Oh Baby It’s Cold Outside! Are will we still in the Desert, or have we been transported to Siberia? AND it seems like it won’t let up for a while. So with our temperatures in the 30s overnight, you may want to find ways to keep warm.
According to the Palm Springs Post, three warming centers are now open throughout the city for limited hours. The warming centers are free and operated in partnership with the county.
Here’s a list of the centers and their hours. Pets are welcome, but cats must be in a carrier:
James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, 480 W. Tramview Road
- Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Demuth Community Center, 3601 E. Mesquite Ave
- Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S. Sunrise Way
- Monday -Thursday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m
- Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
However, if you want to stay home and find ways to get warm, here are a few things to keep in mind until we get out of this deep freeze:
DO NOT!!!
Use your stove to heat your house – oh, it does keep the kitchen warm and toasty when we’re cooking, but ovens are made specifically to cook food and not be used as a heat source.
Do not use candles as a heat source – HUGE fire hazard and many homes and families are destroyed by candle fires.
DO NOT use open flame propane heaters – or any propane portable heater. These also are a HUGE fire hazard and a contributor to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Space heaters are a good source of heat, but before you order them on Amazon, caution needs to be taken when using them ….
Space heaters are blamed for 81% of home heating fire deaths, half of which could have been prevented because the space heaters were too close to beds, curtains, clothing, and upholstered furniture.
Space heaters are for TEMPORARY USE ONLY!! They are not to be used as the primary heat source at any time.
NEVER EVER plug a space heater into an extension cord or surge protector. The space heater can use a lot of power that the extension cord and surge protector are unable to handle. In addition, the cords can melt, which leads to fires.
Make sure you have the right size of space heater for what you are using it for.
It’s not just fires you need to be concerned about when using supplemental heaters, but Carbon Monoxide as well.
Safety Tips from the United States Product Safety Commission
- Never use portable generators inside homes or garages, even if doors and windows are open. Use generators outside only, far away from home.
- Never bring a charcoal grill into the house for heating or cooking. Do not barbeque in the garage.
- Never use a gas range or oven for heating.
- Open the fireplace damper before lighting a fire, and keep it open until the ashes are cool. An open damper may help prevent the build-up of poisonous gases inside the home.
- Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Interconnected CO alarms are best; when one sounds, they all sound.
- Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and confusion. If you suspect CO poisoning, get outside to fresh air immediately and call 911.
Here are a few safer ways to get the chill off …
- Close off unused rooms. If you aren’t using the room and there is no plumbing, you may even shut off the heat vent.
- Switch your ceiling fans to go in the opposite direction and at low speed. The opposite turn of the fan during the cold months will circulate the warmer ceiling air to the lower level of the room.
- Invest in flannel sheets! If you have never tried them, they really help – especially when you first jump into bed. Down comforters and extra wool blankets also help stay warm and toasty, too!
- If you don’t want to use flannel sheets – they can sometimes be TOO warm – try warming the bed with a hot water bottle or bags of rice or dried beans in the microwave to warm those sheets before jumping in for the night.
- Grab a buddy! Sitting with those you love under a blanket will keep both of you warm. Have more than one in the house & pets? The more the merrier and if your dog is short-haired, they’d be your friend forever!
- Bundle up! Wool socks, slippers, extra thick sweaters, and even flannel jeans really help keep the cold from hitting your skin! Coffee and hot cocoa help, too!
Oh Baby, It’s Cold Outside! This, too, shall pass and will be a distant memory. Remember, we may be cold right now, but we don’t have five feet of snow, ice, or five months of cold. PLUS, we can bundle up and still golf!!