r/lifehacks • u/puijila • Jun 07 '23
Are requests ok? How do I cool down a room if I can’t open the window?
Can’t have any windows open because hay fever season is making my asthma pretty bad. Problem is that this room is heating up like a greenhouse. In the uk so no air conditioning.
I’m keeping blinds closed during the day, I have a small fan to try and circulate air and I have a wheat bag (like a hot water bottle with grains instead of liquid) that I take out of the freezer and sleep with at night.
Does anyone have any extra tips for me to try?
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u/manifesteraddams Jun 07 '23
Put some ice in a bowl right in front of the fan to chill the air.
Imagine its very very cold outside and you have the heating on
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u/WhittlingDan Jun 07 '23 edited Jun 07 '23
Depending on humidity where you are at you could make a swamp cooler with a fan, a bowl or tray of ice water and a cloth hanging (I believe) in front of the fan with the bottom in the ice water. The evaporation turns heat into humidity so the lower your humidity the better this will work. You can also use a box fan and strips of cloth so more air makes it through, that way you feel the breeze of the fan more too.
You don't even need ice water just cool tap water will work. Making ice in your freezer creates heat that is released from the back. I'm not sure how much ice making in the freezer would push the temperature up enough to make it all counterproductive but if someone can figure that out it would be pretty cool. I'm not particularly strong with my math skills.
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u/Otherwise_Soil39 Jun 07 '23
But buy the ice, especially if your fridge is near where you are, you're heating up your apartment more than you're cooling it.
The freezer uses energy to continuously expel hot air from its containers... To your room. The ice is cold because it heated up your room the same amount. Except that this process is inefficient and it actually heats up your room significantly more.
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u/SwissyVictory Jun 07 '23
It's not about cooling you're entire home, it's about cooling yourself down.
If you're able to cool yourself down 5 degrees (by sitting in front of the cold fan) at the cost of heating the rest of your house 1 degree that's a good trade.
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u/LittleDaphnia Jun 07 '23
Sure but who keeps a freezer in their bedroom? Somebody probably but low odds OP does.
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u/Otherwise_Soil39 Jun 07 '23
I mean,in my apartment the freezer is always 3 meters from me no matter where I go lol
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u/-usernotdefined Jun 07 '23
You can even do this with a wet bath towel, hang it on a clothes rail below a ceiling fan or in front of a pedalstool fan. Just put another towel on the floor to catch drips if you're on carpet.
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u/gimmhi5 Jun 07 '23
When my brother was living in a small apt with no A/C he made something like this:
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u/Moses_Rockwell Jun 07 '23
Freeze some water in a few ziplock bags, put them on the inside of your wrists on your pulse points, have enough bags to keep rotating them in the freezer.
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u/Otherwise_Soil39 Jun 07 '23 edited Jun 07 '23
This but use cool water not ice, and focus on cooling your glabrous skin surfaces instead, as those do not vasoconstrict. This means the upper half of your face, sole of your feet and the palm of your hands.
These surfaces allow you to cool down efficiently and the use of cool instead of cold*, prevents your body from further heating up (your body doesn't know you are in a warm environment using ice to cool down, it merely senses stimuli, it suddenly senses zero degree temperatures and wants to warm up as much as possible ASAP, defeating the purpose).
Drink hot beverages, don't drink cold beverages. There's a reason they drink so much hot tea in hot areas of the world. You force your body to cool down.
Also creating ice, creates disproportionately more heat, so it's a vicious cycle, whereas to cool down, tap water is cold enough.
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u/Moses_Rockwell Jun 07 '23
If I was that worried about the extra energy I draw from freezing a few extra cups of water, I wouldn’t own a refrigerator. I think most of your body heat expelled, is through your head and your hands. I usually get a good haircut when I start sweating in early summer, and that usually helps a good amount. I could offset the ice issue by not driving to the barber, and cutting my own hair. Maybe I could flint-nap some stones from the garden, and use them in place of a pair of manufactured scissors. Haha I’m just playing. I can send money to AlGore, and not have to worry about any of that.
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u/Moses_Rockwell Jun 07 '23
If you have windows that get direct sunlight and really let the heat in, put a mirror between it and your blinds. This will also help keep the blinds from getting bleached and brittle.
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u/WhittlingDan Jun 07 '23
I used to have this tube like thing filled with a gel that stayed really cold. It was like 3" or 4" in diameter but a little flatter and went around th back of your neck to the front and down a little, almost like a super short scarf,like maybe 2ish feet long. I've also seen them that Velcro at the front of your neck and looks similar to a neck brace. I used the Velcro wrap style and went from sweating in my living room to actually getting the chills. Lowering your blood temperature powers your whole bodies temperature. You can use the inside of your thighs and your arm pits as well.
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u/Dhampri0 Jun 07 '23
Put couple plastic bottles 3/4 way full of water in freezer. When water is frozen put bottle in front of fan rotate when thawed.
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u/jeff_albertson_redux Jun 07 '23
Best, less messy suggestion in the comments (so far). I'll add to it: Saturate the water with salt before freezing it, it'll lower the freezing point from 0°C to around -12°C, extending its cooling life.
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u/Zealousideal-Bell-68 Jun 07 '23
How does that extend the cooling life? That just means that the ice will melt into water earlier instead of later. What difference is that gonna make?
