How to Stay Cool in a London Heatwave: Without Air Conditioning

Apparently the 33-story student housing building we are staying in was built to hold in the heat as London is usually a chilly place and the rooms don't have A/C, some communal areas do though (we spend lots of time in those during the day). Well, these rooms get HOT when London experiences a heatwave, which seems to be happening all over Europe more often with climate change. It has taken a team of classmates to share tips for staying cool and I'll share some strategies here.

1-Mini A/C

This one came from the amazing Cari, nicknamed our Den Mother, who shares lots of helpful tips with the group on all kinds of topics. She had this suggestion to fill an empty bottle with water and freeze it. Then put it in front of the fan for a little cool breeze.

2-Neck Fan

This also came from Cari, but before we left for our trip and were having discussions on discord. I thought it was a great idea, so I picked one up and I have been so grateful that I did. This fan keeps me cool on our site visits or even in my hot, stuffy room when I need to put on my makeup so it doesn't melt off my face.

Spray bottle and little bee that came for a visit

3-Spray Bottle

This tip was mine because I had used this strategy at my own house in New Orleans when our A/C went out for a week before my UK departure. We were sleeping in a hot bedroom during heat advisories, but at home we had three fans and one was really powerful. Each night I would take a cool shower to lower my body temperature then I would climb in bed with a sheet only and spray it with a spray bottle. I placed a fan beside my bed to blow on the damp sheet and it works! Here in this dorm with a crappy fan I have been storing the water bottle in my mini fridge to make the water extra cold. I brought this spray bottle for styling my hair, so it has dual purposes.

4-Box Tower?

Ok, this one is super specific and probably not that useful to anyone else, but I thought it was kinda funny. I had this crack in the blind on that side of the window that had the sun beating down on it and I could really feel the heat coming in. I had some boxes leftover from check-in that held our bedding and kitchen supplies and I stacked three to block the sunlight. It worked, but then it collapsed later in the day. I tried to rebuild it and it was just luck that I got it stacked on the first try. I can only get two boxes up now.

5-Prop the Door

This tip came from the beautiful Dalia! Getting a cross breeze by opening the window and your door when you can is great! Not always so helpful when the air temps aren't really coming down, but it's still nice to get some airflow. A lot of us were using random objects to prop our doors like a package of paper towels. Dalia discovered that the inside door handle in our rooms will attach to the handle on the wardrobe. Works like a charm.

6-Freeze a Gel Pack

I found this at Boots (a CVS type of store) and thought it could be useful. It's in the freezer right now and I was thinking I could put it in my backpack against the part that sits against my back. It comes with a cover too. It could also be handy on my neck or near my face for sleeping.

7-Grab Ice If You Can Find It

We had no ice trays in our mini-fridges and it's not easy to find them around here. Several classmates had been on the hunt and found some at Spitalfields Market, I believe. Then my fellow curly girl, Katy, shared that she saw some at Sainsbury Express (a mini grocery). I ran out and picked up this cute tiny bag of ice, which fit perfectly in my little freezer! I am so excited to have ice in my room now.

8-Get Cool From The Inside

All else fails try to get cool from the inside. My preference is ice cream and in the states I like fudge pops. Other classmates found popsicles they could freeze. And of course, we are drinking gallons of water and now we can add some ice!

I've learned a few other tips to stay cool from my classmates, like Christine, who through sports had used Cold Snap Towels, which sound amazing! She brought one with her and you just soak it in water, wring it out a bit, and then snap it open and it will cool you. And Jamie puts her clothes in the fridge while she showers and has nice cool clothes after. Surviving the heat has been a team effort!

Luckily for us, we think last night was our last really hot night, which most of us agreed was the worst. Temps are starting to drop tonight! Yay!!!!