Hotter Days in Home Offices

The month of May graced the Seattle area with the first big heatwave of the year. Not only did we jump from warm spring temperatures to middle-of-summer areas, but most of Seattle also is not geared toward extended periods of heat. Most buildings do not have air conditioning as you would find in parts of the United States with prolonged heat periods, and while it is becoming more popular, only a few apartment buildings come with A/C ports.

As such, whenever the heat does move in, the Pilots at Hardsuit Labs come together to talk about the heat and what to do about it. Looking out for one another in big and small ways is part and parcel of the team here, and we’re happy that we have such a giving team.

This Monday, we posted a thread in our company messaging system that the heat wave from the weekend would continue and how to best navigate it. The thread was open for tips and tricks by anyone on the team to comment on, and we’re going to look at what they said today!

The main concern during hot days anywhere will be the safety of people and pets.

Heat exhaustion or, worse, heat stroke are both genuine dangers. Many still need to learn what can happen if we overheat during the hot season. The warning signs for both exhaustion and stroke can come quickly, and people will often push past them without paying attention.

For heat exhaustion, the signs can be:

• Dizziness
• Thirst
• Heavy Sweating
• Nausea
• Weakness

Several warning signs can go unnoticed, especially when sitting in front of a fan while working from home. While sitting down, both dizziness and weakness can be so minor that we don’t notice the change in how we feel. Thirst and nausea can be misinterpreted as hunger, so we might reach for a snack instead of drinking. Reach for something salty, and we bind even more water! And finally, the heavy sweating, if we are sitting in any breeze, goes unnoticed, as the sweat evaporates faster.

So here we are, in heat exhaustion, and we didn’t even notice!

There are steps you can still take now that help your body. Cooling down is paramount, so moving to a cooler area, drinking, cooling your body with a cool shower or bath, and making sure you change into loose clothing are great first steps.

After this come the signs of heat stroke; if you reach this stage, your life is in danger! If you are by yourself, you will be in trouble once the following set in:

• Confusion
• Increased dizziness
• Losing consciousness

If you find someone in this state, you might notice they are no longer sweating. This is because they have quite literally run dry and cannot produce more sweat. They might be panting, their skin, especially around the face, will be red, and they might sound as if they are drunk.

Medical attention is needed in such an advanced stage of heat distress, so call your emergency services, such as 9-1-1!

Similar signs are something to look out for with our pets. Panting, lethargy, stumbling or slow walking, and possibly sounds of distress all make your pet uncomfortable. The solutions for your pets will be similar to those we humans need, so feel free to apply the following tips to them as well!

The team provided a lot of good information when discussing the incoming heat.

Foremost, we talked about preventing heat build-up in our homes.

• Open the windows at night and place a fan to suck outside air inside, as the air at night will be much cooler.
• When the sun rises, shut your windows, close all blinds, and close doors to large rooms.
• Keep doors to rooms you do not frequent closed.
• Turn off all unneeded electronics, especially those who like to run quietly on standby. Not only is this good for your electricity bill, but things like idling PCs, TVs, media players, and so forth still give off heat.
• Cover your windows with reflective foil or UV filters. If you choose reflective foils, check if you might be blinding drivers on nearby roadways!
• Cook when it is cooler in your home, or switch to cold meals for a while. Salads, sandwiches, and antipasto can shine now!
• Open your fridge and freezer as little as possible. The less cold escapes, the less heat the cold box needs to produce to chill the inside again.
• Fill your freezer! The more space is taken up, the less general air needs to be chilled when you open your freezer, and the overall temperature stays low.
• When you need to go outside, limit how long you are in the sun, wear clothing that shades you (long sleeves, hats, light scarves), and avoid strenuous activity. This includes walking dogs! Move walking times to the cooler parts of the day.

However, with as much as we can do to prevent unneeded heat buildup – things will get warmer inside our homes. Especially when we have a home office with computers in them, we will sooner or later need to help with the rising temperature inside.

• Dress in breathable material. You will want to allow your body to sweat to help regulate your body heat.
• Give your body a way to get additional cooling by enjoying frozen treats.
• A team member suggested a cool footbath here!
• Cool, moist towels around the neck, cooling packs strapped to shoulders or resting on upper thighs near pulse points.
• Especially if you have a fan circulating the air around you: Drink (some swear by cool, some by warm drinks – the jury is still out); if you can make them sports drinks or have added electrolytes like coconut water, only the better.
• Build an evaporative cooler, also called a swamp cooler. The search engine of your choice will give a lot of ideas, like pointing a fan at a drying rack with moist towels or building a container with ice to blow a fan over.
• Especially while working from home, remember that having a cool shower will help refresh you and balance your body temperature!
• Freeze moist towels, half-filled water bottles, cooling packs, and whatever else you can think of that would freeze, be portable, and use the cooled items throughout the day. Holding the frozen items wrapped in a towel against your body will help!
• Avoid setting it too low if you have an A/C unit. Make yourself comfortable without lowering the temperature too much. It will prevent discomfort when leaving the cool room or your house.

Finally, if you are a Pilot: You’re always welcome to come to the air-conditioned office and work with us here!

It’s still early in the year, so check if you might be able to still buy a small air conditioning unit for your bedrooms or home offices. We want you to be comfortable and safe, and with our $75 tech stipend, you can plan ahead for expenses like this one.

We hope you will feel better prepared when the heat returns to the PWN! Enjoy your weekend, and we will chat again next week!