PHOENIX — Arizona's brutal heat is around the corner.
After last summer, when we had more than 50 days of temperatures at 110 degrees or above, Valley residents are preparing to get hot again.
One of those residents recently moved to Phoenix from Montana and took to Reddit to ask:
How do I deal with the heat? (I moved here from a cold place and I'm scared lmao)
More than 550 people replied. Some shared their own stories of dealing with extreme heat – like the guy who said he left cheese in his car once. (We don't recommend that.)
Here's what people said:
Don't leave anything in your car. Ever.
Never leave anything in your car in the summer. Not lipstick, chapstick, deodorant, fragrance, nothing. It will melt.
OR BEVERAGE CANS! Had an energy drink in my back seat explode leaving me with a beautiful polka-dotted headliner that can’t get detailed out.
My husband accidentally left gym shoes in the car a few summers ago and the bottoms completely melted lololol
I left candles in my trunk. At least my car smelled amazing.
Those with kids… never leave unfinished cups of milk.
Lost one croc by accidentally leaving it behind. It didn't melt. It shrunk like a shrinky dink in the heat.
Crayons! What a nightmare that was.
No cheese in your new vintage Mercedes.
Keep your car cool
Crack your car windows in the summer, get a sunshade for the windshield, park under trees when possible.
Unless you can consistently park out of the sun entirely, don't get too attached to your automotive paint. Some brands/colors are better than others, but the sun and heat will turn your paint nasty.
During the summer, you might want to take a cooler filled with ice and water with you whenever you drive. If your car has problems and you’re stuck on the highway, the highway patrol and other drivers will stop to assist due to the heat. But while you are waiting for assistance, it will be hot and miserable. Water will keep you hydrated and alive.
I keep an oven mitt in the car to use for the steering wheel.
Tint your windows.
Don't touch anything
Don’t touch anything metal.
If you feel you will pass out stumble over to a grass area like my coworker did during mid-day on a 115-degree summer day.
Cover your steering wheel. Your buckles? Try to cover or place ice packs on them when you park. Be prepared to touch your handles and other door handles as cautiously as possible. I usually carry a cotton gauze scarf to keep the sun off my exposed skin, and that helps with exposed metal in the sun.
No bare feet
Don't check your mail barefoot, it will burn and blister your feet! Learned that the hard way.
Look out for your pets
If you have pets, put shoes on them even before and after the sun is out. Cement retains heat; incredibly hot.
Change your schedule
Shift your habits to morning/evenings. I run during midday Oct - April and shift to early mornings come summer. It'll still be high 70s/low 80s at 6 in the morning which is actually quite nice.
Go to dinner or make plans after the sun goes down. Local businesses are super slow during the summer so it's a good time to check out all the trendy spots that normally need reservations!
Keep water on hand
Take water/refillable water bottle with you whenever you leave the house.
If you're not peeing, you are not drinking enough.
Start drinking more water than you are comfortable with now, do it won't be a shock to your system when it gets REALLY hot. Add electrolytes like liquid IV.
Hibernate
Stay inside! Just like terrible snow storms I would not go out in, I too hunker down indoors with AC of course when it’s the worst and just stay put.
It’s the opposite here. We stay inside during the summer and gain weight and get depressed.
Do not leave the house from June-September.
Avoid a hot kitchen
Eat cooler foods like salads instead of hot foods that heat up your kitchen.
Use an air fryer or crock pot if you want a hot meal, but reality is summer is sandwiches and salads.
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