I am from Eastern Europe and this is the hottest summer on my memory. For at least 3 consecutive years the heat is breaking all records.

This stuff is unbearable, I can’t even play video games on my laptop, because it warms up very fast and the keyboard becomes uncomfortable for me to use.

So, could you please share any useful tips on how do you survive the summer?

  • YoMismo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    North africa here, we are between air conditioning, fans, drink water and pray it ends fastly, in my country our problem is more energetical, more demand less production.

  • Barbacamanitu@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I do construction work in Alabama. I basically bitch and complain all summer long and hate every second of it. There’s no relief unless you’re in the AC. I’ve been thinking of ordering a liquid cooled vest actually. They look weird but I’ll try anything. The humidity here is killer. Sweating doesn’t help like it does in dry climates. Every time I walk outside my body shuts down and I have literally no energy. I think i had a heat stroke last summer.

    If someone above me tells me to go work outside all day and doesn’t offer me a substantial amount of money, I tell them to go fuck themselves. It isn’t worth it.

    • femaledog@reddthat.com
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      1 year ago

      Those vests can be very effective. I use a coolshirt system in my track car, and I can be in the car indefinitely on a 100F day with no a/c, as long as the pump is recirculating ice water through my suit.

    • Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      As a European, what is this AC you’re talking about.

      Houses in Europe usually don’t have AC, but more and more people are getting one now.

      • Kale@lemmy.zip
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        1 year ago

        In the American southeast, especially in a river Delta, you can’t live in a house long without AC or a dehumidifier. Mold will grow to toxic levels quickly in a house that’s left without electricity for very long in areas around me.

        We have trouble opening our front door in the summer when the temp gets above 38 due to the humidity causing the wood door to swell. The heat index reached 47 last week due to the high humidity so there’s a ton of water in the air.

  • user1919@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    fan and cooler during dry heat, onlyfans during humid heat after rain, get cotton vest for upper body and cotton bermuda shorts, get external keyboard and a laptop stand with fans for laptop.

    • WhyIDie@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      ah, that was my problem, I was using onlyfans regardless of the weather

    • hglman@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Don’t wear pants! It amazes me how people from colder climates don’t dress for the heat.

      You must wear loose-fitting closes that allow breezes to pass through the material. In the sun, you must cover your skin and keep your clothes open.

  • Scrumpletin@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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    1 year ago

    AZ here, Get a cheap low power desktop for work shit, it will heat up less and you’ll be able to ventilate it better.

    Otherwise, a/c, thermal curtains, insulated reflector layer in front of that, make sure your weather seals on your doors are good. Drink water all the time, carry water with you all the time. Good luck with all the heatwaves and welcome to the club.

    • moreeni@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      Thank you for the all the advices but my laptop is already the “low power” option. The other one is a desktop, which produces way more heat. Although still less than most modern “gaming stations”

      The club, is sadly, not the one I would like to be in. I have always been a fan of winter but it seems like with each year it’s going to be harder to enjoy it

    • KSP Atlas@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      You can do a suprising amount of stuff on a raspberry pi, they also run ARM meaning they heat up less than a desktop CPU

  • kersploosh@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Have central air conditioning in all buildings.

    Have a place to swim.

    I’m in the US and it was 40C (104F) yesterday, which is normal for my area. I spent the whole day either indoors or in the neighborhood pool, and it was perfectly comfortable.

  • Bruno Finger@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Brazilian here, to be fair I’ve read so many good tricks here that I am not sure what I have to contribute, but yeah, light clothes with bright colours or white, don’t dress dark as your clothes you heat up. No shoes if you can, but also not barefeet lol sandals and flip flops havaianas styles. If you live close to the beach obviously go take a swim, otherwise swimming pool or AC at home or car or go to store random stores with AC too lol. Drink cold stuff, keep hydrated. Fans, and cold shower.

  • Astroturfed@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    In the southern US we have air conditioning everywhere. People avoid going outside except for very early or late in the day when the sun isn’t on you. I try to get any yard work or anything outside down before 10am and avoid going outside the rest of the day.

    Yesterday was actually a “nice” day where I’m at because the high was “only” 34C. People were outside enjoying it, but still avoided the sun and were mostly out in the morning and afternoon in shaded areas.

  • yumpsuit@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    No mention of wet headcloths and neckerchiefs here! Get some water on that neckerchief and it’ll drip down the hotter parts of your body. A wet headcloth loosely draped under a hat or headband catches the wind and sends evaporative cooling down your back, and gives you cooler air to breathe.

    There’s a reason why deserts around the world are filled with garments like the keffiyeh, pashmina, shemagh, pañuelo, and cowboy scarf. I’ve spent a lot of time in the outdoors with a kufiya from the Hirbawi factory in Palestine, they’re well-made and amazingly handy. Their story is worth reading at http://www.hirbawi.ps .

  • Oneser@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    The one thing I don’t see mentioned enough for keeping your apartment cool is to close all windows and draw all curtains during the day and open them when the temperature outside is lower than that inside (normally ~an hour after sunset).

    Heat reflects off all surface, so it’s not just about keeping light out.

    Blinds on the outside of your windows help significantly too.

    • WarlockLawyer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I wish the temperature outside dropped below my house temp. If I run AC at even a money saving 83 degrees inside, the exterior doesn’t drop below that until around 6am.

      • Oneser@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        I mean if you have air conditioning, then most tips here are irrelevant and the only tip would be “put your air conditioning on”.

        Almost all areas on or north of the Alps in Europe don’t have AC (cos they never needed it) and buildings are made to keep heat in.

    • sunbeam60@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      Totally. Blows my mind that people can’t seem to understand that if it’s hotter outside than inside, the inside won’t get any cooler by opening windows.

      Last summer in London (42 C!!) we became a box of shadows during the day. Keep the cool inside.

  • ag_roberston_author@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    When I lived in a top floor apartment in Melbourne, where it regularly hit 40°C without any air-conditioning (still unsure how that was and is legal to rent out), I would use a spray bottle of water and a fan to evaporatively cool myself, cold showers to lower my body heat and trips to an air-conditioned space like the cinema or shopping centre during the worst of it.

  • StalinIsMaiWaifu@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    Ceiling fans should be set to warm weather mode (there should be a switch on the base which changes the direction of spin), you want them to pull hot air up (so the lower edge is the leading side) push cool air down, had it backwards

    Cotton/baggy clothes: cotton loses all insulation properties when wet so its nice on a hot day, baggy clothes are generally more breathable

    Self-misters are fine, but do not use humidifiers, lower humidity = faster sweat evaporation = cooler you

    Drinks w/ ice and/or icecream: cold stuff inside your body will cool you down

    Avoid the outside at 1-2pm: this is usually the hottest part of the day

    For your laptop: buy a desk fan and point it right at your laptop, has the bonus of cooling you down too

  • FollyDolly@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Here’s what I do, dampen a towel and put it in the freezer. Once the towel is good and cold wear it like a cape. Looks kinda stupid but you’ll stay cool.

  • frustbox@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    People have already mentioned wet towels on your neck but I would add, if you can, cold wraps for your legs: wet towels around your calves.