Four easy car hacks to keep your car cool in summer
Getting into a stinking hot car on a summer’s day is hellish. Here are four easy car hacks to help keep your car cool all summer.We all know the hot-car feeling. This is because the interior of a car that’s parked on bitumen in direct sunlight, with the windows closed, attains an atmosphere more like an oven than a vehicle suitable for human travel.
As summer arrives with characteristic ferocity, use these car-cooling hacks to keep things comfortable. Here are four cool tips to get you through.
Cool tip 1: Make your own portable AC unit
Get a cheap foam cooler or a plastic Esky. Pick up some PVC plumbing pipes from a hardware store (elbow bends are great to direct the cool air at you and your passengers – these cost a dollar or two). Buy a 12-volt fan that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter. Put it all together and add some ice, and that’s all there is to it. If you shop smart, you can turn this around for about $20. Check out the following YouTube clips.
RamblinAround shows us how it’s done:
With a username like desertsun02, he’s bound to know a thing about how to handle hot weather:
HeatcoolersDotCom knows how to keep it cool when your car doesn’t have AC:
Cool tip 2: The Japanese door trick
Open a window on one side of the car. Step around to the other side and open and close the door five times. That’s it! Internet studies suggest this will displace a lot of hot air and reduce the inside temperature by up to 10 degrees Celsius.
Pro tip: vents down. Once you’re on the open road, combine this door trick with vents pointed downwards and windows cracked – this will help cool down the hot-air bucket your car has become. This goes for cars with or without air conditioners. If you have an air conditioner, get that hot air out through an open window for a minute or two before sealing things up.
Cool tip 3: Make your own evaporative air conditioner
DIY air conditioners of all kinds have long been conjured by humanity, from Roman aqueducts to frozen underwear to sheets doused in ice water and set upon with a fan. This hack carries on the legacy of human greatness.
How’s this for elegance in simplicity: Place a wet face washer or rag over the big central vents in your car’s dash. The warm air will pass through the damp, cool rags and come out the other side cooler. Chill.
Cool tip 4: Ice, ice, baby
This trick has a similar background to the rag hack. In the days before air conditioning, people placed huge ice blocks near a vent in the footwells of their automobiles and ran their errands. You can do this too, but avoid mess and put the ice in a tray or bucket. If you’re worried about leaks, freeze some water in a bottle, wrap it in a towel and place it behind your neck or between your legs. After the ice has melted, have yourself a refreshing beverage. Cheers!
Related: Five fun accessories to make your car summer road trip ready
Related: Five water park inspired road trips to do this summer
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
