Why putting frozen towels on fans to cool off is a bad idea

This cool-down effort could paradoxically make people a lot hotter.

As citizens of the UK struggle to stay cool amid the ongoing heatwave, experts are warning against a potentially deadly heat-beating hack going viral on TikTok, in which users place a frozen towel over a fan so it blows cold air.

Footage detailing the alleged cooling technique is currently amassing millions of views on TikTok.

“Yet again, we are seeing TikTok influencers who are demonstrating ‘heat hacks’ with their fans which are potentially unsafe,” warned Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at UK company Electrical Safety First, per Yahoo News.

Dubbed “the towel hack,” the technique came to light via a tutorial by TikTok user @tiabagha, in which she instructs her viewers to “put a towel under some cold water and then freeze it.”

The clip then cuts to her taking the now-frozen dish rag and draping it over her box fan, thereby negating the need to pay for “a $600 AC unit,” per the caption.

While this might seem like an ingenious way to MacGyver an air conditioner, Capanna warns that the risks outweigh the benefits.

“Placing a freezing towel on a plugged-in fan could destabilize the device and cause it to fall over, causing the blades to hit the guard and put the motor under pressure, and could even break the device altogether,” he said.

Not only that, but this so-called cooling method could potentially cause things to heat up by electrocuting the user.

“The biggest risk comes from the towel, which would eventually thaw and become sopping wet,” Capanna warned. “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.”

This comes after the mercury hit an oppressive 86 degrees Fahrenheit in most parts of the country Saturday, the highest temperatures of 2023 so far.

The heat was so sweltering that several royal guards passed out at King Charles’ birthday parade rehearsal in London.

Temperatures have also spiked on this side of the pond with temps across Texas eclipsing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, threatening to break records in certain cities, Fox Weather reported.

The towel hack isn’t the only cooling method sparking warnings from experts.

Last week, a UK psychologist cautioned against sleeping in the nude as this can cause sweat to collect on the skin rather than being absorbed by clothing fibers, effectively making people hot and clammy.