How do you cool off when it is too darn hot

Too hot to cool off - Woman in bath tub trying to stay cool as the summer heat is way too much
United States
July 14, 2010 1:24pm CST
I do not know where every lives, but her in Chi-town it is too darn hot. We have had several days of very high humidity. The temperature is ranging as high as 110 degrees. The beached and pools are swamped with people trying to cool off. I can feel the woman in the picture as no time to think but jump in and cool off. As many people we have to limit the air conditioner usage as the utility bill can sky rocket where we won't have a place to cool off next month. So looking at the woman in the tub seems about right. How do you stay cool when you can't afford the air-conditioning utility bill? How hot is it by you these days?
5 people like this
28 responses
@ET28LV (1890)
• Latvia
14 Jul 10
Hello! What 110 degrees? I hope It is not for Celsius. In my place there is about +/- 35•C I hope I write It correct. It is hard to do something in this temperature I am not going outside. I am going outside only when I need a water or I and my family ride to the sea. Monday we spend our day to the sea sand is so hot and water is so lovely warm. In my country there is queues of people to air conditioners and ventilators. I drink cold water and I often go to the shower to cool my body. Take care, Have a nice day in this weather.
• United States
14 Jul 10
Lord all mighty my skin is starting to look like a prune. Bathing helps momentarily but it is even hotter as I dry off after the bath.
@grangeke (112)
• Belgium
15 Jul 10
don't take a bath colder then the weather outside. What i usually do is take a good hot bath and i'm good for another 3-5 hours.
@ET28LV (1890)
• Latvia
17 Jul 10
Thanks for share. I usually go on warm shower, but I would go to hot bath today. Take care, Have a nice day!
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
24 Aug 11
Well, I am one of the Lucky ones who never really has to deal with Warm weather more than a couple days a yr. at most due to living here in the Seattle-Tacoma area. But the other day when it was in the mid to high 80s it was miserable, and the humidity was really high. So all you could do is feel miserable and this made it hard to sleep, want to eat etc. So you just wait it out, take cold showers to try and cool off and hope for the Best. At least here it is often a quick passing thing.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Aug 11
Here in Chicago, we have hot and dry humid summers. This time last year it was so hot I could not breath. This summer was a late start one and now we are once again way too hot and humid. Then we have the brutal winters so we can't break even.
20 Oct 10
This is a very good question! I personally over-heat very easily, I have an issue with going in warm places as my body can quickly become too hot even when I'm just wearing a T-shirt. (well often enough I do) People think it's strange that hardly ever wear a coat and that I prefer cold days as this is one of the only ways I can control the problem. Basically I try to stay near a breeze, if I'm inside I tend to wear very little. Clothes that allow my body to breath otherwise I would become a human heater!! :)
20 Oct 10
It is. My wife's like you as she also suffers from anemia, She often says I mike her feel even colder and I recall last year fondly when our children was all wrapped up due to heavy snow we had and my wife was wearing multiple tops and I just had a football shirt on.. LOL Mind you I did need a pair of gloves, I can't stand frozen fingers. I prefer winter too, it's not very nice when you heat waves and even things like a fan doesn't work. Must be horrid within warmer countries! :)
• United States
20 Oct 10
Amazing how all our body temperatures differ. As me I am always cold, I suppose my constant anemia contributes to do this. So when I say I am hot, boy it really has to be very hot. We went through a very rough summer here and it was so darn humid and absolutely nothing we could do to stay cool. So when winter rolls around I am kinda glad as I prefer to snug in something warm then try and cool off. As I kid you not it was so hard to breath. I know a feel people like you who are also hot all the time. Must mean you are all very warm hearted.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Oct 10
We run in the back yard and dip into the sprinkler or pools or slip'n slide. A nice cool shower 2x a day helps for me. I run the a/c on energy saver function and usually keep it at 75-80 I'd like to do it lower but you know that darn utility bill. But I agree as I'm a bit north of you in Brew City it seems we get the short end of the stick & the utility company has fists full of money while mine are empty! We pay thru the nose to heat our homes in winter & if we want to stay cool from the summer humidity we have to pay a mint to cool our homes. I've always wanted a bigger home but with the amount we pay now I could not imagine a larger homes utility bills.
• United States
4 Oct 10
I could not imagine paying $750 in one month! EGADS! All I ever hear when I call them for their budget plan is you should get new windows... I reply with what money? "You should get energy star appliances" I'm not replacing what still works nor can I afford to replace what isn't broken. I'd love to do all this updating but with me only working pt and making some money does not go as far as one would want it to.
• India
15 Jul 10
here in india it is too hot in summer, we hardly go outside because it is damn hot out there, we can hardly spend only one or two hours outside . there is an average of 45 degree to 50 degree out here. most of the people are really strong enough to bear such heat and are see outside most of the time but i love to remain at home under AC and take bath or love to spend my day at the Beach.
