This is a health tip for dangerous hot weather. If you do not have a working air conditioner or only a weak one, put water in empty liter pop bottles or empty Gatorade bottles to about 2/3 of the way, recap and put in freezer over night and freeze.
When weather is too hot, wrap a frozen bottle in a tee shirt or kitchen towel and put it next to your body as you sit, or next to a baby sitting or lying down, or next to an old person. It helps cool the core of the body, so heat stroke is prevented.
Check the feel for comfort level and cover bottle with cloth accordingly. It helps people sleep comfortably and more safely. When mostly thawed, refreeze and swap out with a frozen one.
It acts like a hot water bottle, only in reverse. This is for dangerously hot weather.
Source: Came up with idea one summer when our old air conditioner wasn't working well and we had a heat wave.
By PENNY K from Westminster, CO
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Hi Pikka,
This is a great idea but it wouldn't work for me. I have a condition called cold urticaria (essentially meaning 'cold hives'). In extremely cold conditions, I break out in huge welts and become very itchy and swollen wherever my skin is unprotected. This can also happen when I wash my hands with cold water or handle ice, or even after typing for long periods or during swimming. Cold urticaria is especially dangerous for swimmers who do not take an antihistamine prior to going into the water.
I am posting this simply as a precaution for anyone who uses a frozen water bottle to cool themselves. If you see hives beginning to form, remove the frozen bottle immediately and wipe any water away with a towel. Warming the skin with water will not necessarily improve the hives but should stop them from getting worse.
Wikipedia has a good article on the causes and treatments of cold urticaria: en.wikipedia.org/
I was going to suggest a fan and water spritzer, but evidently from the Wikipedia article that too would cause hives in some, as sweat alone can.
But for others, I've tested the fan +spritz in relatively humid New York, and it cools beautifully, even a bit much! No need for a plastic container or the freezer, or even electricity if you have a good hand fan.
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