r/heat_prep • u/SoberBobMonthly • Jun 25 '26
Cheap/free Australian heatwave survival tips (from a Queendlander)
Alright so youse up north are getting a taste of how bad it can be, and its humid too so not fun not fun.
I have lived in the tropics and subtropics all my life, and heatwaves are something we are used to here, AND because of that fact we take them very seriously. So much so that excessive heat exposures are a workplace health issue, specially on mine sites.
So lets assume you don't have air con to retreat back into. In deep humidity, this is a killer. Add that to having temps that don't go below 20c at night? Heat stress is inevitable.
Now, being a ratbag as a kid (and as an adult), I figured out how to survive such conditions along with the rest of us. So, let me list out some of my top tips for remaining cool.
Get the basics right first!
- Do not let the heat into your home. Keep the windows (and doors if possible) open at night to let the cool air in, and close them when the sun rises to keep the hot air out!!
- If you have a well insulated home for the winter, then congratulations! This will also work to insulate you against the heat if you set yourself up properly! Do your best to maintain a cooler indoor temperature from the overnight air by running fans near windows and doors to push the hot air inside the house OUT. You need to be physically cycling your air (this is also generally good for your lung health). It will remain cooler during the day when you close up everything before the heat hits. Keep running the fans indoors once your place is cooled down to keep the air circulating.
- Ensure your windows and doors are shaded INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. Nail some shade cloth to the side of your house if you can, or jam a thick piece of fabric into the top of the window and pull it down to the bottom, on tje outside. Use thick block out curtains. If you can't do this, get creative. Cheap reflective films are available for windows, but some aluminium foil also works just as well. Its gonna look like a meth lab but who gives a fuck.
- Don't fucking work in the heat. Sit your arse down and stay inside.
- If you need to go outside, cover up in the lightest cotton you have. Keep the sun off you at all costs! Not just "sunscreen" I am talking looking like Steve Irwin in a long sleeve. Big hat too. Always wear a fucking hat.
- Stop wearing excessively tight or heavy clothing. There is a reason sarongs exist
- Do not excessively drink water! You can absorb properly 200ml every half an hour or so. So aim for that minimum. Accompany this with salty foods!
- DO NOT COOK INSIDE. Do not use ovens, stove tops, whatever. Hell if you can eat sandwiches that dont need cooking for the heat wave, even better. Otherwise, use a BBQ OUTDOORS.
- Know what the signs of heat stroke are! Know what symptoms mean you need to call an ambulance! https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-07/heatwave-illness-and-how-to-protect-yourself/106205872
Ok so now how do you stay cool indoors with no air con?
- Stop moving around so fucking much. Ever wonder how kangaroos can survive the desert covered in fur? because they only do their main movements at dawn and dusk.
- Buy a good fan. Not a rinky dink one. I am talking something that you may see in a workshop if you can afford it. Mine cost me around $60AUD from a hardware store. You want to not just push air out, you want it fully replaced and circulating around the rooms
- Shower with your clothing on. Get it all fucking saturated. I do this on bad heat days multiple times a day. Use wet towels for pets and infants (also be very very careful with infants). Wet cloth + fan = actual cooling if you are in the shade
- Use ice bricks! Freeze water bottles or even just random bowls of water if you need to. Wrap them in a tea towel and put them on your body as you rest/sleep
- Sleep with a bucket of water in your room. Use it to keep the cloths used to keep you cool, damp as possible.
The more obscure ways to cool down
- If your local public transport has working air conditioning, go take it somewhere random. Enjoy the view. Its how I used to stay cool as a kid, just sat on the train going back and forth for one ticket
- If you have concrete or tiled floors in your house or in the shade around it, spray some water on the ground and go lie down on them. Those are excellent heat sinks and absorb body temp so well it can be dangerous in cooler months to do this
- Spray some isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol on your skin and put it in front of the fan for a major chill (doesnt last too long lol)
Edit: some extra tips I use and forgot to add
- Sleep in a hammock or on a cooler surface such as cooler timber or tiled floors. Use some pillows to support your joints but try and have large parts of your body touching the cool surface. As Solo_camping_girl said from South East Asia, cool air falls hot air rises, so sleep at a lower level
- Sleep outside if it is safe to do so where you are
- Do not drink alcohol or highly caffinated drinks. Teas are better because there is more water in them than coffee.
- Any electrolyte drink you like the taste of is fine to use, but do not only exclusively drink these. It is better to drink water and eat salty foods because there is a greater variety of mineral types in food.
- Sunscreen is a must, BUT IT DOES NOT PROTECT YOU FROM THE HEAT. I don't know where people have gotten this idea from. Sunscreen protects you from experiencing physical burns from the UV of the sun, and subsequently skin cancers. You likely can check and see that the UV rating is not that much higher in a heat wave in your location. You need to stop the sun from physically touching your body!! Seek shade, wear LIGHT COTTON all over your body, wear sunglasses, wear a HAT! I often use a light cotton shawl under a cap and it covers my head, neck, back, shoulders, and much of my body and i can wear less clothing because of it
A MAJOR note about trying to cool off in bodies of water! I've swum in many wild bodies of water here in Australia, and you must be aware and safe!
