Latest news with #coolinghack
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Overlooked car button that no one ever uses will cool down your cabin WITHOUT any air con – and it saves on fuel
AS the soaring temperatures continue, you may find yourself blasting your car's air con. However, an overlooked button on your dashboard can help to instantly cool your vehicle without even turning on your AC. 2 This simple hack could prove to be your summertime saviour as the scorching heatwave continues. While it may be tempting to reach for your car's air conditioning dial, another feature can be just as effective without costing you as much money to run. Look for a button marked with a little arrow pointing back on itself, often accompanied by a car symbol. Recirculate air This "recirculate air" button is designed to cool down your vehicle's interior even when the air con is off. Rather than drawing in hot air from outside, this button recirculates the air already inside the car. By cutting off the hot air outside, it helps to cool the cabin as quickly as possible. This is an ideal technique when the air outside the car is hotter than the air inside. If you want to ensure this is the case, blow the air con for a couple of minutes and then hit the recirculate button. Or you could even avoid the air con altogether, helping to save on fuel. How it works "No more waiting for the air conditioning to kick in – the air recirculation button has your back," a spokesman for UK Car Discount told the Express. World's favourite car Tesla rebooted According to the pro, this helps in "ensuring you experience a swift and soothing transition from the outside heat". "It works by recirculating the cool air you get from your A/C when you first turn it on," the expert explained. "The longer it's on for, the cooler your vehicle will get! If you don't use it, the car will use the air from the outside that is a lot warmer, and your AC will work harder and continuously to cool the hot air.' And while the temperature continues to rise, so do fuel prices, making this a handy hack to have in your back pocket. There are other tricks you can use to cool down your car's interior this summer. How to keep cool in a heatwave Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to keep cool according to the NHS... Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter. Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. Keep your living space cool. Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep. More car hacks for hot weather The RAC agrees has offered another tip to drivers who are looking to save cash on hot days. 'Start driving, but keep the car windows open for a minute or two to let all the hot air escape, do this until the air from the vents feels cooler than the outside temperature," they said. "Once the air conditioning is blowing cold, close all the windows and switch to (pre-cooled) recirculated air." Or if you still prefer to use your car's AC, use this budget buy to elevate it further. And avoid keeping these six items in your car during the soaring summer temperatures. Another kitchen staple can also help to keep your car cool in a heatwave. Plus, how to look out for symptoms of your body overheating this summer. 2
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Motorists told ‘do not blast air con in cars' – the fluid dynamics trick you should try to cool it down instead
BLASTING you car's AC to battle the summer heat can be a costly venture. Thankfully, there's a simple trick you can use instead, and it won't cost you a thing. 2 An Instagram user Hannah Fry, who has a PhD in fluid dynamics, shared the genius life hack. And with yet another stint of soaring temperatures across the UK, now is the time to try it out. According to Hannah, you can cool down the inside of your car in seconds using a simple scientific method. With temperatures set to spike as high as 33 degrees Celsius in certain areas, now is the time to beat the summer heat. But don't waste time and money running your car's air con on the highest setting. Free hack Instead, make use of fluid dynamics to cool your car's interior by strategically opening certain doors and windows. "Don't bother putting on the air con, that would take about five minutes, it's not worth it," Hannah explained. She stepped out of the driver's seat to demonstrate the quick car cooling technique. Hannah recommended opening the window on the opposite side of the driver's seat. After rolling down the back window, she "very quickly" hopped out of her car. "I mean you do look a bit like an idiot if you do this - but you just very quickly open and close the driver's doors," she said as she carried out the step. Hannah rapidly opened and closed the car door three times before re-entering the vehicle. She told her followers that the car's interior already felt significantly cooler than before. Scientific method The Instagrammer detailed the scientific method behind her approach. She explained how swinging the door outward pushes away all the air in its path. How to keep cool in a heatwave Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to keep cool according to the NHS... Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter. Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. Keep your living space cool. Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep. This then creates a low-pressure zone between the driver's seat and the door. According to the scientist, this sets up something called bulk flow, drawing the "hot sweaty horrible air" inside outwards. This is then replaced with "nice fresh easy air" ensuring your space is "suddenly beautifully temperate". Hannah recommended swinging your door open and closed three to four times to see the best results. More heatwave hacks Or if you still prefer to use your car's AC, use this budget buy to elevate it further. And avoid keeping these six items in your car during the soaring summer temperatures. Another kitchen staple can also help to keep your car cool in a heatwave. Plus, how to look out for symptoms of your body overheating this summer. 2
The Sun
01-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
I tried free viral fan cooling ‘ice trick' to see if it REALLY works – it's a frosty miracle I'll use on every hot day
