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SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody wants to go without air conditioning during Utah's July heat wave.
But if that's where you find yourself this week, how do you stay cool so it won't cost you an arm and a leg?
With the help of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, KSL-TV shares a list 10 things you can do to keep cool on the cheap, when an air conditioner is not available.
The first 2 things to do
The first thing to do is stay out of the sun, according to the department, by either going indoors or finding some shade.
The second item on the list is staying hydrated.
"Staying out of the direct heat from the sun will help you the most. Second to that is keeping yourself hydrated, because that will help the body regulate itself," said Joe Dougherty, spokesman with the department
Items 3, 4 and 5
Take a cold shower.
Use cold washcloths to put on your head or wrists.
Use a fan in the house to circulate the air.
"What I do with my kids sometimes is when they're too hot at night, they get a cold, damp cloth that they keep with them. But then they also have a fan in their room. So they'll put the cloth on their forehead and then let the fan evaporate that and that helps cool them down as well," Dougherty said.
What to do next
The next three items on the list are all about how you sleep.
For a nap, try snoozing during the hottest part of the day. Then at night, Dougherty recommends sleeping in loose, breathable clothes, and in the basement if you can, which typically is the coolest part of the house.
"The lower you can go in ... your home, if you have a basement, sometimes it can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than other parts of your house," Dougherty said.
Last items on the list
The final two will depend on your circumstances.
Cook in the morning or with a slow cooker, or outside if possible.
See if you qualify for state assistance to pay your energy bills.
"For people who have a lower income, there may be assistance through some federal programs that will help you with your power costs during extreme heat or extreme cold, and these programs are called Home Energy Assistance programs," Dougherty said.
To see if you qualify for help from the state, visit jobs.utah.gov/housing/scso/seal/heat.html.
You probably can't do everything on the list, but state health leaders recommend you try a few. The more you do, the cooler you could be.
If you're doing all of that and you just need a break from the heat, you can always stop in any library or senior center in Salt Lake County. They're all listed as cooling centers during the summer where you can pop in to cool down with both water and air conditioning.
On Wednesday, Salt Lake City hit 100 degress as heat began to settle into Utah. Salt Lake County also announced cool zones were open and available as another option to beat the heat.