• United States
15 Jul 10
Yes several baths is what we have been doing and in fact after our softball game today, all of us ran through the parks sprinkler, with full uniforms and all. That was a whole lot of fun. But it is 9pm now and we are sweating all over again as it still remains scorching. Thanks for stopping by.
• India
8 Aug 10
sorry for late response, but I could not stop myself from commenting, I liked the comment of both of you,remain in touch
@kristinad (185)
• United States
9 Aug 10
hello i would go and take a nice cold shower and leave your hair wet so it will cool off the back of your neck and go to the store because there is ac in the store and in the malls
• United States
9 Aug 10
I like the wet hair idea that sounds great, especially with me who has it all down to my waist. I normally wash it and tie up as it is so hot, but I will have to remember to leave it wet so it does cool off my neck. Thanks friend for responding and giving such great suggestions.
• United States
9 Aug 10
or you can stay at home and take a shower and have a fan blow on you if you can't leave the house
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
4 Oct 10
right now it is actually quite cool here in southern ontario canada, but this summer seemed to be pretty hot so we used our air conditioner some but used fans more. what you could have tried was a wash clothe that was in the freezer and put it on your neck.
• United States
4 Oct 10
It is actually 44 degrees here in IL and the summers were so hot it was 109 degrees and the heat index was to humid and scorching it was unbearable to breath. But I do like the towel in the freezer idea I will keep this in mind and put several to have fresh ones on hand.
@zeethegr8 (785)
• India
7 Sep 10
The temperature here in the capital city of New Delhi, India soars to around 45-52 degree Celsius, not Fahrenheit! And worse, its dry summers! So people fainting every now and then here and there is a normal scene. I always keep myself hydrated with water and a bottle of juice. Also I cool my head off with an ice cream and soaking my eyes with a handkerchief soaked in ice cold water.
• United States
7 Sep 10
Yes I have a water bottle almost as if I was born with it. Everywhere I go there it is a fresh bottle of iced cold water, as I keep several in the freezer so I never have to worry about buying any everywhere I go. The people fainting must be a scary site, oh my this is terrible.
@bingskee (5234)
• Philippines
9 Aug 10
it is raining very hard these days in my country, the Philippines. i usually take a bath with a frequency more than what i have on a regular cool day.
• United States
9 Aug 10
It is still in the 100's in Chi-Town so it has been pretty hot still by us. We are struggling with heat but the additional baths do help. Thanks for responding have a great day.
@Aaleexix (2290)
• India
20 Oct 10
If we exercise when it's extremely hot or humid outside, we may be putting ourself at risk for overheating. Overheating is a sick feeling we get when our body can't cool down fast enough. It is a sign that our body is working too hard to maintain a healthy temperature. And that means it's time to STOP exercising. In general, we want to avoid demanding exercise (like running or playing tennis) outside when it is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or the relative humidity is above 60 percent. Because our fitness level also determines how at risk we are for overheating, it's best to listen to our body. If exercising makes you feel bad, don't do it.
• United States
21 Oct 10
Absolutely I also agree about the over exertion as over heating could cause fainting all sorts of health issues. Cooling off in the summer months here is a major problem unless one can afford 24/7 air conditioning. We try but hope for cool days as much as we can.
• United States
14 Jul 10
Hi hardworking girl It's been hot but not as hot as were you live. Thanks goodness. My one room apt has AC and also I have a fan. But when I did have AC and just had a fan; we took a lot of showers and played out side with our garden hose. Now that was fun. Take care and please stay c
• United States
14 Jul 10
Take care and please stay cool! Snow
• United States
14 Jul 10
I am trying to but it is ridiculously hot. I play softball for charity and today we have a double game. I planning on taking a huge gallon of water with me and a towel to try and stay cool. I am however dreading the games today with hopes they get canceled, but no chance of that as we play rain shine and thunder. I suppose I will just add additional merits to my heaven slot above. LOL
@Guit08 (597)
• United States
14 Jul 10
I try to find somewhere where there is air condition or a fan. If I'm outside I will just play in the water (whether a hose or a pool) so that I stay cool. I also do my best to drink plenty of water so that I will not become dehydrated!
• United States
14 Jul 10
Yes same here I have been drinking gallons of water as yes it does feel very dehydrating. Although the fans feel like a hot heater running though. Thanks for responding, stay cool also.
@Guit08 (597)
• United States
28 Jul 10
Yes, I always carry a water bottle around with me so that I will always have water! If I'm outside then I try to stay in the shade and out of the sun if it is very hot. You stay cool as well!
@Bellapop (1279)
30 Sep 10
It's actually freezing over here in the UK right now, I can definitely recommend ways to keeping cool! Running cold water over your arms usually helps, and drinking plenty of cool / ice-cold fluids is also brilliant. If it's so humid, a dehumidifyer would be useful too. :)
• United States
30 Sep 10
It won't be long before we begin to freeze as here in Illinois it is either way too hot and or way too cold as the temperature in the summer can be as hot as 110 degrees, then in the winter it gets as low as 30 below zero. We can't win other then try tactics to either get cooled off and or try and stay warm. But the humidifier sounds like an excellent idea.