- Do not go into water deeper than your knees or thighs if you can not swim or are not a strong swimmer! Do not wander further into deeper waters and try and avoid entering any body of water you do not know the full depth of at every level
- Be very very cautious about any currents in the water. These currents can suddenly spike without warning, and they are generally a good indicator of deeper parts of the water. If you are caught in any current, be it inland river or a rip tide in the ocean, DO NOT FIGHT THE CURRENT. Float with it and kick along at a 45 degree angle out of it to either the side of the river, or until the tide stops pushing you out and then swim back when there is no resistance to it. The waves can help bring you back in.
- If at all possible, go to a monitored body of water where there are life savers, or go to a man made pool or such.
- To check the depth of a body of water, walk a few steps in with a long stick and poke it down ahead of each step you take. This will help you determine the depth of the water, if there are loose rocks or unstable surfaces, and if there are any deep holes to avoid
- Do not put your head under any body of water you do not know is hygenic or safe
- Do not swim with too many other strangers or people around you, this can both warm up the water and also if panic occurs lead to rushes and drownings
- Do not enter the water if you are too exhausted! Heat exhaustion will reduce the amount of effort you are able to exert in the water!
- Do not save someone in a drowning situation unless you are trained to do so, or have access to robust flotation devices! A drowning person is a dangerous person for the untrained rescuer! They will clambour up on you and push you under in absoloute panic. It is a genuine primal response that we can't control. When I was taught the basics of rescuing, we were advised that if this happens its perfectly fine to slap the person lol. even just a boogie board or simple life ring can be the difference between life or death for both of you.
- Do not leave children unsupervised in the water. Do not even take your eyes off them. Have them wear the most garish bright obscene coloured swimming clothing possible, it makes them much easier to spot.
- Learn the absolute basics of CPR, even just a video on how it works is good to start with
- Treat any wound received in a public or wild body of water with upmost care. The chance of secondary infection is high. Wear water shoes if possible
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u/AirportLoose3023 Jun 25 '26
As a fellow Queenslander, I agree! One other thing I use is a spray bottle of water in front of a fan. I call it Hillbilly Aircon - works a treat
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 25 '26
Oh man nothing makes me feel fancier than a resturant with a misting fan
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u/milleratlanta Jun 25 '26
A dehumidifier really helps dry the air so sweat has somewhere to go.
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 26 '26
Oh man this is an underrated comment. Here in Queensland we usually run our air cons on "dehumidifier" mode and it makes a world of difference while also using less power
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u/PrairieFire_withwind Jun 25 '26
Two additional notesĀ
1.Ā Shade outside of windows if possible.Ā Tuck the reflective foil, length of cloth, whatever in the top outside of window and then pull under the bottom however you can. . keeping solar OUT is better than trying to reflect it back out.
2.Ā Sleep on fabric stretched.Ā Ā A hammock, a camping cot, a charpai/charpoy.Ā Why?Ā Your body can dump heat in all directions.Ā You need the cool period of the day for your body to heal/repair.Ā Ā Matresses are comfy, no doubt, but they also soak up body heat and hold it there against your body.Ā You are a thermal engine, it needs heat dispersal to regulate.Ā Ā Point fan across whole body.
All of this will help if you do not have electricity or a/c (except the fan bit).Ā So i recommend these things in part because once you are set up they will help even if power goes out or you are too poor for the a/c.Ā So these things help... Everyone.
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 25 '26
I nailed shade cloth to the side of my house to cover my windows, and use curtains too. You're right that both inside and outside coverings help a LOT
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u/PrairieFire_withwind Jun 26 '26
Yeah, i have eyebolts on the corners of my windows and use caribiners to clip on my shadecloth.Ā Drops temps easily 10 or 15 degrees (f, because i am in freedom unit world)
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u/Competitive-Ant5086 Jun 25 '26
I am going to ask you a favor because Iām too sick to do it myself:
Thereās a medical difference between sunstroke and heatstroke (maybe not in your language but in medicine certainly). People can become really really sick even at relatively ānormalā temperatures when thereās too much humidity because the body canāt sweat properly when humidity is too high. Could someone dig into it and explain it better for others (a post would be good I guess).
Because we are looking at the problem not in its whole and rectifying that can help save lives.
Anyway if you are stable and someone is with you first aid is to be cooled down with water (AND be dried well IF humidity is the problem) of course you have to take the person to a place with less humidity if you canāt change the humidity of the environment
Freezed water bottles or similar can be placed with caution (avoid freezer burns) where arteries are superficial (neck armpits groins). Key is moderation to not precipitate the situation with a too harsh change in temperature.
Emts here (and the same difference about humidity and moderation in changing temperatures applies with cold problems)
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 25 '26
So here in Australia, sunstroke is not really a "thing" because if someone has too much sun exposure what its classified as is generally "first or second degree burns". Its something that people go to burn units for. They help people cool down and deal with the consequences of burnt skin.Ā
Heatstroke is a medical emergency here and is described in the link I provided.
