Forum: lifehacks.stackexchange.com
Tags: <substitute-tool><temperature><air>
Title: What are some quick ways to cool off at home, in extreme heat, if the electricity has gone out?
Question: But without actually spraying water on yourself and getting wet

Answers:
sents: text: I can't imagine what it must be like in the heat in India, but here in the UK, when we get one of the 5 or 6 days a year where it's too hot, I always find that I feel much more comfortable if I can keep my HEAD cool.
text: I fill a sink with the coolest water available and dunk my head under.
text: For some reason it seems to be particularly effective to enter the water with the crown of the head first.
text: Hold your face under as long as you can, the water will soon start to get too warm so the effect is lost.
text: I then splash some of the water on arms, neck and other places where I get sticky with sweat.
text: Crucially, I don't dry myself afterwards but let the water evaporate and cool me again.
text: This works very well when your hair is wet because it takes a long time to evaporate away.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/1965/Lefty
score: 6
sents: text: You could also arrange or use some sort of fan.
text: Hand held fans are quite useful and effective, and doesn't require too much energy to handle. Or go large scale and make some arrangement with a blanket/curtain attached to a rope which when pulled would move and increase the air flow in the room and create a fresh breeze.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/4490/holroy
score: 3
sents: text: If you need to cool down but do not want to get wet - I would firstly recommend against the 'hack' of putting a cold cloth or ice on your neck.
text: The reason is that all this is doing is cooling the blood coming through yor carotid artery that then goes directly to the brain - with the consequence of tricking your brain into thinking your body has reached a normal temperature and swwitching off the normal biological response of sweating to cool yourself down again.
text: To get your core body temperature back down to normal I personally would try a combination of the following: Get as much airflow over the skin as possible to maximise the evaporation of sweat
text: (fan/aircon/driving with windows open) increase the water resting on the skin - as evaporation is an endothermic process which draws heat away from its surroundings (in our case - our skin/blood)
text: Drink something cold to cool the body from the stomach outwards
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/6721/Bendy
score: 2
sents: text: 1.)
text: Obtain a wire small animal cage.2.)
text: Install an exercise wheel inside the cage.3.)
text: Clip or tape several standard playing cards onto the exercise wheel in a manner of which the cards will encounter resistance to air as the wheel rotates.4.)
text: Obtain a hamster or other similar, small, active critter.5.)
text: House said critter within the wire cage along with sufficient food and water.
text: When the critter gets bored he/she/herm/shim will jump up onto the inside of the exercise wheel and begin running.
text: This will maintain rotational movement of the wheel, causing the playing cards to act as do the blades of a fan, producing air movement.
text: Locate the cage in proximity to your head, close enough so that the air movements can be felt by your head.
text: Talk to the critter while he/she/herm/shim is running so that he/she/herm/shim stays happy enough to want to keep running.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/12012/Woody Dykawt
score: 2
sents: text: Go to the washroom and turn on the shower, cold water, full blast.
text: Close the bathroom door and window.
text: Pull up a small chair so you're positioned not far from the running water.
text: Depending on how strong your shower-head is, you should be cooling off in a short while from the vapor of the cold water.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/6942/larry909
score: 1
sents: text: Jump under the shower.
text: But for the last minutes you should shower hot, this will open your skin pores and allows your body to better control your temperature for the next hours.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/6962/Trikolix
score: 1
sents: text: I always do the following:- A cotton cloth that is ready to be washed, using which you can rub off sweat from your body.
text: This will at least give you some relief from the running sweat off your body, which tickles for some people.
text: Small hand-held fans that will not hurt your hand, and will also give quick airflow to your body.
text: Sit down or lie down for 5-10 minutes at least, keeping yourself calm, without doing any activity.
text: I tried going under shower to cool off, but that doesn't help you after 2-3 minutes, if your body is always doing some activity - like slowly walking or getting tensed.
text: So the best option is to remain calm for 5-10 minutes or more, and follow all the above-mentioned steps.
text: Hope it helps!
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/6965/Knowledge Craving
score: 1
sents: text: For a water conservation alternative to the answer from @Lefty
text: I find that having a wash cloth soaked in cold water is very beneficial.
text: Wipe the wet wash cloth over your face to wet it and then wrap it around the front of your neck.
text: The cool water will cool the blood circulating around you as there is a main artery and vein in your neck.
text: The cloth will get warm after a while.
text: Just go back for cold water again when needed.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/27991/Chris Rogers
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
There are a few techniques you can use to keep cool in extreme heat and one involves washing your face with a cold wet cloth and then wrapping it around your neck. You could also use a handheld fan. Another method that could work is by either taking a cold shower or running the shower full blast and sitting near it.
The options are to put a cold cloth or ice on your neck, maximise airflow with fan, aircon or open windows, have a cold drink, sit next to a cold shower on full blast or keep a damp cloth and use to dab face and neck.