Silly Question #27: How do I keep cool in my car in this summer heat?

Friday, 26 January 2018

Yeah OK, bottles of water are useful for other than drinking. But how about keeping the hair wet for when you hop back into your really hot car?

OK, so it's stinking hot as New Zealand's summer temperatures soar to record levels - and your car hasn't got air conditioning.

So what can you do you make the interior or your car comfortable, or at the very least stop feeling as if you are being roasted alive?

Window shades - for both front and rear windows - help keep interior temperatures down.

We asked around, and have compiled this list of cool tips for keeping cool in your car….

Park in a shady area.

Air vents - put wet cloths or clothes over them and it helps keep the air cooler.

Even before you drive, use your noggin and if possible make sure your car is sitting in the shade.

Garages and carports are ideal, and trees are good too.

It's not illegal to drive barefoot in New Zealand. It's also pleasant in the summer heat.

We're experiencing record temperatures in New Zealand this summer.

* Silly question #22: Debating the merits of sunroofs

* Silly question #24: Can we drive in jandals or barefoot?**

If all else fails, abandon the car and go for a swim.

If you can't find shade, at the very least park your car so the sunlight shines into the rear windows rather than the windscreen. That way, at least the dashboard, steering wheel and front seats won't get hot.

Keep your windows open - but just a little.

Obviously you wouldn't want to leave your car parked in public spaces with the windows wide open - you'd be inviting trouble.

But just a little open is fine, because that helps keep the interior ventilated.

Best idea is to have them open just enough that you can't fit an arm through the gap.

Use a sunshade.

When your car is parked - even for short periods - put a sunshade up across your windscreen.

They're readily available and cheap to buy, and they really do work in keeping interior temperatures to reasonable levels.

And anyone who has tried to use a searing hot steering wheel that has roasted in direct sunlight even for a short time, will know how valuable the sunshades are.

Put blankets over your seats.

Blankets keep things warm in winter - and also help keep things cool in summer because they stop seats being exposed to sunlight.

Anyone, particularly when wearing a skirt or shorts, who has sat on car seats upholstered with leather or bits of vinyl will know how hot they can get.

So get some old blankets and cover them.

While you're at it, towels can be used to cover the dashboard and steering wheel, too.

Place a wet rag over your air vent.

All cars have got air vents, and wet rags helps cool the air coming out of them. Maybe if you've been for a swim, you can use your wet togs that way as well.

Load up with ice.

We're told this is what motorists in hotter parts of the USA used to do before car air conditioning was developed.

They used to load a waterproof container with ice, and leave it on the vehicle's floor while driving.

We haven't tried it - but apparently it really does work.

We figure that as the ice melts, you could put a few cold drinks in there as well.

And that leads us to the next piece of advice…..

Drink plenty of water.

Yep - it's called keeping hydrated, and it's good for you.

Another idea is to freeze several bottles of water and keep them in the car.

That way you can use them as ice packs for your neck or back, and then drink the water as the ice thaws.

Drive with wet hair.

Gone for a swim? Don't dry your hair - simply hop back into your vehicle with it soaking wet.

As the moisture evaporates in the heat, your scalp will cool, keeping your body temperature lower.

True!

Drive barefoot.

It might be frowned on by the authorities, but it is legal to drive wearing jandals or barefoot in New Zealand.

When the weather is hot, either way is cooler than driving while wearing shoes.

And that would be especially the case if there was a big tub of ice parked down in the vehicle's footwell as well.

_**What's your tip for staying cool in the car during those long hot summer days?

Tell us in the comments below!**_