10 ways Good Housekeeping is surviving the heatwave

Phew! If you’re reading this with a fan blasting and an iced drink glued to your hand, you’re not alone. With the current heatwave turning our homes into saunas and our beds into sweat traps, staying cool has never felt more urgent or more like a full-time job.

But don’t sweat it (well, try not to) the Good Housekeeping team is here with a no-sweat survival guide packed with smart, silly and surprisingly effective tricks the team are using to stay chill this heatwave.

From the obvious (ditch the duvet!) to the brilliantly bonkers (yes, freezing a tin of tuna is on the list), we’ve road-tested the best heat-beating hacks to help you breeze through this scorcher. Whether you’re trying to sleep without melting, keep your pets comfy or just avoid turning into a human puddle during your Zoom meetings, we have you covered, literally, in cold flannels and frozen pillowcases.

Cool your peepers

Melanie Giandzi, content production manager recommends popping your eye mask in the fridge or freezer for a mini spa moment before bed. It’s soothing, refreshing and a total game-changer when the bedroom feels like a toaster oven. Bonus points? If you’re a hay fever sufferer, this chilled eye mask can help reduce puffiness and ease those itchy, irritated eyes. A hack that’s as practical as it is pampering.

Frozen tuna lollies (for cats, not you!)

This one might raise eyebrows, but it’s genius if you have a fur baby. Our household advice editor, Katie Mortram, swears by freezing the water from a tin of tuna (make sure it’s in spring water, not oil or brine). Once the fish is out, pop the leftover liquid into an ice cube tray. A few hours later: voilà — a fishy ice lolly your cat will love.

Windows open, curtains closed

A tip straight from my mum’s science-savvy brain that I have been practicing my entire adult life: let the breeze in without baking your home. Open your windows during the cooler parts of the day (think early morning or during the night if safe), but keep blinds or curtains shut to block thermal radiation during the day. Sunlight heats surfaces like your floors and furniture, trapping the heat. Curtains act as a barrier to that, keeping your room shaded and noticeably cooler.

Ditch the duvet

When it’s 30 degrees and rising, the last thing you want is a puffy duvet trapping your body heat. Lots of us at GH suggested this one and are ditching it entirely. Just remove the duvet and sleep under the cover. It’s light, breathable, and much less sweat-inducing. Your 2am self will thank you.

Frozen J-cloths

A GH food shoot staple turned summer lifesaver. Senior cookery writer Alice Shields recommends soaking a couple of J-cloths in cold water, popping them in the fridge for an hour, then draping them around your neck. It’s bliss. You can also wrap them around cans of drink to fast-track a cold one.

Ice lolly cocktails (or mocktails!)

Not sure this is technically a ‘survival hack’ as much as it is my current Friday-night plans but I’ll let you be the judge of its essentiality. Pop a few fruity ice lollies in a blender, add your spirit or juice of choice, pulse for a second, and you have the easiest two-ingredient summer cocktail going. Perfect drinks in the garden, or any night where the heat’s driving you to drink (responsibly, of course).

Fan + flannel

This one is being field-tested as we type. Drape a damp (not sopping!) flannel in front of your fan to create your very own budget air-con. The fan blows through the damp cloth, cooling the air as it goes. Just make sure nothing drips on to any cables — we’re after cool, not chaos.

Cooling sleep mats

Senior homes and lifestyle writer Megan Geall is obsessed with her cooling gel mattress pad. These clever mats activate under pressure and can help regulate body temperature while you sleep. Megan’s pick? Silentnight’s Restore Cooling Gel Mattress Pad – a chilled night’s sleep for just £15. A worthy investment if you’re tossing and turning.

Frozen hot water bottles

‘Hot water bottle in the freezer – the only way I can stay cool enough to sleep!’ says our junior fashion writer Corin Ripley. Another favourite hack across the team, hot water bottles made summer-friendly. Fill with cold water, then chill in the fridge or freezer, just make sure to leave a little space so it doesn’t burst! It becomes an icy bedtime buddy or a great companion for your sweaty couch sessions.

Switch to silk

According to senior beauty writer Florence Reeves-White, a silk pillowcase is the unsung hero of summer sleep. Naturally breathable and temperature-regulating, silk helps wick away moisture and keeps your face and hair feeling fresher for longer. Bonus: fewer frizzies, less bedhead and a cooling touch that’s pure nighttime luxury.