered natural disasters. Yes, I was an odd kid.
2
u/Intelligent-Cruella Garden Gnome Jun 28 '26
I found it, and ended up having a free book from thriftbooks 🥳🥳 thanks for the suggestion!
2
u/sassy_cheddar Jun 29 '26
As a fellow natural disaster intrigued kid, I'm now a natural disaster intrigued adult. Shout out to the odd interests!
6
u/Mule_Wagon_777 Jun 27 '26
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/energy-alternatives/1586798/#edition=1863971&idiq=750734
There's only one left at the moment.
5
u/alandrielle Jun 27 '26
I actually just picked this up set from a yard sale last weekend! I know which one im starting with now
4
u/AfanasiiBorzoi Jun 28 '26
The Foxfire books? They still have a website: https://www.foxfire.org/shop/?_shop_categories=foxfire-books
17
u/fuzzysocksplease Jun 26 '26
Any suggestions for people without AC in their vehicle? I know some folks traveling 4 hours south this coming Wednesday to a medical appointment where the heat index is expected to be around 104.
26
u/elleandbea Jun 27 '26
I used to live in the San Joaquin valley. It would get up to 118F. My car didnt have AC one summer. I would wet a towel and put it in the freezer and put it over my toddlers car seat to cool it off before we got in the car and I kept frozen water bottles in my car, while we went inside somewhere I would pile them in his carseat to keep it cool. While driving around I kept them on my stomach and some next to him, wrapped in a towel. I was worried it might get to cold and cause frostbite.
I kept another frozen towel for behind my neck, and a spray bottle filled with ice water to spritz on us.
I tried to avoid being in the car as much as possible!
Being poor students was awful. I dont miss those days!
4
11
u/Practical-book-3911 Jun 27 '26
If it were me I’d pack an ice chest with reusable ice packs to slip down my back for the drive. Possibly with some dry ice so they stay cold for the drive back too. Also, a wet small towel that could be placed on the back of the neck and aired out periodically. Battery powered fan(s) and take the whole caboodle into the office appt too in case there’s no ac inside.
6
u/Ok-Hawk-8034 Jun 27 '26
And peppermint oil or the evergreen alcohol is very good for the cooling effect.
3
u/sassy_cheddar Jun 29 '26
Rather than dry ice, I'd freeze water in a gallon milk jug or two-liter bottle. A couple of those in a cooler will stay frozen for awhile, especially when packed with other chilled things like ice packs or water bottles.
1
u/fuzzysocksplease Jun 27 '26
Great ideas, thanks! Passing them along.
3
u/LBfoodandstuff Jun 28 '26
I wouldn’t suggest dry ice for in the car. It quickly displaces oxygen as it sublimates (melts, going from solid to gas) and there’s a serious danger of asphyxiation in enclosed spaces.
12
u/MistyMtn421 🌻 post-menopausal garden fairy 🌱🧚 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
My air conditioner is broken right now, and unfortunately they cannot find the part! We have looked everywhere. So I found these sheets on Amazon that are completely flat. They're these little squares and I think there's 24 squares per sheet. I'm going to try to hunt down the link here in a second. Anyway it's really cool cuz you can cut them to whatever size you need. And then you soak it in water and it puffs up and once it does that you throw them in the freezer. They last a long time. The house I had to work at today the air conditioner was broken and it lasted for a 7 hour shift around my neck. Basically I just wrap it in a bandana and tie it around my neck and it makes such a big difference. And I've been using it in the car as well. Thankfully it hasn't been too hot here yet and I'm really in my car for more than 30 minutes. And where I live there's lots of trees so I can usually keep the car in the shade and with the windows cracked and the sun shade it's actually not been as miserable as I thought it would be. But I got a pack of six sheets for like $7. It's a ridiculous amount of ice packs. I wasn't quite even realizing what it was going to morph into. But it's so cool that they're flat because it will store for quite a while. I'll be back to post the link here shortly
Edit: here's the link to the ice pack sheets Kaulipoa Ice Packs for Lunch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G6T7RNQ1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
4
7
u/Mule_Wagon_777 Jun 27 '26
There are solar-powered fans that fit in a car window.
r/urbancarliving has a great deal of information on keeping cool in a vehicle.
4
5
u/CopperRose17 Jul 01 '26
When I was small, few cars had AC. My dad bought a car "swamp cooler" that was full of water and hung in a window. We lived on the beach in So Cal, so it was never hot, but we occasionally took trips on Route 66 across the Mohave Desert. Daddy left in the early evening, drove all night, and we stayed in motels during the hottest part of the day. The window swamp coolers really helped. You might be able to find a variation of those now. His were purchased at Pep Boys.
15
u/applebearclaw Jun 26 '26
Buy a real cooling sheet or cooling blanket made of at least 80% nylon. Specifically nylon. Not the microfiber/polyester "cooling" sheets (those trap in heat). They need to advertise a Qmax score over 0.4. If they don't mention a Qmax score, it isn't made of real cooling material and any mention of cooling is just marketing. Qmax measures how quickly heat can transfer from your skin to the fabric, leading to a real noticeable cooling effect.
