When you watch or listen to the weather forecast promising unbearable waves of heats you have can rely on air conditioning to cool down your home. Unfortunately, this period of the year is also related to higher bills for electricity.
If our financial situation or situation in our home doesn’t allow to use or buy AC we can try some tips and trick used by people in the past. It’s funny but people had to survive extreme temperatures however there was no AC. They simply relied on experience and smart inventions proved over centuries.
It doesn’t matter if your air conditioning doesn’t work or you just want to behave eco-friendly you can try a few very good tips and cool down your home on your own.
1. Use Sun Blinds
A big heat transfer is carried out through your windows during the summer months. The hot sun rays are warming up the glass which heats air in your home. There is not only one method on how to cool down your apartment and they are very simple.
Use your indoor or outdoor sun blinds. In southern Europe or the Middle East people are used to using wood outdoor sun blinds. The blinds are rolled down from the morning to the sunset. This simple trick helps people to keep rooms colder. If you have only indoor sun blinds you should still keep them down however they are no so effective as the outdoor version.
For those who have only indoor sun blinds, there is another tip on how to cool down the glass in the window and keep the heat away from the household. Take large towels and make them really wet in a shower or on a basin. Then put them on the window and close it. As the hot rays are drying the towel the glass doesn’t allow the heat transfer so dramatically and you can keep your home cool.
2. Close All Windows
Hot air enters your home through open windows. The best trick is to fully open all windows soon in the morning and let the colder air flows for 30 minutes. After that, you should close all the windows and roll down the sun blinds. This could be uncomfortable regarding the lack of light of the sun for some people. But it’s a very useful hack for those who spend the entire day at work and don’t want to struggle with overheated rooms after coming back.
After sunset, you can open the windows again or keep them open during the entire night if it’s possible for you. This helps you to stay chilly and cool during the night with having to buy any AC or use ceiling fan which can be too loud for you.
3. Close All Doors And Possible Cracks in Them
The doors are the same case as the windows. There is a big heat transfer through open doors. Therefore, you should close all the doors during a day. You can open them soon in the morning and after sunset as the outdoor temperature is comfortable. Then, let the doors and windows open for better airflow.
If it’s convenient for you to simply keep the doors open during the night. The open doors together with open windows allow better airflow and cool the household before another hot day.
4. Cook with Using Smart Helpers
Cooking in hot summer months can change into torture. We all know the feeling when finishing cooking and being sweat like a horse. But that’s not all. Thanks to cooking in a house the inner temperature can increase dramatically.
If we really need to cook we should cook in the early morning when the doors and windows can be open and we should use the exhaust fans. This helps us to control the temperature inside of a house along with avoiding blocking the hot air in rooms.
What to do if you are in a rush and can’t cook in the morning? Well, then you should use smart helpers. Using a stove isn’t a good choice for hot days. A stove produces a big amount of additional heat in the apartment. A smart solution is to use an outdoor electric grill, a rocket stove or simply to cook outside if it’s possible for you.
You can also try lots of delicious recipes for cold meals such as cold rustic gazpacho soup, avocado-cucumber soup, a vegetable smoothie, and many others.
5. Drink Hot and Cold Drinks
A great trick of people living in northern Africa is to drink hot spiced tea. After drinking the hot tea your body reacts immediately and you get to sweat a lot. It helps you to reduce your body temperature and however, you feel sweaty your body feels comfortable actually.
Maybe you can’t imagine hot beverages during waves of heats and prefer something cold. The cold drinks can help you as well but not so fast. They only provide you a feeling as if you get more fresh. A serious problem occurs when you drink lots of very cold beverages. You can feel a sore throat or you can get a regular cold. And nobody desires to be ill if we deal with very hot months.
6. Fan Perfectly Working with Ice Bowl
Many of us own small fans attachable to PC. They help you to cool down. But you maybe don’t know how to boost its cooling effect. The trick is very old but works perfectly.
