Tips on how to cool down during July heatwave

As the UK braces for a third heatwave of the year, we're getting used to the drill.

When temperatures soared and records tumbled at the end of June, BBC News spoke to readers to get their top tips for keeping cool in the heat.

Some were using tried-and-tested methods such as putting bedding in the freezer and keeping blackout curtains shut all day, while others turned to slightly more unorthodox methods.

Here are your best DIY hacks for coping in a heatwave.

Bethan Earley, from Rugby, told us she kept her home cool by putting foil blankets on the outside of her windows before closing them. "The house does still get warm," she told BBC Your Voice, "but it takes much longer to warm up."

In a more unusual move, Emma Kent, 42, painted yoghurt on her windows to keep her house cool, inspired by an experiment by building science researchers at Loughborough University.

On one particularly hot day in June, she used a paint roller to spread a kilogram of yoghurt on the outside of the windows of her house in Hitchin.

It took her around 10 minutes and the difference in temperature inside was noticeable, Emma said.

John Turbefield, 38, from Chichester, placed white bed sheets on the outside of the windows in some of the hottest rooms in his house. He also bought a pack of survival blankets - often used to help athletes regulate their body temperature - and places them on the remaining windows.

"They're designed to reflect heat and they are large, so they're ideal for taping to the window frame to reflect most of the light back out," he added.

As well as trying to block heat coming in through the windows, John also stocked his freezer with two-litre plastic bottles of water, which he put in front of and behind the five fans he dotted around his house. However, anyone who wants to copy him will need patience: large bottles may take a couple of days to freeze, he added.

John stocks his freezer with two-litre plastic bottles of water, which he puts near the five fans he has around his house

The UK Health Security Agency, external advises people to only open their windows when the air feels cooler outside than inside, and to turn off non-essential electronics that can generate heat, such as TVs, laptops and chargers.

Some councils have published lists of "cool spaces", including churches, libraries and museums, where people can take refuge from the sun. Some have air con, toilets and water fountains.

But when Alice Jenner, 31, couldn't find any dedicated cool spaces near where she lives on the south coast, she decided to instead ask workers at her local M&S if she could sit in their air-conditioned store for a bit. Her medication makes it harder for her to regulate her body temperature, she says.

"The staff at M&S were very kind and let me sit with my book by the fitting rooms for about an hour and a half that day, which definitely saved me," she said.

For Stephanie Reed, 39, from Chorley, it was especially important for her to stay cool during June's heatwave, as extreme heat triggers her epilepsy.

When it gets hot at night, she wet a hand towel and laid it across the end of her bed. She then slept with her feet and ankles on it. "It helps to regulate body temperature and it does stay cool all night," she said.

Stephanie also started sprinkling her seven-year-old daughter's bed sheet with water and putting it in the freezer for about half an hour before bedtime - long enough for it to be cool for falling asleep on, but not long enough for it to actually freeze.

Gordon Cooper, 73, from High Wycombe, told BBC Your Voice that he hung a wet bath towel in his bedroom and places his fan nearby to help cool down the room, while Jacqueline Pearce, from Lancashire, filled her hot water bottle with cold water from the fridge and placed it in bed with her.

Others changed where they slept to escape the stifling heat.

During May's heatwave, Anabelle Holschuh, found it so hard to sleep in her attic bedroom that she picked up a blanket and cushion and slept on the floor in the hallway.

When temperatures soared again the next month, the 30-year-old, who lives in London, slept on the sofa in her living room, with an electric fan switched on. The room is north-facing and has tall ceilings.

"I slept fairly well on the sofa, so no need to wander further downstairs to the hallway," she said.

For Clare McDermott, 52, getting out of the house was essential. After setting a gazebo up in her garden in West Sussex, she decided to spend two nights in June sleeping under it on a rattan sofa with a blanket. "It was so much cooler and I slept really well."

Tahlia David, 28, took it even further. She and her partner drove their campervan to a wild camping spot by a lake near where they live in Carmarthenshire, Wales. They read books, played with their dog and then slept on a mattress in the van.

"We were comfortable with blankets on too, which would be unthinkable at home," Tahlia said. "It was a lovely break from the heat of the house."

Some people told BBC News they had rearranged their remote work set-up during the heatwave, by moving their desk to the coolest room of the house.

Teresa Curran, 44, from Warwickshire, said she filled her bath with cold water when the heat of her house gets too much. "I get in and wade around between meetings and it really does give instant relief," she said.

For Aimie Ludgate, 29, from Bradford, using an oven or hob during a heatwave is a no-go. Instead, she made as many meals as possible using her air fryer, even boiling eggs and cooking steak in it.

She also froze a big bottle of water overnight that she took to work the next day.

Dietitian Kate Hilton says that during heatwaves she drinks more iced water and eats cool, hydrating foods like cucumber, tomatoes, melon and frozen smoothies. Other fruits that can help hydrate you are berries, peaches and citrus fruits, she says. For kids who are fussy eaters, freezing fruit juice or smoothies into ice pops can be a good way to help keep them cool.

She says both caffeine and especially alcohol can have dehydrating effects, and recommends drinking alcohol in moderation during hot weather and alternating it with non-alcoholic drinks.

"Water is generally the best thing to drink, but remember that all fluids, other than alcohol, are considered hydrating, so if you prefer sugar-free squash or other flavourings, this does still count towards hydration," she says.

Jess Jepson, 31, who lives in Manchester, said she dresses for the weather by wearing loose-fitting, light and airy clothes and opting for paler colours. She wore black one day and "really regretted it," she said.

When it's hot, she keeps her hair off her face and neck by wearing it up in a claw clip.

"It's a challenge to keep cool whilst still feeling put together," Jess added.

Stylist Chantelle Znideric advises people to opt for natural fibres such as cotton and linen, which she says are "highly breathable and disperse moisture across the fabric rather than trapping it against your skin", whereas silky, synthetic fabrics will make you sweaty.

When it comes to accessories, basketball caps will shade your eyes when it's sunny, but will leave your ears and neck completely exposed. Instead, Chantelle recommends choosing a wide-brimmed fedora or bucket hat to get full coverage.

Some people switched up their daily routines to beat the June's heat.

Annie Smith, 27, from St Albans, said she and her husband walked their two dachshunds in the morning and did enrichment activities with them in the house to keep them occupied "since it's too hot to walk them after 8am or 9am".

They've bought cooling vests for their dogs and kept wet dog food in the fridge.

Annie said she and her partner also tried to get their house chores done before about 10:00 "so I can sit still and stay cool the rest of the day".

Helena Kandzialka, 55, said she had avoided car journeys when possible, and chose to sit outside in the shade because the breeze made it cooler than in the house.