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u/ichigoli Jun 07 '23
It's liquefaction point is still at a lower temperature than freshwater ice, so even after it warms to liquid, that liquid is colder than plain water. Allows you to keep the effect working a bit beyond the "until thawed" part, so you don't have to swap it out as often and the effect is amplified as well which could lead to faster ambient cooling in the right environment
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u/hilarymeggin Jun 08 '23
No, this isn’t right. It does melt to liquid faster, but the liquid is the same temperature as the block of ice. The only difference is the state liquid vs solid.
But once it is a liquid, it will equalize with the air temperature much faster than the ice, meaning the air will get colder faster, and the salt water with warm up faster than the block of ice melts. So it cools the room faster, but you have to change it MORE often than fresh water.
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u/Zealousideal-Bell-68 Jun 07 '23
But what difference does that make? Lol If you cool freshwater ice to -20 degrees, later it will melt at 0 degrees. If you cool saltwater ice to -20 degrees, it will melt at -12. Both of them will eventually get to room temperature. One will just melt before the other. But adding salt to water doesn't make it able to be colder for longer.
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u/ichigoli Jun 07 '23 edited Jun 07 '23
It will be liquid at -12, yes... but it will still be -12 and have to be that much colder to freeze.
Water doesn't... store temperature. -10, -20 doesn't matter after it becomes solid.You're getting more for your efforts by forcing it colder before it can solidify.[Edit] spoke with authority, realized I wasn't sure, looked it up.
My answer of "you have 12 degrees of 'liquid state' before you change it" still applies though.
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u/Zealousideal-Bell-68 Jun 07 '23
I still don't understand why. I can't remember it got but there's a name for how much energy it takes to heat a certain substance for 1 degree. The only advantage I can see is if saltwater needs a larger amount of energy to heat it for 1 degree. Because in that sense, it would, in practice "store more cold temperature". Other than that, I still don't understand how changing the temperature at which the water melts is beneficial in this situation
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u/hilarymeggin Jun 08 '23
Hey guys, I studied this very phenomenon while helping my daughter with a science project about why rolling a warm soda can in a dish of salty cold it faster than rolling the same can in a dish of fresh ice water. Here’s what we came up with, with the help of a physics professor friend:
First, salting the water you put in the freezer does not/could not possibly make it any colder than putting plain water. The salt does not affect the temperature. After time in the freezer, the water will be at the same temperature as the inside of the freezer, whether it is salty or not.
The difference, as you m both have said, is that salt water can get colder without freezing.
So is it better to have a bottle of water at 0 degrees (Fahrenheit) that is solid or liquid?
The answer is that if the water is liquid, it will equalize with the surrounding air temperature more quickly because it can circulate (especially if you shake it).
The frozen block of water can only equalize with the air temperature on its exterior surface area because it can’t circulate and exchange the warmer water on the outside with the colder water on the inside.
So the answer is that the liquid (salt) water at 0 degrees F will cook the surrounding air much faster, but then it will be the same temperature as the air in the room faster, and need to be switched out.
The solid water at 0 degrees F will cool the surrounding air more slowly but last longer. In other words, it takes a longer time for the water and the surrounding air to equalize temperature.
And if you’re curious, a can of soda rolled in a bowl of salted ice water will get much colder than a can rolled in plain ice water for the same amount of time, for all the same reasons.
Liquid water = faster temperature equalization than solid water at the same temperature.
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u/According-Bowler-855 Jun 07 '23
I don't know how much money you have but there are portable A/C units these days, although they aren't cheap.
There are two issues you need to address, though: heat and humidity. You need to lower both.
Several good ideas here on getting cool air (the frozen bottles+salt in front of a fan is the best) but always make sure the water is not going to drip down to the electrical cord on the fan!!! That is a real hazard and people die every year by not taking basic safety precautions.
Next up: dehumidifier. This is combat your own moisture (mostly from exhaling it into the air) and the moisture of the melting ice (if you use that method of cooling). You can get small dehumidifiers for cheap, just be aware that you will need to empty the water it collects out pretty regularly throughout the day.
If you get really hot, jump quickly in a cool shower (not cold, just cool) and then stand in front of a fan for a few minutes. Have a medical ice pack (the gel ones are great) or two in the freezer to slap on top of your head during peak heat hours.
And re-iterating the reflection film on windows, which really does work to reduce heat. If you can't afford to buy a roll then tape aluminum foil, reflective side facing out, on a few panes. Temp and utterly trashy, yeah, but effective in a pinch!
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u/feelthevibration Jun 07 '23
You have to exhaust the portable ac outside which they cannot.
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u/i_barely_knower Jun 07 '23
Most of them have a panel that inserts in the window and connects a tube to the ac for venting. You can seal these up pretty well, especially if you put some foam tape around the edges. Depending on the window configuration, it should be doable.
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u/politicallyangry Jun 07 '23
Yes I have a portable AC like this. It’s been in every window at different points in our last house and our current. It’s truly magical.
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u/mr_cake37 Jun 07 '23
If you decide to get a portable AC unit, try to get one with a two-hose system. Single-hose units create negative pressure and draw warm air from your house into the room you're trying to cool. A dual-hose or window mounted AC does not have this problem.