The principle is easy. Take a small bowl with ice cubes and put it in front of the fan. The air is blowing and absorbing moistness from melting ice cubes. It makes an effect of cold air helping you cool down.
If you have a box fan you can use the same hack with a larger bowl and more ice cubes. The air blowing across the bowl is stronger in that case and you can feel more comfortable.
7. Take a Cold Shower or Bath
Some people deal with long-term issues with overheating of their body. This issue is boosted especially through the night when the body is radiating a higher level of heat. Therefore, it’s a great tip to try to cool down your body before going to bed.
You should reduce your body temperature by water. Take a cold shower or cold bath for a couple of minutes. Don’t omit ankles, palms, neck, and head if taking a shower. If you prefer to have a bath breath in and out your shoulders and head under the water for a few seconds.
Immediately after cooling down your body thanks to water go to bed. Some people swear on going to bed without using a towel. Their body is wet and helps them keep the lower temperature for a long while. This is up to you because you can feel uncomfortable regarding the wet bedsheet.
8. Use Exhaust Fans in the Morning and After Sunset
Exhaust fans improve better airflow in the house or apartment. If you want to cool down your household you should fully open windows and doors early in the morning and after sunset and switch on the exhaust fans in a kitchen, bathroom, and toilet. The hot air is pulled out while the cold air comes up from outside and the basement.
It also works perfectly if your house or apartment has windows oriented on one side and it’s very complicated to vent the air.
9. Change Fabric of Sleeping Clothes and Sheets
You shouldn’t use the same fabric for sleeping year-round. Some textiles and fabrics are suitable for late autumn and winter and some of them are more suitable for summer months.
On hot days stay away from flannel pajamas, bedsheets and fleece bed sheets, and blankets. However, they are super soft and cozy they are trying to destroy your comfort during the night when the temperature outside is increasing.
Instead, use light linen or cotton sheets and blankets. These textiles are comfortable and allow your skin to breath while sleeping. Your pajamas should be made also from very light cotton fabric and the cut of it should be wide to prevent rush from sweat.
Do you still feel uncomfortable? Try to cover yourself only by a light sheet and make it wet before going to sleep like ancient Egyptians.
10. Freeze Your Pajamas and Sheets
Although it sounds crazy it works. Take your pajamas and sheet and put it into your freezer if it’s possible. This trick is very common in countries where people aren’t used to using air conditioning.
Your pajamas and sheets can be put into a freezer but if you don’t want to destroy the fabric you should definitely use a plastic bag for this purpose. It also prevents an uncomfortable moistness in the textiles. Let it freeze for one hour and enjoy the amazing cold feeling.
11. Wet Towel in a Window at a Night
Sleeping with open windows is a great way how to cool down rooms in your home. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to use exhaust fans during the night for better airflow. But you can rely on a smart trick used in southern Europe. Make wet a big towel or bedsheet from a light fabric and put it in the open window.
The air flows through the wet textile and reduces the temperature in your bedroom. It helps you to feel fresh and no so sweat during the night.
12. Switch on the Ceiling Fans
If you have a ceiling fan in a home then you’re lucky. This household tool is a perfect little helper throughout hot days and nights. Nevertheless, we need to use it strategically according to a year’s season. What does it mean?
The ceiling fans are able to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. A switch on a side allows you to change the direction of spin. And the direction is crucial if we use the fan in summer months or in the winter season.
To cool down the room you need to switch it counterclockwise. As the hot air stays usually close to the ceiling the goal of the fan is to make an effect of chilly wind and push the hot air back to the floor. Then, the circulation in a room works properly and the blades help you cool down your home.
On the other hand, in winter months you should set the fan to rotate clockwise direction. The fan helps you to push the hot air from the floor upward. You feel comfortable and cozy the room as the circulation keeps your house warm.
