Proven Cooling Strategies
Quiz Reveals Effective Heat Wave Cooling Tips and Debunks Common Home Myths
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A heat wave can turn your home into an oven within hours, but several simple steps can make a real difference. The biggest priority, according to KOAT, WMUR, and WBAL-TV, is stopping heat from getting inside in the first place — sealing windows and closing blinds before the sun hits the glass.
Not every popular cooling hack holds up under scrutiny, however. Placing a bowl of ice in front of a fan — a trick that has gone viral on TikTok — actually increases humidity in the room, making it harder for your body to cool down through sweat, according to Consumer Reports testing labs.
Blocking Heat Before It Enters Is the Top Priority
The single most effective free step you can take is closing your blinds early — before the sun hits your windows. Once sunlight passes through glass, the heat gets trapped inside, like a greenhouse. The Washington Post meteorologist Matthew Cappucci says this forces your air conditioner to work about 20% harder. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 30% of unwanted home heat comes through windows alone.
Loose, lightweight clothing also helps your body stay cool. Wearing breathable fabrics lets sweat evaporate faster, which is your body's natural way of cooling down. Both KOCO and MyNBC5 highlight this as one of the easiest steps anyone can take at no cost.
Skip the Oven — Small Appliances Cut Heat and Energy Use
Using a conventional oven can raise your kitchen temperature by 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That extra heat forces your cooling system to work harder. The DOE recommends switching to microwaves or air fryers instead. These smaller appliances use 50% to 70% less energy than a standard oven, according to Energy.gov.
Cooling a home in the Deep South now costs an average of $2,000 per year — a 15% jump since 2021, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Small changes like skipping the oven add up, especially for the 1 in 5 American households that have sacrificed food or medicine to pay summer utility bills, The New York Times reported.
The Ice-Fan Trick and Other Viral Hacks That Fall Short
The ice-bowl-plus-fan method feels refreshing for a moment, but it backfires. It raises the moisture level in the air, making it harder for your sweat to evaporate. Since sweat evaporation is how your body sheds heat, higher humidity can actually make you feel hotter. Consumer Reports and The Washington Post both tested this hack and reached the same conclusion: it does not work as advertised.
The broader lesson from the cooling quizzes circulating across local news outlets — including KOAT, WBAL-TV, and WMUR — is that not all DIY tricks are equal. Some deliver real relief. Others are myths that waste time and effort when conditions are dangerous.
Heat Deaths Are Rising as Cooling Becomes a Survival Issue
Heat is already the leading cause of weather-related death in the United States, the CDC says. In 2023, 2,302 Americans died from heat-related causes — a record high. Emergency room visits for heat illness in the Southwest surged 35% compared to the 2018–2023 average, according to the CDC Heat & Health Tracker. The summer of 2024 is on pace to break that record.
Critics argue that tips like closing blinds are helpful but not enough. The Guardian and others have called DIY cooling hacks 'band-aids' that distract from larger failures — crumbling power grids, lack of federal heat-protection standards, and millions of renters stuck in hot apartments with no good options. For those without air conditioning, experts say the safest move is to find a public cooling center.
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