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u/your_neurosis Jun 07 '23
Cannot agree more. 2 hose unit and Technology Connections.
Also some plastic insulating tape for the edges. It's thicker than normal tape and easier to remove after long periods. The insulating value is negligible, but the seal and removal make it worth it.
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u/SatansMoisture Jun 07 '23
Can you put a reflective material against the window? Reflectix or aluminum foil? And then insulate with something like polystyrene or a thick blanket? Edit: Google, YouTube and Instructables are full of diy air conditioner projects.
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u/dave1carney Jun 07 '23
If I was you and it was this bad, I'd be thinking about going somewhere else during the day, a public library maybe. The suggestions below are good but if you're top floor and the place isn't well insulated, it's going to be a struggle.
You can get window filters as others have said - I'd probably get one of those and a window box fan, and at night when I get home use it to cycle the air from the day, then shut the window before leaving in the AM.
You should see the NHS for allergies and asthma - this isn't something to just let go, as you get older this will get harder.
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u/Sea_Bug5104 Jun 07 '23
In the uk so no air conditioning
....what?
i get that you have allergies dude but you have to open a window somehow, what you're describing sounds ridiculously unsafe. they sell filters you can put over the window for dust and pollen.
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u/Scarlet_poppy Jun 07 '23
From my understanding, they still have furnace and central air system. They just don't have the cooling unit. UK doesn't usually experience high heat in the summer, so it's not common to have cooling units. Fun fact, their old buildings actually are designed to keep the heat in to keep warm during long winter. This is why heat wave was such a huge issue a couple years ago.
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u/uChoice_Reindeer7903 Jun 07 '23
Their gov is so over reaching I assumed it was illegal to have AC in the UK. Lol
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u/Von_Baron Jun 07 '23
Had a similar issue a couple of weeks ago, thankfully my hayfever has died down. Few homes have air conditioning in the UK. Many public buildings and business also don't have air con either. I just looked up those filters as I had never heard of them. Also quite rare in the UK, and not cheap at all (though much cheaper than trying to AC fitted here).
I would add that in the last few heat waves we have had it was better to keep windows closed during the day to stop the hot air getting in and just open them at night.
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u/LaDivina77 Jun 07 '23
A good HVAC filter on the back of a box fan in my window is usually how I survive summer fire season. If you can get a high enough rated filter, it's probably better than keeping all that stale air inside forever.
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u/PrestigiousHedgehog5 Jun 07 '23
Buy a ceiling fan, put a fan facing outside your room so the hot air can go out instead of circulate in your room, make a homemade air conditioner with a water pump, a window fan and cooling pipes with ice bucket youtube has video how to make it, put ice bottles in front and back of fans and don't have any source of energy connected to outlet or have lights on and dress light. Drink cold water. And buy solar reflection window blind
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u/Visible_Lettuce_4670 Jun 07 '23
I have WILD allergies as well, and I have a few tips for how I’ve combatted heat without being able to open the windows.
You need at least a box or a stand fan in every room, but if you can tolerate the noise, “industrial” fans work way better. Put the fans in the coolest part of every room. The coolest room should have a fan that points towards the warmer rooms. Alternating how tall fans are helps circulate the air at different heights so you can bring cool air up and warm air down. DEFINITELY use ceiling fans, if you have them, and make sure their on the “summer” setting vice “winter”. There’s a switch on the base of a ceiling fan that changes air direction. All doors should be open to help circulate air flow. Common advice is to shut doors to trap hot or cold air in a room, but it doesn’t circulate to make other areas more comfortable. Amazon has so many options for fans. You can even get a personal misting fan that uses a fine mist to cool air down.
Use leds instead of incandescent. It sounds frivolous, but incandescent uses more energy and puts off more heat. Avoid vent fans that put out too much heat. Amazon has multi packs that are on the cheaper side.
Get thermal blackout curtains and sheers. If you can’t afford the two layer rods, put the sheers in between the blackouts so you can bring in as much or as little outside light as possible to keep heat low during the hottest part of day. In America, the hottest part of the day is around 4 pm, but I’m not sure about UK. Amazon has SO many options on colors, lengths, and prices, and it can save so much money in electricity in both summer and winter.
Do you have a door that opens to a hallway that you can vent hot air to? A fan that sucks air out into a hallway without recirculating it too much will also help.
Next, Amazon has portable air conditioners and window units. You can get smaller ones, or one, for the areas you spend the most time in. For example, if you spend more time in the living room during the day and your bedroom at night, you can put a portable AC unit in the living room during the day and your room at night. Be sure to measure your room and get the appropriate BTU for the square footage of that room. You can always turn one of these units down for a smaller room, but it’s difficult to turn it up beyond the max setting if you get too small of a unit.
Next, try to grill or use countertop appliances (I’m a BIG fan of Ninja products), during the summer. Using the stove or oven puts out so much heat, it can make your place unbearably hot. And I know it might sound archaic, but if you have a dishwasher that also puts out a lot of heat, consider either running it through the night to keep from adding more heat to your place during the day. Same goes for laundry - you. An absolutely use the washer during the day, but consider line drying inside the house to avoid allergens getting on your clothes and using the dryer during the day, or consider washing during the day and drying at night when it’s cooler.
