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Every year around June, the rainy season arrives in many parts of Japan. Although you may be lucky to enjoy some dry days later in summer when the rainy season ends, most people are resigned to experiencing a combination of hot and humid weather from now until the beginning of fall.
If you've ever experienced muggy weather, then you surely know how the humidity clinging to your skin can make normally comfortably warm temperatures very unpleasant.
Bottles to the rescue
Pharmacist and Twitter user ひろふみ Hirofumi (@hirokoujiKanpo) posted a way of dehumidifying your room on his Twitter account.
You don't need to buy a dehumidifier, use your air conditioner or a fan, whether electric or hand-powered.
This method not only makes your room cooler, but it's also good for people who don't like the artificial breeze generated by air conditioners.
Hirofumi introduced the idea of putting frozen bottles in a bowl and placing it in your room. He says that this dehumidifies the room by collecting the moisture in the air as it condenses on the bottles' surface.
Also, after the contents of the frozen bottles have melted, they can be drunk as water.
If you use it in your bedroom, it's also a great way to rehydrate yourself when you wake up in the middle of the night and are feeling thirsty.
You can use any freezer-safe bottle, preferably reusable ones. It's generally recommended to leave 1/4 of a bottle empty when you freeze it to avoid damaging it when it expands.
This easy life-hack seems to have been appreciated by many online, as it elicited numerous comments, such as:
"I didn't know you could dehumidify like this.... It's also good for saving money on your electric bill and cutting down on electricity usage!"
"I want to try this because I sometimes get too cold when the air conditioner is on and it makes me feel sick."
"I was surprised that it became noticeably cooler when I tried it!"
Why not give it a try this summer?
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- External Link
- https://grapee.jp/en/
4 Comments
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GBR48
Might try that as we are getting a couple of hot days this week.
Other tips: Put a slightly damp towel over your pillow and lie on another. Ensure you are properly hydrated. Sleep downstairs.
@Gaijinjland. It might not be about poverty if the electricity runs short. Governments may be cutting energy use soon.
Daninthepan
Let's be honest; there just is no escaping the Japanese summer. You can run but you can't hide!
Gaijinjland
Unless you’re dirt poor, I’d rather use the AC or a fan. Seems kind of pointless. Frozen water bottles aren’t going to do anything for the heat. Tried it in Indonesia because there was no alternative. Only thing it’s good for is putting it on your head and arms to try and cool down.
Toshihiro
Southeast Asian here, this hack works to an extent and will be effective for about 1-2 hours depending on how hot it is. For a longer-lasting coolant, I suggest getting some of those freezer packs that contain gel inside as they stay cold for longer. Another passive cooling technique is to hang a damp towel, shirt or any fabric near a window that gets a lot of breeze or just behind an electric fan. The evaporating air from the fabric cools the air. Another hack that I've tried is sleeping on a hammock. If you can rig one in your apartment, it will keep you off the ground and blow air on your back as well. Plus, no futon to put away.