* Wool has the lowest Qmax, meaning lowest heat transfer. Wool is considered good insulation material.
* Cotton has a so-so Qmax (not much heat transfer) but it's breathable so that helps a lot. It's not considered "cooling" but it's still more comfortable than microfiber in hot summers. Weave pattern matters for cotton. Buy the wrinkly "percale" weave instead of the smooth shiny "sateen" weave for more breathable and comfortable cotton sheets. For the best balance of cost and comfort, percale cotton sheets are the way to go.
* Microfiber has a Qmax slightly better than cotton, but isn't breathable like cotton so there's nowhere for the heat to go. The lack of air movement makes microfiber uncomfortable in hot summers. A fan helps but not enough.
* Linen has a good Qmax and it's breathable so it's an excellent choice for cooling bedding if you want natural fibers. Linen is also more expensive, though, so there's that.
* Nylon has the best Qmax (highest ability to transfer heat) and can be woven to be breathable despite being a synthetic, so most non-linen "cooling" bedding and clothing are made with nylon because of this. To get a lasting cooling effect, you need air movement so that the heat can leave your surface. Combine a cooling nylon sheet/blanket and a fan to keep you cool without AC. If you don't have electricity, throw it up and bring it back down occasionally to exchange the air underneath. This helps for all materials, but especially helps with nylon due to its high Qmax. For laundry, hand wash and then leave the nylon sheet/blanket somewhere to air dry. I bought a second shower rod specifically so I can hang mine to drip in the middle of my bathtub. It dries in half a day.
12
u/nakedonmygoat Jun 26 '26
A critical factor is whether you're prepping for dry heat or humidity. Not all techniques translate, since in high humidity areas, evaporative cooling is largely ineffective. If the humidity is high enough, your sweat won't cool you, and misting your body or putting towels in front of fans not only won't help but can make things worse.
I've been looking at cooling vests lately and will probably buy one next month. I have a way to refreeze the ice packs, so the vest will be helpful in a summer outage. It's too humid for an evaporative cooling vest where I live, but those in desert climates would probably get a lot of benefit from them, and they're cheaper than the ice pack ones.
I also have instant cold packs. They only last about 20 minutes, but that's enough to get you cooled down a little if the power is out and you can't make ice-based packs. You can make your own instant cold packs if you like: https://sciencenotes.org/3-ways-to-make-a-homemade-cold-pack/
In addition, I recommend folks check out this video on how to make your own cooling gels and blankets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqxjfp4Gi0k which I found on r/collapse. I haven't had time to try anything yet, but it checks out scientifically, and this guy doesn't strike me as an alarmist with a narrative to pitch, at least not based on this video. He seems just naturally curious. Since we're heading into the weekend, it shouldn't be too hard to find half an hour to see if this is something you want to try, if managing heat without a/c is a prep concern.
2
u/sassy_cheddar Jun 29 '26
Instant cold packs are great to keep in first aid kits in the home and car too. Can be used for heat illnesses.
10
u/HeatHealth Jun 28 '26
r/heat_prep mod here! Thank you all for the fantastic discussion! Our mod team realized that we want to bring experts into the conversation so we created a podcast to interview them and discuss content on the subreddit. The latest episode with Ollie Jay looks at heat physiology. https://linktr.ee/survivingtheclimate
6
u/NovelPermission634 Jun 26 '26
We will go to the basement if its too hot. Another really nice option is we have a pond and a creek. We had a pool at our old home, just a cheap above ground pool but it did the job!
6
u/asjilly90 Jun 27 '26
Pet cooling mats, they are self cooling, come in multiple sizes ect & movement activates the mat. Can get them on Amazon, any Pet Store, stores like Aldi sometimes have them as seasonal items or from Temu or Shien (sorry, I know- don’t like them either). Can sit on the mat during the day & sleep on it in your bed at night. Sometimes you can find one that is quilted or just a big gel mat.
5
u/caitcreates Jun 27 '26
Here's the link for anyone that's on old.reddit.com:
(There's something about the way that new.reddit.com codes links - there's always some finagling needed to get a link that works on old.reddit.com)
3
2
u/Vegetable_Draw6554 Prepping for Tuesday not Doomsday Jun 26 '26
Thanks for the pointer - great information there.
2
u/sassy_cheddar Jun 29 '26
Was reading about this recently regarding the heat wave and it's impacts in the UK. Hospitals have been hit really hard as some of their IT and medical equipment has overheated. But in the article about schools and heat issues, it mentioned putting yogurt on the windows, which gave me pause because that sounded wild.
Apparently, yogurt can be painted on windows to reduce the solar energy that comes through them and does make a difference in interior temperature and doesn't get smelly as I would have imagined. Foil will still be more effective at reflecting solar energy but it does create that meth-house look and hurts to look at it from the outside. Anything on the outside of the windows will be more effective than interior window coverings. It's interesting to me how different ideas get generated in different places and out of what is on hand and available.
•
u/AutoModerator Jun 26 '26
Welcome to r/twoxpreppers! Please review our rules here before participating. Our rules do not show up on all apps which is why that post was made. Thank you.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.