Last, allergy meds might help, depending on what’s available, but there’s a homeopathic treatment you can use for that too. BioAllers makes several different treatments OTC you can buy off Amazon. It MIGHT help with hay fever so you can open some windows, but it’s not a cure.
I know it sounds like I’m promoting Amazon REALLY hard right now, but it’s very much where I found everything I’m currently using and I highly recommend it if you’re too busy to shop. But if you’d prefer not to use Amazon, a most department or box store will have most of these items too. I don’t know where to find BioAllers except from on Amazon.
Best of luck and I really hope this helps for a fellow allergy sufferer!
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u/Awesome0Sauce Jun 07 '23
Some tricks I've learned:
1: Close closet doors and other doors around your house. That allows your AC to cool rooms more effectively on an individual level instead of mixing all the air together and trying to cool the whole house. Note that you may want to open the door of the room you are cooling to allow it to air out first.
2: Standing fans point AWAY from the room you want cooled. They suck air from behind and blow it forward, so to cool a hot room you have to move hot air out, not cold air in. Since heat moves from most to least hot, you'll have an easier time blowing hot air out of the room (moving with it's natural flow) than moving cold air in (against its natural flow)
3: Electronics make heat. Try moving chargers and other unnecessary running devices elsewhere in your home for the time being, or turn them off. As a gamer, I run a console a lot and my room is very insulated, making it get really warm sometimes. Even taking 15 minutes to turn off my console and TV can greatly decrease temp, especially when combined with the other methods listed here.
4: Movement makes heat. If the room you are trying to cool is one you plan on moving around a lot, expect your body heat to make the room warm. While performing strenuous activity, open the door of the room to allow your body heat to ventilate. A fan in the room with you (preferably pointed in such a way that it blows out the door with you in between) will keep the air from being still and stagnant, making it easier to breath and cooler. This goes for other people/animals sharing the space with you; all warm blooded animals make heat, especially when moving.
5: Try removing heavy materials like padded furnature, blankets, clothes on the floor, etc. If you have the choice, opt to use a room without carpet, as it holds heat.
Bonus: Easy personal AC. Fill a bucket with ice or cold packs and put a fan on top of it so that the intake either rests over the top or is propped up in front of it. This fan is to be dedicated to this purpose, so ignore method 2 in this instance and point it where you want cold air (usually at yourself). Fan will suck in the nearby cold air and blast it right at you. Useful for keeping cool in the garage while cleaning the car!
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u/Odette3568865422 Jun 07 '23
Put some damp clothes over a drying rack. They should cool it down a little bit. Maybe put your feet in a big bowl of cold water. Helped me during pregnancy.
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u/Greensssss Jun 07 '23
Buy a fan you can transfer all over the room, like a tower fan. Works for me.
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u/DamyuKidds Jun 07 '23
You can buy a mini portable AC on Amazon for under $50. They cool using water and there's no exhaust to worry about. I have one and it works great on super hot days.
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u/Admiring_Vanilla340 Jun 07 '23
Fill a bucket with ice and attach a fan to the top of the bucket to pull out cold air. Poor man’s A/C
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u/hilarymeggin Jun 08 '23
I’m not sure how helpful this is, or if you’re on the top floor of your building, but we just had a home energy audit done, and I learned something unexpected.
They go around with this heat detecting gun and analyze where the hot air is flowing into your house. I thought it would be all around the windows and doors, but it wasn’t!
Far and away the most heat came in 1) where the wall meets the ceiling, and 2) where there are light fixtures in the ceiling.
This is because we have an attic above the ceiling where the air gets super-hot, much hotter than the hot air outside. Everyplace there is a cut or seam in the drywall, that hot air just pours in. When our house was 71 degrees F, the air right around the light fixtures (we have can lights set into the ceiling) was more than 100 degrees F!
So this might not be your situation, but if it is, they said to replace all of our inset can lights with LED ones that you can seal into the ceiling so air doesn’t come through the cracks.
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u/i_want_a_tortilla Jun 07 '23
wet your clothes. put a block of ice in front of the fan. wear a mask and open the window for a little while
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u/Weary_Direction8030 Jun 07 '23
Ice, covered in kosher salt in a bucket, wet a towel, drape towel in bucket and over a fan. You now have AC.
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u/LoveMyBulma Jun 07 '23
Get a heat pump installed and be done with it. Or, take your asthma meds so you can open your window? Might be one of those "tough it out" scenarios.
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u/m945050 Jun 07 '23
Move.
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u/SmokeHimInside Jun 07 '23
Yeah I didn’t want to seem like a dick so I’m glad you said it first. I agree. GTFO, op
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u/FairyOfEmpowerment Jun 07 '23
There's no air conditioning in the UK ?!?! Wuuuut....my mind is blown....🤯🧠why not
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u/Eddie182 Jun 07 '23
It’s not common outside of large commercial buildings because nobody ever buys it, because “it’s not that hot and we don’t need A/C”. Instead we like to spend the (admittedly short compared to elsewhere) summer complaining about how hot it is, rather than investing in the solution.
A side effect of the fact that people don’t install a/c at home is that there aren’t that many companies who install domestic a/c, and the cost of both the a/c systems themselves and the installation is comparatively high. That also compounds the whole “it’s not worth it” argument.