EVERY summer, you hear no end of tricks that are supposed to cool you down – but do any of them actually work? If you haven't noticed, it's an absolute scorcher outside. So I gave one one of those viral hacks – the "ice trick" for home fans – and I'm convinced it worked a treat. 7 The problem with a regular fan is that it's blowing the air at you, but not really cooling it down. After all, if the air in your house is hot, what can you do? Almost none of us have air conditioning. And the air in my house is hot. Britain is basking in glorious summer temperatures this week – but sadly I can't spend it by the beach. So instead, I tried a popular hack that involves putting a tray of ice right in front of a fan. It's meant to cool down the air that the fan is blowing at you. You see the trick all over social media, and it's no surprise: it's basically free and only takes a few minutes to set up. I ended up using about four ice cube trays when I gave it a go this morning, but you could buy a bag of ice for £1 if you don't have enough at home. Honestly, I was quite happy to spend five minutes handling ice. I'm about as heat-tolerant as a bowl of ice cream. It's 25C as I write this – and temperatures could climb to 31C where I live, or 36C in some parts of the UK. HOW I SET IT UP I put all of the ice into a regular baking tray. The one I chose wasn't too deep, because ultimately I wanted as much of the ice in contact with the air above. You're looking for something that's flat and roughly as wide as your fan. Watch Dyson's Hot+Cool air-purifying fan in action – including 'sleep' mode And because I was using a Dyson fan, I had to get my makeshift ice tray high up off the ground. I ended up using a fabric pouffe with a dinner tray on top of it. And to get a bit of extra height, I put a book-sized puzzle underneath the dinner tray. Then I sat the ice cube tray on top and let the fan work its magic. 7 7 7 FAN FAV? You feel the coolness instantly, but the effect dims significantly the further away I am. If I sat on the sofa across the room, it was hard to notice a difference. But when I sat really close to the fan, the difference between the iced and non-iced cooling was more noticeable. I could sit here all day. I probably will. There's also a psychological effect to just seeing the ice that I'm pretty sure made me feel cooler too. That has to count for something. OFFICIAL NHS TIPS TO COOL DOWN Here's the official NHS guidance for coping in hot weather... "Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter," the NHS said. "Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. "Keep your living space cool. "Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. "Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. "Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep." Picture Credit: Unsplash 7 I suppose the conundrum is: would I have been better off just using that ice to cool my body down? Potentially, yes. But ultimately, I had more ice in the freezer for that too – so both systems can work at the same time. Perhaps the real answer is: just make sure you have plenty of ice on a hot day – and then put it absolutely everywhere. In any case, this is a hot day go-to for me from now on. I just need to refill those ice cube trays... 7
The Sun
01-07-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
People are just realising the right way to use your fan to get hot air out of the house – and there zero faff involved
A FAN has become a staple for millions of households across the UK, as scorching temperatures are reaching 35C. But while many of us may blow the cool air directly at us, turns out there's another way to use the fan - and it may be more beneficial. 2 2 According to savvy TikTokers, there's a 'right' way to use the apparatus in the sweltering weather - and many have dubbed it ''a game-changer''. Rather than blasting the cold air at your body, some social media users advise to place the fan by an open window, facing away from the room. This, one savvy man, Simon Johnson, recently explained will ''suck the hot air out of the room''. To effectively use a fan to remove hot air from a room, position it to exhaust hot air out of a window, while simultaneously opening a second window on the opposite side of the room to draw in cooler air. For the ultimate cooling effect, you could also snap up an extra fan - and have its cool air blow directly at you. ''I'm definitely not melting tonight,'' said Simon, from South Wales. And it's not just the Welsh lad who's been raving about this easy hack - another TikToker, Alex The Cleaner, shared how she was keeping cool thanks to simply repositioning her fan. She said in the video: ''Whoever posted this hack - thank you. ''I feel like I can breathe the air again. ''UK heat is no joke,'' she chuckled. I transformed my garden patio into summer haven for less than £100 with cheap B&M buys including gadget to keep bugs out ''This feels so wrong but it works so well the fan sucks the hot air out of the room and honestly it works.'' Les Roberts, an energy expert from Bionic, agreed, telling Mail Online: ''For even better airflow, you can place a second fan facing inward at the opposite opening to pull cooler air into the room, creating a strong cross-breeze.'' The method is most effective in the evenings or early morning, he explained. How to keep cool in hot weather Most of us welcome hot weather, but when it's too hot, there are health risks. Here are three ways to keep cool according to the NHS... Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter. Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes. Keep your living space cool. Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees. Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep. ''It works best when it's cooler outside than inside - usually in the evening, overnight, or early morning - as the temperature difference creates a natural flow of air,'' the whizz said. ''The temperature gradient enhances the movement of air, allowing the fan to more effectively push hot air out and pull cooler air in, resulting in a more comfortable indoor environment.'' This approach can significantly cool your living space without air conditioning, through natural ventilation enhanced by fans. On average, portable air-conditioning units cost around £8.40 to run per day, whereas a fan could cost you as little as 71 pence - so it's certainly a more affordable option for millions of cash-strapped Brits. Stay cool this summer And a doctor has revealed the exact time to shower to keep cool in the hot weather. Plus, six methods for keeping cool in the hot summer conditions, including repurposing your hot water bottle. Or there are savvy without breaking the budget.
