As I write this I am sat with every window in the house wide open and not a lot on and yet I am sweating buckets. It’s hot! Too hot in fact and in the UK it’s something we’re simply not used to. Yes, for the majority of the year we spend most of our time moaning and wishing for warmer weather, though when it eventually arrives we don’t know what to do with ourselves.

In this article however, we’re going to explore a few ways in which you can keep cool this summer! It’s a bit of a different twist on what we’d normally write about, given that we’re a bathroom’s blog, though in the spirit of all things bathrooms we’ll kick this off with three ways that you can use your bathroom to cool down on a hot summer’s day…

1 – Take a Hot Shower

Of course, your first reaction would be to smash the cold water on and embrace the chills, however that’s actually not the way to do it. In fact, warm showers are indeed much better for keeping your body temperature down (believe it or not). This is because warm showers actually lower your body temperature due to the increase of blood flow to your skin—whereas a cold shower will cause your body to react to the colder temperatures on your skin by driving your body temperature up.

So, there are several ways you can approach it: jump into a cold shower first, for some instant relief, and then gradually build the temperature up until you have a nice hot shower; or alternatively, you can jump into a hot shower first, and then finish off with a nice cool soak before you finish off.

2 –Jump in the Bath

I know…can you think of anything worse than having a warm bath on a boiling hot day? It goes against all logic. In fact, it sounds terrible, but theoretically it’s a great way of cooling off; A) – because you’ll be rather sedentary and relaxed and B) – Well, see point number 1 above (it will lower your body temperature).

Before you get into the bath though, be sure to put some bottles of water in the freezer. By the time you finish in the bathroom, you’ll have some refreshing iced-cold water to cool off with afterwards.

In addition to that, if you feel like you will find it boring being laid out in the bath, remember that it presents a very good opportunity to catch up on those podcasts you’ve been meaning to get round to. Or, make some time to get stuck into a good book / audiobook—it can make your bath all the more enjoyable.

3 – Lie on Your Tiled Floor…Naked

Sure, be mindful of who’s in the house with you before you sprawl out in the buff, though if you’ve a tiled or laminate flooring in the bathroom then whip your kit off and layout on them for a few minutes—it will offer you some quick relief at the very least.

It might feel a little bit silly while you are down there but this really does work wonders. And if you don’t want to stick to the floor if you are already rather clammy, you can always lay a towel down; you should still feel plenty of cool coming from the tiles.

4 – Close Your Curtains and Open Some Windows

A staggering 30% of the heat in our homes comes from sunlight through our windows. You can cut this out (or rather, reduce the impact) immediately by simply closing the blinds and curtains. Sure, it’s not ideal on a sunny day when you want a bit of natural light flowing in the home, but if you’re boiling hot and running out of options you may have no choice! Just be sure to move any valuables or delicate ornaments out of the way as your curtains will invariably blow about in the wind.

Another bonus of this is having the curtains closed can reduce the number of flies that might make their way into your home through the open windows; something that a number of you might find incredibly frustrating. Alternatively, you can look into having some fly-screens installed on your windows. That way you can keep your windows wide-open (even at night), and still get the benefit of the breeze absent any unwanted visitors.

Bonus: Hang a Wet Sheet

Since it’s so hot, you just as well put a quick wash on and take advantage of not having to waste electricity on the tumble drier! Clean some sheets and then hang a wet sheet in front of an open window. This is particularly effective if there is a breeze as it will help to keep the temperature in your home down.

5 – Drink a Warm Drink

Yet another ‘contrary to popular belief’ for you, but you’ll just have trust us with this. Go ahead, have a got cup of tea or coffee—it will cool you down. It’s a similar situation with having a hot shower—your body responds by lowering its temperature.

Understandably, it can be difficult to get into the mind-set to want to drink a hot cup of tea. Normally, you would look forward to a steaming hot cuppa during the winter months, so it feels counterproductive popping the kettle on, on a hot summer’s day.

An alternative option would be to get some green tea bags. Quicker and easier to prepare, no need for sugar or milk, and it has other restorative qualities as well. You’ll feel suitably refreshed before you know it!

Oh, and while you’re at it, hold onto your teabags. Find a nice bit of a shade and lie down, enjoy the breeze (if there is one), and pop a couple of teabags over your eyes (damp and warm). These will not only cool your face down a little bit, but they are great for soothing bags under the eyes as well.

6 – Put an Ice Tray Before Your Fan

If you haven’t already invested in a fan for your home, get in the car, get down to your local home store and buy yourself a fan right now. They come in all shapes and sizes but, what is important is how much relief they can give you when you are suffering through the heat (particularly during the evenings and in bed at night).

But, what’s this about placing a tray of ice before the fan? Yup, it might sound a little bit weird, however, as the ice evaporates, the fan will blow the cool and pleasantly moist air around the room for you.

Of course, ice is precious during the summer months, so you’ll have plenty of filling up to do. Yet another reason to go and take a nice hot bath as mentioned above. You can refill all of your ice trays and pop them in the freezer to set while you kill some time in the bath.

7 – Use Your Hot Water Bottle

OK, this is getting ridiculous now; a hot water bottle, really? Don’t worry, you are not expected to place your hot water bottle on your belly, or at the foot of your bed while you sleep. No, instead, fill it with water and then place it in the freezer instead. Leave it a while to set and then voila: you have your very own giant ice-pack.

You can even use this trick for the cool-box in case you want to brave the great outdoors and head to the beach. Your hot water bottle might take up more space in the cool box, but it will keep everything colder for longer for sure.

8 – Double-Check all the Lights Are Off

This one might sound really daft, after all, who could be stupid enough to leave lights on during the day, eh? Well, you’d be surprised! Particularly if you have guests over, some people may flick lights on as a force of habit…

Just as an example, if the downstairs toilet / cloakroom doesn’t have a window, then the light will need to be switched on when it’s in use. Simply make sure that everyone is in the habit of turning the light off afterwards as not only is it a waste of electricity, but it will only contribute to the rising temperatures in your home.

9 – Eat Light

As much as you love eating a roast dinner on Sunday’s, is it really necessary when the sun is on a mad one? Having something nice and light instead, like a delicious chicken Caesar salad, or perhaps some cold meat with potato salad.

Eating a giant roast dinner might certainly feel like a good idea when you are starving hungry, but by the time you’ve finished, on a hot summer’s day, the regret will follow, as will the meat sweats!

10 – Sleep Downstairs

Heat rises, so, if you are struggling to sleep at night, then it might be worth trying downstairs to see if you fare any better. The rooms downstairs should be far cooler so this is definitely an effective way to mitigate your suffering.

 

In any case, we wish you the best of luck! As much as we like to complain, just think of all those miserable mornings spent de-icing your car, or having to walk to the bus stop in the snow. You’ll be missing this heat when it’s gone again, so try and find ways to enjoy and make the most of it.