Basically we’re in a chicken and egg situation where nobody buy it because they don’t consider the cost justified, but because nobody buy it the cost remains comparatively high.
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u/FairyOfEmpowerment Jun 07 '23
That's crazy to me. I'm from the US, we all have a/c...I live in a lower income apartment and have at least a wall unit that "kinda" cools my living room....thank you for teaching me something new.
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u/Eddie182 Jun 07 '23
If you want to see crazy, take a look at some of the UK subs during the summer months. You’ll see no end of posts discussing the heat and how uncomfortable it is. But as soon as someone dares suggest people get a/c installed people will respond as if they’ve suggested they go and eat a baby.
I’m only converted to the ways of a/c after having lived outside the UK for the past few years.
The thing is the price of a split a/c unit isn’t that bad (around £700-£1000). But getting it installed will cost at least as much again.
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u/Ruth-Stewart Jun 07 '23
For what it’s worth, in my area of the US (Colorado, in the mountains) most folks don’t have AC in their houses. Open windows at night to cool the house off and close them up during the day for the hot part of the summer usually does it.
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u/Late2theGame0001 Jun 07 '23
Yeah. Europe in summer is CRAZY. you’ll go into a bank and there is no AC. everyone in suits. I stayed in a nice hotel in Berlin, no real AC. I had to buy a fan so I could sleep at night. Almost just bought an ac. The do sell portable units there, it’s almost a point of pride to skip it though.
Meanwhile, my house has 2 4 ton ACs that can turn my house into a meat locker.
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u/PixiePower65 Jun 07 '23
Why no ac in the uk? Window units are not a thing?
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u/OlderNerd Jun 07 '23
There are several reasons why few Brits have air-conditioning—the most obvious being the country's relatively mild weather. Average summer temperatures range between 55°F (13°C) and 75°F (24°C), and winters can last up to five months.
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u/reloadnotworking Jun 07 '23
To help asthma cut all dairy products and all the food that has preservatives and drink ginger tea in the morning and afternoon. Guaranteed you will feel better.
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u/content_aware_phill Jun 07 '23
idk if they call them something different int he UK but what you definitely want is a swamp cooler.
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u/4games1 Jun 07 '23
I don't think they have swamp coolers at all in the UK. I think the humidity is too high.
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u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 Jun 07 '23
My grandparents did not have air conditioning in Florida for a couple years after broke they decided they could live without it.
Sometimes, if you add a second fan it helps , if you have two fans in different parts of the room, it really helps create enough of airflow to shave some of the heat away. I’ve never done the ice truck like people have said, but I’ve seen it suggested a lot so it’s worth a shot.
I’ll drink a lot of ice water (at least a gallon a day between room temperature to iced water.) I find that if I drink a whole 8 to 12 ounces of really chilly ice cold water that it helps cool me down from the inside. (Makes me get cold chills if I’m in an air conditioning room) If I’m super hot I’m sucking down water every 5 minutes.
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u/difdrummer Jun 07 '23
put on a wet t-shirt and dampen the sheet at night. As the water evaporates it will cool you down. You can even have a couple of damp sheets folded in plastic grocery bags to switch out . Works best with l.ow humidity
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u/Impossible_Grass6602 Jun 07 '23
Honestly ac is the best bet, preferably a window unit not portable. Fans, freezing ice etc are just bandaids the will ki d of help but in the long run the energy used to run the fans and make the ice will heat the place up more
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u/argentinothing Jun 07 '23
This would work if you have a fresh and clean air source. You should place outward-facing fans on the warmer side of your home to blow the hot air out and inward-facing fans on the cooler side to draw cool air in. And watch this https://youtu.be/1L2ef1CP-yw
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u/bfjt4yt877rjrh4yry Jun 07 '23
Ok, now I have a question... Is there no a/c in the UK??? Like, you cannot buy a unit? This is how I read this post.
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u/Aggravating-Desk4004 Jun 07 '23
Not much. You can buy a portable one for your house but they're quite expensive. I inherited one and it's a life saver when the temps get very high but they're not very common and expensive to run so it's rare I put it on.
Some shops have AC but not all. We spend the sumer sweating and complaining about the weather :)
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u/booty_supply Jun 07 '23
This is a short term fix to make YOU feel cooler, rather than the room: fill the tub with 6ish inches of water. Then just stand in it for about a minute. It will bring down your temperature. I lived in Georgia without AC and did this to help me not get over heated. You can also take a spray bottle to bed and spray mist above you/ into the room. The circulating fan will cause that to evaporate and chill you. Best of luck!
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u/Agirlisarya01 Jun 07 '23
You can get gel ice packs that cover most of your back, which would probably cool you down nicely. There are also foam pillows with cooling pads.
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u/HalcyonDreams36 Jun 07 '23
In addition to other comments, OP, reduce anything that creates heat. Unplug your electronics AND the charging blocks when not in use. Unplug appliances, etc. If your lights generate heat, swap the bulbs out form those that don't and/or keep them off.
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u/SaintSiren Jun 07 '23
Put refrigerated water in a spray bottle and mist your face, body, etc. as needed, helps to have a fan blowing on you too.
