Need help with this heat.... (New York, Holland: apartment, credit card, home)

[Destinfabuleux]

Hey guys, thought I'd ask the heat experts here... even though I'm in Holland, the temps are just as high as in New York at the moment. I'm going crazy. I can't stand the heat.So instead of complaining about it, I wanted to start this thread to collect constructive tips and tricks.

I have no airco, can't afford it right now. Just have two fans. What do I do to get it to cool down in my apartment? It's 97 F inside!
I can't really leave either, outside it's 95 F...

[Northwindsforever]

If you don't have an A/C there's not much you can do to cool down the apt. If you have a bathtub just lay there in cool water, or go to the beach to swim and get tanned! 97F inside the apt it's unbearable!

[Jaydata]

Someone mentioned this before I thought was a good idea, if you have
a refrigerator with freezer, make yourself a big bag of ice and put them
in a bucket. And then put the ice bucket in front of your fans, you got
yourself a short term home made Air Conditioner.

Also I heard posting pics of your window views on city-data also make
you cool.

[Henna]

Try finding air conditioned hangouts like the public library, the movie theatre, cafes or free museums. This at least will keep you cool during the day. At night sleep on the floor (since heat rises) and place the fans on you. Bring a wet washcloth too.

Do you have any friends who can let you sleep over in the a/c on the unbearable nights? Maybe trade them something, like help with home improvement or a home cooked meal when it gets cooler.

[gingercat]

When I was a kid we never had AC...my grandmother showed us that if you hang a wet towel in front of a box fan it will give you a nice cool breeze.

[That Ottawa One]

Fill the bathtub with cold water, and leave it filled overnight.

Drink hot green tea (it will cool your body -- Asian trick); avoid caffeine and alcohol, they dehydrate you and make you feel hotter

Do you have an "atomizer"? If you have a plastic spray bottle that you can fill with water, spray some water on your arms, legs, etc. and as the water evaporates it will cool you (while you are next to a fan).

You may be able to increase the air circulation inside the apartment, depending upon where the fans are positioned. You want the air to be directed in through the window, and out your apartment's front door. Try to position one fan 2-3 feet from a window, so that it blows towards the centre of the room, then position another fan further away but blowing in the same direction as the first fan -- they might pull an air current into the room through the window that way.

Put the fans as low as possible in the apartment, sit the fans on the floor and sleep/sit on blankets on the floor. (The heat will rise, while the breeze will be near the floor)

If you believe it's safe, you might prop open your apartment's front door, to increase air circulation. If your apartment's front door opens into a stairwell that leads upstairs in the building, the heat can leave your apartment that way and rise up the stairwell.

[Embla]

Heat? What heat? Jealous.

[jcoltrane]

Screw all that. Buy a freakin airconditioner---PERIOD!

Do what you need to do. Get a temp job, a second job,, credit card, whatever.

As I told a young man once ago, who had just started working; and was fortunate enough to get a job at our firm, a firm and job which eventually would allow him to make out of the ghetto and into a better life.

He said the same thing. He didn't know much about a/c, and the heat was killing him. Didn't think he could afford one, nor the increased electric bill. For a minute I thought about buying him one; then, thought better of it. Teach a man to fish!

So, I helped him to shop, found a good small btu machine at a very good price, which he could afford.

This is what I told him, your job is your life. It pays for everything, food to eat, a roof over your head, clothes on your back, women! It gives you the things you need, the things you want, and the things you hope to have some day. Without it you've got nothing! You need to prioritize, and take care of your job---as if it is your life!

I continued, you cannot come in here all hot, sweaty and funky. You cannot come in here dragging, lifeless and making mistakes, because your place is so hot you can't sleep. A/C isn't a luxury it is a necessity. You gotta do what you gotta do. Find the sacrafice and make it. Maybe you don't go out with your friends and GF for a month, whatever.

I also, advised him to only run the a/c at night so he could sleep. So he'll be fresh and sharp for work. All the rest of the time keep it off, and get out of the apartment. I also helped him to make a budget and find ways to save.

Its stupid not to have a/c, and a mark you have and are making poor decisions. Time to re-evaluate.

JMO.

The kid thanked me. I taught him something. He rose from the copy room where he already earned an above average salary for the job, and lives a decent life outta the ghetto with central a/c.

Choices.

I refuse to help someone learn and/or maintain to be poor.

****

Just wondering, why someone in Holland would ask NYers advice on, how to sweat?! Wahhh!

Strange.

[30STM]

buy an AC check you can even check the free section of craigs list or buy a used one even if you get one for one small room.

[That Ottawa One]

I'm under the impression AC is a rarity in Europe -- remember all the elderly people who died in the heatwave in France etc. about 10 years ago? Extreme heat doesn't happen much in Northern Europe. IF she can get her hands on an AC window unit, she should definitely get one, though, I agree that it's worth the investment long term. You can take it with you wherever you move. Technology is wonderful.