It’s summer, which means ice cream, pool days, and in many parts of the U.S., sweating through your clothes by 9 a.m. The current heatwave scorching its way across the country has people trying anything and everything to stay cool. But one Arizona woman has gone viral for a heat-beating trick that left the internet scratching its head at first.
In a now-viral TikTok video that has racked up over 6 million views, a mystery woman from Arizona showed off a hack that, while totally simple, had people puzzled. The video was filmed outside what appears to be an apartment complex, the kind with doors that open directly to the outside, which, if you’ve ever lived in the desert, you know can turn into a nightmare when the sun’s blazing.
The camera zooms in on several apartment doors, but one stands out. Hanging from the metal door handle is a gray pot holder.
Arizona Woman Shares Viral Heatwave Hack
Naturally, TikTok’s peanut gallery jumped in with confusion. “I don’t get it,” one commenter said — a sentiment echoed by many. But once people figured it out, they were shook by the genius of it all.
The hack? Using the pot holder as a barrier so you don’t burn your hand trying to open a scalding hot metal door handle.
Rather than risk second-degree burns just trying to check the mail, this Arizona resident simply hangs a kitchen pot holder on the handle, ready to use as a built-in shield from the sun-baked metal. It’s the kind of simple yet brilliant idea that makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it first.
Once the “aha” moment hit, the comments turned from confusion to inspiration. People suggested using the same hack on hot seatbelt buckles, gear shifts, or even steering wheels, basically anything that turns into a frying pan inside your car in July.
Not only did this woman help herself avoid injury, but she unknowingly started a conversation about surviving extreme heat with minimal effort, and maybe even a little style. Who knew pot holders could be the latest summer accessory?
So, while the internet might’ve been confused at first, we’re tipping our (sun) hats to this clever Arizona woman. In a time when people are frying eggs on sidewalks, she’s protecting her skin with kitchen mittens and saving TikTok from a lot of burnt hands.
Sometimes, beating the heat doesn’t require fancy gadgets, just good old-fashioned common sense and a pot holder, as this Arizona resident proved.
Kenna Raye 
Kendra Quinn 