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u/Specialist-Ad8467 Jun 07 '23
They have window “curtains” that block out heat coming from the window. Also cooling blankets . And try pumping heat out of the room instead of circulating it
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u/MarshmallowDroppings Jun 07 '23
Not actually a cool the room but more of a cool yourself (more useful during daytime) - if you can get a spray bottle with water, spraying water over yourself and letting the spray drop could make quite a difference, especially with a fan.
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u/Late2theGame0001 Jun 07 '23
If you have access, you can buy foam board from a Home Depot like store. Putting foam up will cut the window heat to almost nothing. And light still comes through. If a window is taking direct sunlight, it’s basically an oven in your room.
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u/Ruth-Stewart Jun 07 '23
My favorite trick for sleeping when it’s hot like that is to get a sheet wet and wrung out and use it as a blanket. Turn on a fan for air movement and let the evaporation keep you comfy. By the time you’re maybe a bit chilled the sheet is dry and you stay comfy.
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u/Reality_Choice Jun 07 '23
Not super helpful, but cold socks from the freezer and wet hair help me a bit.
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u/corn-star Jun 07 '23
I put a box fan with a huge hepa filter cartridge in the window. Works great.
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u/Khayeth Jun 07 '23
I would buy box fans and the box fan HEPA filters, and install those in the windows, ensuring a good seal around the fan and filter. One fan drawing in filtered air, one fan drawing out air, and another fan for motion/cooling somewhere in the middle, also with a filter installed.
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u/MooseMan12992 Jun 07 '23
How is there no air conditioning in the UK? Is it just not as common in old buildings or is it totally unavailable in the UK? Cause you can buy a window AC unit for like $100 in the US
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u/Eddie182 Jun 08 '23
It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation really. Because nobody really has a/c outside of large commercial settings, it’s only available from specialists and is therefore expensive, especially the installation costs.
Even the crappy portable units will be around £300+, if you can find them anywhere.
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u/academiccryptid Jun 07 '23
Blackout curtains, fan on, humidifier (I live in a desert) I swear my room was a whole different atmosphere then the rest of the house. You could feel the temperature change when you walked in
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u/scarybiscuits Jun 07 '23
Fill your bathtub with 5-6 inches of water. Periodically strip down and go lay in it. It will cool your whole body including your head/hair. The water will be cooler than the air temp so just leave it. I know you have a bathtub because British.
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u/the-ender-enby Jun 07 '23
Good idea to have the blinds closed during the day. I like to put my pillows in the freezer so they are nice and cold when I want to use them, it also helps to put a small bowl of ice in front of you fan. Also, running your wrists under cold water is really effective because od how close the veins are to the surface
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u/Flibbergiblet Jun 07 '23
I've found that sleeping on one of the cooling mats that's designed for pet use is good at night. It sounds a bit weird I know, but it works for me. I also recently bought a cooling blanket from Amazon. I'm not sure how it works but I have found that to be useful as well.
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u/terente81 Jun 07 '23
During the summer I use a windows cleaner bottle, fill it with water and spray the sheets before I lay on them; not soaking wet, just barely damp. Give it a try. Evaporation is an endothermic reaction so it will absorb heat from your body. Use an air dehumidifier to deal with excess humidity in the air.
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u/382Whistles Jun 07 '23
Sinuses stopped being an issue with me after my eyes started swelling shut a few days a years. It got much better and seldom happened for years in adulthood. The field plant that nails me isn't around as much anymore either though, it might be long term lucky timing too.. good luck there. 🤞
Wash the curtains, or add some, both blocking the light, filtering air, and redirecting window trace dust & pollen to the floor too.
Measuring at least one window, up high is best, then match the size(s) and place a Hypoallergenic furnace filter(s) in the window. Ventilation is going to be key to cheap comfort.
Dry ice use might need ventilation too as a reminder for any other brainstorms.
A dehumidifier is an interesting "half way air conditioner" that might be ideal at your temp range using your "sealed in" approach. Dehumidification makes higher temps more tolerable as our personal evaporative cooling is more efficient. The machine does usually involve an AC sibling unit controlled differently and not dumping heat outdoors.
Leaving an attic access door open might help increase the little bit of normal ventilation via small gaps in the building.
Since this is likely going to be a lifelong battle to some degree, consider fabrication of an expanding accordion furnace filter frame and/or blocking/masking parts of large windows with plywood, heavy fat-tube AC unit weatherstrip, construction foam, or even dumpster bound styrofoam from a store.
Is there a cellar with heater? There may be an intake vent downstairs close to floor level you can open for the season, and then turn the thermostat down so the heat portion doesn't kick on, and look for on/off/"fan on". The latter will run just the furnace fan without heat. Any vent variation existing in the basement would at least trade some cooler cellar air with the upstairs. But the cool things in the cellar, like pipes, cement, etc will also likely build a lot more condensation on them, which may or may not be an issue for different homes and depending on what boxes are bellow which pipes., etc..
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u/randompanda91 Jun 07 '23
Get a 2l bottle of water, fill it 2/3 full and freeze it, then put that frozen water bottle in front of a fan. Effective air cooling!