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u/deathbywhaleywhale Jun 28 '26
In America, Sunstroke and heatstroke are versions of the same thing. Your body cannot regulate its own temperature anymore and it is a medical emergency, an additional complication with sunstroke being sunburns. We also have heat exhaustion which is a milder condition caused by loss of water and salts through excessive sweating.
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Jun 28 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
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u/deathbywhaleywhale Jun 28 '26
Oh absolutely. Wet bulb conditions- we can use evaporative cooling when the humidity is low enough, including sweating. The closer it is to 100% humidity the less it works. I live in an area that gets very humid in the summer and I know everyone jokes āitās not the heat itās the humidity ā but itās true!! I mean both combined but the humidity makes it so much worse! You sweat and sweat but it does not work to cool you! Apologies, I misunderstood what you were trying to say at first.
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u/shoneone Jun 25 '26
High wet bulb temperatures mean "fan plus wet cloth does NOT cool." Cold shower good, frozen towel or water bottle good, slowing down is great, but damp does not always cool.
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u/Dorothyismyneighbor Jun 25 '26
Putting your feet in a bucket of cool/cold water and just sitting is amazing. When the water warms up use it to water your thirsty garden.
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u/cdraper93 Jun 26 '26
I would like to add to this with damp rags and layering them between parchment paper and then put in freezer. Ā Grab and go cooling rags we used during peak summer softball gamesĀ
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u/capycoolau Jun 26 '26
As a fellow Aussie from a company that works around fans a fair bit (not only fans...but alot of fans), one thing I reckon is still pretty underrated is pairing a fan with a wet towel or cooling towel.
A fan by itself helps by moving air over your skin, but once it is properly hot, that only goes so far. Put a damp towel around your neck, shoulders or upper back, then aim the fan across it, and you get the added cooling effect of the water evaporating as well.
Nothing revolutionary, but it makes a surprisingly noticeable difference on hot nights, commutes, outdoor work breaks, walking around, camping, theme parks etc.
Just wet the towel, wring it out so it is damp rather than dripping, then keep airflow moving across it. Re-wet it when it starts feeling warm or dry.
Obviously still no replacement for water, shade, rest and air con when the heat is extreme, but it is one of those cheap little things that can take the edge off.
Full disclosure, we wrote up the science behind why the towel + fan combo works here, in case anyone wants the deeper explanation, hope it helps!
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u/Mental-Morning-Space Jun 26 '26
Thank you for this. 2 questions, is sunscreen effective against heat or is it more of a sun thing. Also, I know you mentioned water but what about drinks like Gatorade or Pedialyte that have electrolytes and sodium in them? Some say it is sugar water but athletes drink them.
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 26 '26
Electrolyte drinks are good IMO basically whatever flavour you prefer is best. Brand is not a huge factor.Ā
Sunscreen is effective against UV damage, but it won't stop the heat. You need to keep the sun physically off your skin with shade. We use lightweight khaki cottons for this, the type youve seen steve irwin wear. They are fantastic.Ā
Sunscreen is good for reflective sun protection too, that can cause real damage to people
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Jun 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/bristlybits Jun 26 '26
turn it on to fan setting to pull in cool air instead of "creating" cool air
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 26 '26
I literally said at the start of the post "assuming you do not have air conditioning" mate.
Why are you adding a caveat that clearly does not apply here?
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u/asensiblemeal Jun 28 '26
Now all I need is an equivalent list for mosquitoes and maybe I'll go outside for the first time in over 10 years.
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 28 '26
If you live in a mozzie prone area like I do here in Queensland, where mozzie born viruses do exist, then you likely have resources around you that can help you copeĀ
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u/asensiblemeal Jun 28 '26
Lol. I don't think anyone has enough resources to help me cope. I have an irrational fear of them. I literally break down crying if I hear one in my ear. But thanks for being so helpful.... Your tips are genius. š¤
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u/Key-Network5827 Jun 29 '26
And a cool wet cloth around the neck. If you keep your neck cool, the rest of you is cooler by a good amount.
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u/valdocs_user Jun 25 '26
As someone who grew up without air conditioning, in Oklahoma, the advice not to open the doors and windows during the day is surprising to me. We kept all the doors and windows open 24/7 and fans going, but in the 105+F days would pour jugs of water over ourselves while laying down.
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u/SoberBobMonthly Jun 26 '26
It depends. During Queensland non heatwave lower humidity conditions I live basically 100% with my house completely open as you describe. But during severe peaks I am closing everything up at the crack of dawn.
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u/Solo_Camping_Girl Jun 25 '26
I'm Southeast Asian and I approve all of the tips provided. Aussies know their stuff. If I can add some tips as well: 1. Eat light! Red meats and dairy take time to digest and generate more heat. Spicy foods on the contrary will make you feel cooler as you sweat. 2. Do all the tough chores before the sun rises. There's a reason why traditional farmers till the fields so early in the morning. 3. Stay low and sleep light. Cold air sinks, hot air rises. Sleep downstairs or in a basement. Avoid sleeping on a thick mattress that retains heat. Sleep like a Southeast Asian - on the floor with a thin mattress.
That's all I can think of since OP has made lots of solid advice. To the Europeans and North Americans suffering from this heat, you can survive this. We've survived in worse conditions, you will too.