Time to throw in the towel on summer.
This NYC heat is no joke — but a “genius” towel trick may be just the thing to help keep you cool all the way to fall.
Even though it’s September, New York has faced a late-season heatwave in recent days, with temperatures climbing to 93 degrees Thursday in Central Park.
If you’re looking for a little relief, hanging cold, wet towels in spots throughout your house may do the trick, according to laundry expert Deyan Dimitrov.
“This method allows trapped water to evaporate from the surface of the towels and cool the air flowing around your house,” the Laundryheap founder and CEO told The Mirror.
“Since this hack can be fashioned out of existing household items, it’s a cheap and useful alternative for houses that don’t have access to air conditioning or fans,” he continued.
Dimitrov advises any clean towel dipped in cold water will do.
He recommends using a lighter-colored towel — as darker colors can radiate heat quickly — and placing it in a sunlit environment, so the water will evaporate faster.
“Try to hang your towels at entry points within your home where fresh air can come inside, such as near doorways or against open windows,” he suggested to the outlet.
“This will prevent your towels from becoming damp and will immediately cool any air coming in from these entry points.”
And, if you’re looking to add a little luxury to this hack, Dimitrov suggests pouring some essential oils into your washing machine for great-smelling towels.
Thankfully, the New York heatwave is expected to wane by the weekend — at least a little bit. Experts have shared other hot tips in the meantime.
In June, a UK psychologist warned that sleeping naked in a heatwave will not lead to a good night’s rest.
“I wouldn’t recommend sleeping naked, as much as this might appeal, because sweat then collects on your skin rather than being absorbed by the fibers of your clothing and cooling you down,” Suzy Reading told UK bedding company Kudd.ly.
And, a hack that went viral on TikTok earlier this summer — draping frozen towels on a fan — is not very safe, either.
Not only could it cause the fan to fall over, it could even break the device, according to Giuseppe Capanna, a product safety engineer at UK company Electrical Safety First.
He warned that putting a cold towel over a fan could also electrocute the user.
“The biggest risk comes from the towel, which would eventually thaw and become sopping wet,” Capanna warned The Post in June. “Water and electricity do not mix and, by copying this hack, water could come into contact with the motor or the plug and its socket, increasing the risk of an electric shock.”