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u/Happy_Alone369 Jun 07 '23
You may freeze water in a big plastic bottle (don't fill it to the top so it wont "explode"), then place the freezed water bottle in front of your fan -. you should put the bottle inside a bowl, to avoind weting the place where the bottle will stay.
For sure you'll feel the air coming out of the fan quite colder.
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u/SupahSang Jun 07 '23
Something you could try is still crack open the window slightly, but have the fan blow air out instead of in. It'll draw from elsewhere in the house that'll hopefully be cooler!
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u/Commercial-Push-9066 Jun 07 '23
We have black out curtains that we keep closed in our upstairs bedroom. We finally had a buy a portable air conditioner. It’s been so much better since.
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u/ElfjeTinkerBell Jun 07 '23
There's window screens (like the ones to keep mosquitoes out) which also block pollen. They're usually a little more expensive, but here in the Netherlands they're still reasonably affordable. Might be worth looking into that - not just for the temperature but also for just fresh air
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u/Aggravating-Desk4004 Jun 07 '23
Point the fan at the ceiling. Hot air rises, so if you cool it down with a fan at the top, it cools and falls back down as colder air.
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u/OverlappingChatter Jun 07 '23
Can you get a ceiling fan? This is the only thing that gets me through summer
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u/jinantonyx Jun 07 '23
If it's not too humid and you don't mind being wet, you can use evaporative cooling. We used this during an extreme situation - a malfunctioning AC in Arizona during the summer, where it was 90F+ inside the apartment.
Wet a towel or tshirt and then...wear it. Sit in front of a fan. It will feel weird at first wearing wet clothing, but then it feel blissful until the clothing dries, then just wet it again.
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u/TheOtherBrownEye Jun 07 '23
Get a cheap styrofoam cooler cut two holes in it fill it with ice and put a box fan on one side. seal the gap between the fan and the cooler with some tape and fabric or cardboard or whatever. Works pretty well as a DIY AC unit when theres no other options.
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u/Baleofthehay Jun 07 '23
The poor man's fix. Have an adjustable spray bottle full of cold water.Spray areas that heat up the most. Practically where women put perfume or spray. The neck,behind ears/head,arm pits and wrists. Even let spray trickle down your back. Then sit in front of the fan.
You can even spray water into fan which blows cool spray back at you.
This is a trick I've been doing for years at work in the summer when our AC isn't efficient enough.
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Jun 07 '23
They make rags that help with cooling. Just get it wet and slap it around your neck. When I lived in my car in 90 degree heat this worked pretty well along with a spray bottle with water + a fan
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u/GuacamoleFrejole Jun 07 '23
A portable a/c unit will do the trick, but window units are cheaper. You'll get a better night's rest, but on the con side, in addition to the purchase expense, your electric bill will rise.
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u/Powerfader1 Jun 07 '23
Buy one of those portable air conditioning units. The unit sits in the room. They have a small fixture that attaches to the window. No screws, nails, or tools are needed to get the thing in place and running.
You can get them at just about any box store or order one from Amazon. They work great for a room and small apartment, not so great for an entire house.
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u/TrumpterOFyvie Jun 07 '23
Fans go a long way. Getting a good one and putting it near a corner pointing upwards will reduce the room temp a good few degrees. And having a breeze directly on you will allow you to be comfortable in surprisingly hot temps. I live in NYC without air conditioning and the summers are hot, humid and brutal. I make do with a couple of fans and I’m fine.
Have you looked into a HEPA window screen so you can open your window without worrying about pollen?
Also I know it sounds obvious but strip down to your underwear if you can. I spend the entire summer in just shorts when I’m indoors, I’d be too hot with anything else on.
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u/m0stlyharmle55 Jun 07 '23
If you can afford it, buy a portable air conditioner. I got one for about £300 a few years ago. To vent it I bought a bit of clear perspex the size of the window, cut a hole in it for the vent hose and attached it to the window frame with velcro each side so I could still open and close the window.
The perspex seals the room, preventing the cool air escaping back out and warm air getting back in and at the same time will drastically reduce and pollen affecting your hay fever.
But I do understand that's still quite an expense and a time when everything is very expensive. After the initial investment the cost of running it is manageable.
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u/Notsureforprez Jun 07 '23
DIY 5 gallon bucket AC system. 5 gallon bucket with lid Fan smaller diameter than the lid of bucket Foam bucket liner if you’re fancy(holds ice longer) 3 short pieces of 2” pvc pipe.
Drill 3 holes in bucket and liner if you have it, a little above halfway up the bucket and insert the short pieces of pvc pipe. Cut hole in lid so the fan fits tight(fan face down towards inside of bucket)
Fill bucket with ice, put lid on with fan and turn on. Should be reasonably cold air coming out and should cool a small room reasonably quick
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u/NinjaBilly55 Jun 07 '23
Some people were never poor and it shows.. Take a big bowl of ice and set it in a baking pan then blow a fan across the bowl.. Poor man's AC..
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u/mi_c_f Jun 07 '23
First.. cover windows with reflective film. Next get a set of chiller boxes ( used to keep stuff cool in the coolers ) , if you cannot get chillers, simple fridge bottles will do. Just fill them up with salt dissolved in water ( about a cup of salt ) upto about 3/4 of the bottle.
Place chillers or fridge bottle with salt water in the freezer for about 8 hours.
