While the South of Europe is known for their hot summers, and Northern Europe is better known for their snow filled winters, that does not mean that the considered cooler countries do not battle the heat for at least four months of the year, and with one additional drawback, they are quite ill-prepared for it because it is not supposed to get that hot. In the US there is a similar perspective, the South is meant to panic over a single snow flake while the North is said to melt as soon as the temperatures rise above mild, but there is a little known German trick that might even out the playing field and allow those without aircon to cool down their home in a very efficient way and without wasting much energy.
The issue with climate change is that it is making heat waves a lot more unpredictable than they were, and especially tropical nights are becoming common in areas where the tropics are just a desired vacation destination, and not an everyday occurrence. Blasting the air conditioning is always the preferred way for dealing with these waves, but not everyone has air conditioning and not everyone can afford to run it 24/7, which can make any trick that does not use as much electricity a preferred method to at least cool down the house before bed.
The German trick that will revolutionize cooling down your home this summer
It really is a simple trick, and to make it work you will just need to use a plastic water bottle. Most of us have these bottles because they are hard to discard, but after a while drinking from them may not be the best idea, so try to use the oldest bottle you can so that at least you are not being wasteful. Do bear in mind that the larger the bottle, the longer the effect will last, especially in proportion to the size of the room you use this trick in.
Now, what you will need to do is put it in the freezer when it is full of water and freeze it solid. Once it is fully frozen, take it and put it as high up in the room as you can and place a drip tray underneath to catch the water from the condensation effect so that it does not ruin any surfaces. Believe it or not, this will work to cool down your home.
The science is clear on this, since hot air rises and cool air comes down by placing the frozen water bottle high you will cool down the warm air that floats to the top which will make it come down cooler once again. This will work better with more than one bottle per room, especially if it is a large room, and you will notice the effects a lot more if you are closer to the bottle, but it is still effective regardless of how you choose to use the trick.
Of course this trick will not replace your air conditioning, and adding a fan to move the air more swiftly (you can even put another frozen water bottle in front of the fan to help cool down the room even further). But for those who dislike the noise of the fan or prefer to not use any air conditioning at night because of the possible colds that can occur, or dislike the sensation of air blowing on their skin, this can serve as an ideal cooling solution for sleeping, particularly on uncomfortably warm nights when temperatures remain above 68°F (20°C), or even more extreme evenings that stay above 77°F (25°C).