How to survive a heat wave without air conditioning.

I spent twenty five years in Chicago in summers that ran into triple digits many days….with 90% humidity. We often did not have air conditioning because the house had small windows and poor ventilation. We used big box fans and on the hottest days we soaked our outer clothing in cold water and wore wet clothes all day long. My car had no AC and driving in 105 degrees was a nightmare unless we stripped down to shorts and t shirt and kept them soaking wet. We also carried old windex bottles full of cold water and spritzed our faces, ears, hands, and feet. We kept cool and survived. We even took long trips out to visit family in Wyoming thru blazing days across the interstate in South Dakota. We kept a cooler full of bags of ice in the trunk and added small pieces of ice to our squirt bottles. It also helps alot to dunk your head in water to keep cool. The worst time is nights when the temp still hovers in the upper 90s. To sleep, throw towels on your bed and soak your t shirt and shorts in cold water and put them on. Put a fan in the room if you have one and you can sleep cooler than you might imagine.Be sure you drink enough liquid to keep hydrated but soaking your clothes down will keep you cool enough that you wont sweat all your moisture away.

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