When going to bed, open the door and run the fan at full speed for 5 minutes (this is to expel most of the warm air from the room).
Take out the chiller/ bottle from the freezer and place behind the fan if the fan is a table or pedstal , if it's a ceiling fan then place the chiller / bottle on a stand mid distance between the fan and the bed in the path of the airflow.
Chiller / bottle should be placed in a bowl that fits the chiller/ bottle ( moisture will condense out the air)
After another 5 minutes close the door ( important, cool air shouldn't escape so that the setup keeps cooling the same air) and change fan speed to what suits you. This will significantly cool down the room due to air around the chiller/ bottle getting cool, the air is also stripped slowly of moisture which helps you to sweat easier. This cooling should last about 8 to 10 hours.
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u/bleufeline Jun 07 '23
Wet what you’re wearing slightly, evaporation should help you cool down, reapply as needed. Only works if it’s not also super humid.
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u/lc1981265 Jun 08 '23
For a quick fix, like before bed, I would put my pyjamas in the freezer. Put them on right before I get into bed so it’s a comfortable lay for a bit.
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u/Ex0skeletr0n Jun 08 '23
Build a homemade air-conditioner. Using a cooler, fan and ice mainly. Tons of diy air conditioners.
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u/Uncommon_Lawfulness Jun 08 '23
Wet a sheet in the bath tub and let it drain out most of the drippy, wet moisture. Then you can put it over yourself while sitting or sleeping in front of a fan and I swear you'll be freezing cold in no time. Keep a spray bottle handy and spritz down your sheet as it dries out.
My air conditioning went out a couple of summers ago and this is how I survived 100°+ F/38°+ C Temps in the West Texas desert summer while waiting on repairs.
AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER
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u/AcrobaticMetal1522 Jun 08 '23
Used to live in a hot humid environment. A wet was cloth on your skin can work wonders near a fan; I prefer oscillating. Also kept a spray bottle with H2O to spray down the body as needed. Would fall right back asleep. Cheap & cheerful. Good luck mate!
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u/Sailorman2300 Jun 08 '23
- Cool shower.
- Wet a bath towel and hang it so the fan blows across it.
- Pre-freeze large bottles of water then sit them between the fan and yourself.
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u/spencerparenteau Jun 08 '23
Make an ice AC.. get a styrofoam cooler… fill with ice, cut a hole on the side and on the top… blow a fan into the side and cold air comes out the top. What works even better is if you freeze huge blocks of ice in large mixing bowls or Tupperware etc
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u/Tishcanwish Jun 08 '23
Freeze water in as big a chunk as you can. Put it in a bowl in front of the fan to cool the air. It helps. Also, I haven't had the nerve to try, but I have been told sleep in damp socks with the fan blowing on them to cool you.
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u/DruidMoonDancer Jun 08 '23
Add insulated black out curtains to this list. And munch on ice chips, continuously with a fan blowing on you. You can rotate frozen grapes, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, etc. It's amazing what cooling the inside of your body can do to make you more comfy in a hot environment.
Lastly, there are cooling hats, neck wraps, tops, shorts that outdoor workers, hikers, runners etc, use to keep cool. Very affordable. Can get them anywhere that sells athletic wear or outdoor clothing. Some of them you get wet, some you can store in the fridge or freezer, some are just light and wicking. I've found them on Amazon before.
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u/Mirimes Jun 08 '23
you can't buy the portable ac? and shade the windows to prevent greenhouse effect. Other things are basically useless, they could make you feel a little better for a small period of time but won't actually lower the temperature of the room. You can lower the humidity tho, since the room will not have air circulation there should be a lot of humidity trapped (sometimes if the humidity is high you can feel hotter that what what you'd feel at same temp and low humidity)
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u/dishdoer Jun 08 '23
There is a device called a Cooling Tower that sweeps air over a bucket of ice water— you can a) purchase the device or b) try and recreate the effect with a fan and a bucket of ice water
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u/Canuck647 Jun 08 '23
You can get pollen screens for windows. The finer mesh blocks pollen but allows airflow.
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u/DamnYouGoonies Jun 08 '23
Just buy a window screen allergy filter so you can leave your window open
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u/Suspicious_Local4370 Jun 10 '23
I would suggest water based air purifiers. It’ll cool down the room and cleans it. You’ll probably have to change the filter every few months.
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u/TitanTigger Jun 14 '23
You can also get a Split air conditioner unit or even a portable air conditioner unit. The portable ones are very inefficient, but they do cool a room down.
The ones worth getting are very pricey however.
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u/Infiniski_Gaming Jun 18 '23
Your best bet mate is a portable air conditioner that has a vented duct you can hang out your window. They clean your air, shoot all the humidity out the window and replace your room with cool air. Bought one this week in UK, it's absolutely amazing because British summers are lethal
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u/Lucyandplants Jun 22 '23
Not for the room but I always find a cool bath or shower really helps before bed. A bath is better as your body is cooler for longer after.
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u/longrunner100 Jun 07 '23
You can buy a reflective film to put on your window. Depending on how big the window is will make this more or less effective. I've reduced room temps by 10 degrees F. If you can, shade the wall/window getting the most sun exposure. Use a canopy or pop-up tent or install an awning. Cover as much as you can!