13. Freeze a Hot Water Bottle or Hot and Cold Gel Ice Heat Pack
Many of us have at home little helpers that are usually used for a specific purpose. But we aren’t used to using them for other purposes. This is a great example of a hot water bottle and hot and cold gel ice heat pack usually used for some injuries. If you have them it’s clever to use them for cooling your body down on hot days.
Freeze them for a couple of hours. Before using them don’t forget to cover them with a kitchen towel or a piece of fabric! You can injure yourself without using some cover and also it will be sweat and make a wet spot. Put the bottle into your bed or on your couch spot before going to sleep or watch TV. You will feel very comfortable and cool.
14. Add as Much Shade as You Can
Shade means the shade and it means lack of light. You might be depressed because of the light but in the summer when we struggle with strong sun rays the shade is our friend.
You can add some sun blinds on your windows and you can cover your porch. For those who have a house, it’s a great tip to add some shade trees on a garden close to the house. On a balcony and terrace, it’s ideal to spread some small trees or succulents in plant pots. Sticks and leaves of these plants and trees are the best tools for how to protect yourself and your home from strong light in the summer.
15. Don’t Sleep in a Bed
We all know troubles with sleeping on hot nights. Some people sweat all night and sleeping in cotton clothes or covered by wet sheets doesn’t help. If you belong to them you could try out a very nice and classic trick on how to cool down your bedroom along with your body.
Sleeping in a bed brings lots of energy which is produced by your body. As your body sleeps it produces heat that is concentrated in a bed. Your body under a blanket or a sheet become unintentionally a source of heat in a bedroom.
A cool tip on how to avoid this is to bet on an indoor hammock. When you sleep in a hammock the heat isn’t concentrated in a matrice and under your blanket. You will be mesmerized by how amazing feeling is to sleep in there.
If you have a balcony, terrace, or a garden you can think about sleeping outside. Of course, you have to consider many other aspects such as noise, light, mosquitoes, etc. But if you will be able to deal with all of these potential problems and win you won’t want to stop sleeping outside. It’s something indescribable.
16. Use Natural Materials
Modern technologies are everywhere and we are nonstop spammed by new gadgets and innovations. It’s awesome but when sometimes it’s much better to rely on materials and equipment proved by centuries especially if we talk about struggling with heatwaves.
One of the best helpers is a bamboo mat. However, this mat isn’t so cozy and comfortable as your regular mattress it provides you awesome cooling comfort. You can put it on your normal mattress or you can sleep on the bamboo one on the floor. It’s definitely not comfortable for everyone but it can help you reduce sweating and troubles with back.
Bamboo is also an amazing material for roll-up window blinds. They offer amazing shade and cool your home down and provides enough private if you roll them down. If you are not a big fan of bamboo rely on classical outdoor wooden sun blinds used in Italy or in Spain. Even the new built houses use the wooden sun blinds because it’s the tool on how to protect your home against sun rays and their strength.
Do you love rice? If so, you maybe will love it also as a pillow. These special rice pillows are great because they simply work on the same principle as the hot and cold gel ice pack. Rice is capable to keep coldness and cool you down. Freeze this pillow for an hour before going to sleep and don’t forget to put it in a plastic bag. You will protect your pillow against additional sweating and possible damage.
Another option for better sleeping is a buckwheat pillow. Like rice, it’s an organic product and it doesn’t store the heat inside like memorable foam pillows or cotton pillows. These kinds of pillows are usually stuffed also with aromatic herbs and allows you to relax before sleeping.
17. Drink Water Before Going to a Bed
Why do we sweat during a day and during a night? The body has a regulating system working on the principle of making us sweat to prevent overheating. To clarify, if you’re sweating it’s great because your body works properly and you don’t need to be worried about overheating body parts.
When we sweat our bodies need more liquids than usual. Therefore, we have to drink more in the summer months than in the winter. A great tip of people living in desert areas is to drink at least one glass of not sparkling water before going to sleep.
Stay hydrated throughout the night. You won’t wake up thirsty in the middle of the night.