10 basic rules for scorching days

The heat is taking its toll. This year summer has been spoiling us with high, almost African temperatures. The climate in Poland is every bit as hot as in Italy, Greece or scorching Spain and Portugal. Crowds of tourists are lounging at the Polish seaside, and those who can take advantage of their own house with a garden are enjoying the sun. As with everything else, also excess of sun makes us complain about the unbearable heat and we crave relief from the sun. Here comes the question: what should we be do in order to feel comfortable in summer and to prevent overheating of the organism? How to cope with the heat at home when a holiday at a tourist resort is just a dream? There are a few rules. They turn out to be very simple. You need to start with changing your habits and take care of the place where we hide from scorching temperatures.

Drink lots of water Water is an invention of all time. It’s well known,  and in this case scientists agree, that the proper body hydration improves our condition, health and wellbeing. On scorching days the best solution is cool still mineral water that will prevent body dehydration. Doctors recommend 2 liters of water a day for older people and even 3 liters for younger ones. Apart from that, few people know that caffeine is not a good idea in summer. Neither alcohol nor caffeine will improve our wellbeing since they have diuretic effect. They may contribute do body dehydration especially if we treat such drinks as an alternative for water. It is also a good idea to freeze water in a plastic bottle. Rather than heat up the body, de-freezing water will cool it  efficiently. You may take with you a frozen bottle of water during the day. It will come in handy for cooling compress!

Reduce cooking On hot days we don’t really feel like eating. Because of heat we don’t fancy a big, hot, two-course dinner. Not even mum’s cooking. The best idea is to prepare a light salad, cold soup or other dishes that don’t require the use of the oven or cooker, when cooking steam increases the perception of heat. 

Cool off the flat with water in the bathtub! A perfect solution during the heat is cold water. It’s enough to fill the bathtub with cold water and open the bathroom door. Water perfectly absorbs heat and it cools the air. It’s worth soaking towels and hanging them on chairs or doors. The method doesn’t seem tasteful. However, it’s highly efficient because it allows to humidify the air. The towels may be also used as cold compress, which in summer will definitely guarantee relief and higher thermal comfort.

Light clothes, airy fabrics and open shoes. It’s the summer must have. We recommend clothes made of natural materials such as linen or cotton, preferably in light colors. As a result, we will avoid overheating of the body, and scorching temperatures will not affect us so much. The best choice is t-shirts and shorts, or, if we’re going outside, an airy long-sleeved shirt and long trousers that will protect the body against harmful UV light.

Avoid so called peak hours, when the sunlight is the strongest. It’s better not to leave the house between 11 am and 3 pm, which is particularly important for the elderly and children. Body dehydration, weakness, collapse are just a few of the unpleasant effects that we may expose to when we want to enjoy the sun when it’s very strong.

If we spend most of our time at home or indoors we need to take care of the proper temperature and cooling. If we can’t count on air conditioning, the best solution is to get a standard fan. It may be the electric version, a battery-powered fan or a simple paper hand fan. We may also consider placing a bowl of ice in front of the fan, which will enhance the cooling effect and will increase air humidity. A portable air conditioner is the most popular solution in Poland since it has a few obvious advantages, such as affordable price. However, it also has disadvantages, since it might be loud and it consumes a lot of electricity. Surely, it is a good alternative to cool the room quickly.

A secret od Southern Europeans when fighting heat is … external roller shutters that are an effective protection against overheating of the house. It’s common knowledge that most heat escapes through the windows. It is obvious that opening windows allows warm air inside. Most of us leave the windows open all day when we go to work.  Simply, to air the place, to let fresh air inside, to feel more comfortable at home. It’s all wrong. When we come back home from the air-conditioned office, it turns out that instead of an aired flat we come across heat and stuffiness. The basic rule says that tilting or opening the windows or patio doors wide, when  the mercury rises above 30 degrees, makes sense only at dawn. During the strongest sunlight we should keep the windows closed because the hot air will immediately permeate into the flat.

External roller shutters are a great solution for scorching heat. In summer they fulfill their role  perfectly protecting us against the sun and they also constitute an excellent barrier against thieves when we are out. They also ensure privacy and intimacy since they protect us from the eyes of nosy neighbors.  It’s worth considering such an investment because in summer most heat permeates inside through the windows.  To compare – even a dozen times less heat may permeate through the roof or walls. External roller shutters are available in  PVC and aluminum versions, in a wide color range. We offer the possibility to match them to the interior design and building façade. They also constitute a great decoration, not to mention other advantages. „ Cutting-edge technology, including so called home smart control, is becoming increasingly popular in Poland. The solutions has a growing group of fans. Today we can control the roller shutters remotely, with a tablet or a phone.” – says Mirosław Furtan - production director DRUTEX S.A. As we can see, on hot days roller shutters have numerous advantages. Slightly open, they ensure dimness, which allows to get relief from the sun, but they also improve the comfort of moving around the house. And last but not least, roller shutters eliminate UV radiation which is harmful for people as well and for house equipment, since it causes fading of tapestry and furniture varnish,  paint colors and wallpapers.

Turn off electrical appliances Its’s worth paying attention to all electrical equipment at home since it produces a lot of heat. Most heat is generated by: the fridge, the oven, cooker, TV-set, light or microwave oven. Therefore we should switch off  appliances that we don’t have to use. It’s also true for lights. Especially if we use traditional bulbs that, in short, work as small  ceiling heaters. A more comfortable solution in this case is the energy efficient LED  lamps and bulbs that generate significantly less heat than traditional light bulbs. 

Open the windows only at night! Recently, large glazing is very trendy. It looks beautiful, it constitutes a decoration of the house and it ensures a lot of daylight in the room. The bigger the better. This is the current trend not just in Poland but also abroad. ‘’ Lift and slide systems, so called HS, is the recent  hit. They are popular with people who value modernity, elegance and usage comfort. Structure stability, high energy efficiency and safety that they ensure determine their popularity – adds  Mirosław Furtan from Drutex. What happens in summer? Isn’t overheating a problem? Not necessarily. Firstly, we opt for roller shutters, secondly we open windows at night. Windows may be opened late in the evening since it the coolest time. You should air the flat for 4 to 6 hours, or till the morning when the external temperature is lower than the one inside. A good time for intensive air exchange is the early morning hours when outside it should be coolest. Brisk morning air will facilitate getting up and will prepare for another hot day. 

We all look forward to the summer, we plan the vacation, trips to the seaside, lounging on the beach. Those who can’t go on holiday enjoy their garden. It all sounds perfect, especially that summer this year is a dream come true about holiday rest. Applying a few pieces of advice and simple rules even the hottest days will not give us sleepless nights. As simple as that – so, enjoy your vacation!

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