• United States
15 Jul 10
this how you cool off in the hot days the best thing you can do is get you two bags of ice and run hot and cold water to geter in your tube then you put two bags of ice in the tube then you sit and there and wait about 30 mins i bet you will cool off then you know know dou
• United States
15 Jul 10
I will have to try that as it is now 9pm and the temperature outside is registering at 92 with the heat index at 105 so it is a tad cooler but who can tell the difference as it is scorching.
• United States
15 Jul 10
Yes thank you, this is what we are doing. Funny though I have drank so many fluids I can hear the motion in my tummy! LOL
@webzap (884)
• Philippines
16 Jul 10
My solution is simple. If you are a homebody, then you just go to the mall nearest you and stay there from around 11 in the morning until around 5 in the afternoon when the sun is about to rest. In the mall, you have a free supply of cool breeze of air from its air conditioning system. The only thing that matters is your budget for food and the place to stay while inside the mall. But sure that can be solve easily. Anyway, enjoy the coolness of the environment around the mall.
• United States
16 Jul 10
Great idea, the weather is still very hot, so I am going to pack lunch and to the mall tomorrow, where I can take my laptop and be on myLot most of the day. Thanks for the idea this is really great!
@rajaiv0810 (1012)
• Philippines
15 Jul 10
Summertime is supposed to be finished here in the Philippines but it seems like it's still very hot. It would cool down a little when it rains. For the past 3 months it was really hellish here. In fact, out electric bill just doubled because of AC but I don't have the choice coz children can't sleep with the awful heat. I remember last summer I had to take a bath 3x a day. I have to buy some to put in my water because even the water from the faucet is hot too.
• United States
15 Jul 10
Wow that is amazing, although It is so hot here in Chi-Town the water from faucet is really cold. Thank God!
@billzehua (573)
• China
9 Aug 10
Here when the summer comes, the temperature can hit up to 37 degrees, schorching enough to cook an egg if you put it outside. especially when the cement roof is kept being exposed to burning sunshine, you feel living in the steam inside the house.Those are sober memories of me when i was young, I used to pour waters into the ground of the hall, or just put a basin of water pumped freshly from the well in the room.evaporation absorbs heat,lol..learned from physics class.
• United States
9 Aug 10
Do not know why I did not think of this. I remember this from school as well. In fact I won a contest in eight grade as I did an experiment involving just this. I won second place. Yes the water absorption helps the dry air in the house. Thanks I will do this today.
15 Jul 10
It is very hot here too so you have my sympathies. One good thing to do is to take a regular face cloth,wet it under the tap and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. When you take it out, it is nicely frozen and keeps cold for a very long time and I use it to wipe myself down or to wipe the kids down and it does offer a nice coolness to the skin.
• United States
15 Jul 10
Great advice, I am putting a towel in my freezer in a minute. Thank you so much and stays as cool as you can also! Oh before I forget, get some freeze pops they come in like a box of 100 they are so cheap under $5.00 and cheaper if you have a dollar store near you. The kids absolutely love them and keeps them cool for a bit.
• Philippines
15 Jul 10
I can so relate to this. Here in the Philippines, summertime is over. Our summertime is usually from March to May. These days, the storm locally called "Basyang" had left devastating effects on crop plantations, roads, bridges, and everywhere. However, it still is very hot when rainy days are over. We are a tropical country by the way and it's really tough to deal with the sudden change of the weather, because even if it's the rainy SEASON for us, there are some days when it's just so damn hot. Good thing we are surrounded by a lot of beautiful white sand beaches. We just drive to the nearest beach whenever we fee like it - LOL. Sometimes, we go daytime and head home when Mr. Sun says bye bye but I really enjoy it when we stay overnight. Another way of cooling down ourselves is to enjoy refreshments like "buko" juice (coconut juice) and other fruit shakes. I also like to wet the bathroom and just leave it open. You can so do that! Maybe the air flow from the bathroom to the whole bedroom makes it feel colder.Make sure it looks nice and decorate it with lots of stuffs so whenver your sight goes it's way, you will be more inspired to sleep, to stay in your room, and never feel uncomfortable due to the hot weather. I so agree we have to avoid using the AC because the bills these days are so exaggerated - haha.
• United States
15 Jul 10
Someone was telling me yesterday that the best water is coconut water, when you are very thirsty. I will have to try that. Yes I will have to try the bathroom system also. Maybe running cold water with the bathroom open will cool at night. Thank you so much for your advice, I am sure to try them.
• India
15 Jul 10
To cool off in darn hot situation, you have to eat some cool fruits,ice creams. Bath with cold water.
• United States
15 Jul 10
thanks for responding, great ideas!