There’s nothing worse than getting in your car during a summer heatwave and it being like a hot oven.
While you may reach for the air con (if you’re lucky to have it) or wind the windows down fast, this can only add to the discomfort until the vehicle gets moving.
Now, a nifty hack by celebrity mathematician and presenter Hannah Fry, has caused a stir on social media.
Fry, who was known as “chief number cruncher” for Channel 4's coverage of last year’s general election, took to Instagram to share how to quickly cool your car in a matter of moments.
The 41-year-old University of Cambridge professor from Essex, even added an insightful demonstration.
How to cool your car down when it’s really hot
Instead of turning on the air conditioning, Fry’s hack involves rolling down one of the windows on the nearside of the vehicle.
Stepping out the car, she then very quickly open and close the driver’s door multiple times.
Fry said on her Instagram Reel: “The reason why it works is that when you open and close the door, especially if you do it quickly, the door as it’s moving outwards sweeps out all of the air that’s in its way, creating this area of low pressure that you get here.
“And, then that sets up something called ‘bulk flow’, which is where all of the hot, sweaty, horrible air inside the car is drawn outwards, and the only way to refill it is with nice fresh air from over on the other side.”
She added: “It only takes two or three goes and then suddenly it’s beautifully temperate.”
This top tip should save you time in making your car’s cabin a lot cooler in the UK’s current heatwave.
Fans react to Hannah Fry’s heatwave hack
Fry’s social media followers were quick to comment on the post, which has now been shared a whopping 4,000 times.
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One person said: “The magic of science, I’ve been doing this for years. I even do it in the house and have my partner stop the other door from slamming while I waft open and shut the front door.”
While another added: “I need to test this!”
A third said: “Wow! Definitely going to try this today in the UK – it’s needed!”
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