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With summer coming upon us, the heat waves are coming as well. As homeowners, we must be ready to face the scorching heat of summertime. Air conditioning can become expensive, especially if it’s used all summer long.
Keeping cool during the summer can be difficult, but luckily, there are ways in which we can cool down our homes without using air conditioning.
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Circulate the Air with a Ceiling Fan
Almost every home is equipped with a ceiling fan in at least one room. Utilize these wonderful appliances by placing a ceiling fan in each room, or the rooms most used by the family. We must ensure that our ceiling fans are the right size for our rooms and the blades are spinning in the right direction.
One direction will draw the heat up, keeping your room cool. The other direction pushes the heat down to keep your home warm during those cooler months. For a few great tips about ceiling fans.
Going DIY and Hanging Out
One pretty cool trick to help beat the summer heat is something so simple yet effective. Greatist gives several interesting tips to help cool off your bedroom at night, but perhaps the most interesting are the idea of hanging a wet sheet in front of your open window.
It might seem crazy at first, but the constant breeze will blow through the sheet creating an oasis of cool air for your room. If the breeze is blowing during the day, you can utilize this tip then as well. This tip is perfect for those who are stuck inside the house all day.
Pillows that Cool are Pretty Cool
Cooling pillows have become popular in the last few years, and these amazing inventions have brought a new way to stay cool for most people. These pillows do cost money, but if you have the extra money, it is worth it to buy one.
Cooling pillows often last for several years without much wear and tear, and they keep your face cool during the night.
Let it Snow….Cone
Frozen treats are a great way for us to beat the scorching summertime heat. Not only do they help keep our body temperature cool, but they are also delicious. If you are unable to purchase frozen treats or the ingredients to make frozen treats, you can crunch on ice to help keep you cool.
Simply letting a piece of ice melt in your mouth can cool your body temperature tremendously. A few delicious frozen treats are popsicles, snow cones, ice cream, or even cold fruit.
Skip the Hot Shower
Instead of taking a hot shower, take a cool or cold shower to help cool off your body. This tip is best effective if you take a cold or cool shower just before bed. The cool water will cool your body temperature, keeping you cool long enough to fall asleep.
Washing your hair, or just wetting it down with cool water, can also keep you cool longer. The evaporation of water from your hair will keep you cooler much longer than a dry head. Combine this with a cool shower to optimize your cooling.
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Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Water is a great way to cool off during the summer. Drinking water, especially cool water, is a great way to cool off your body temperature. The water will keep your body hydrated and help keep your body temperature down.
The water also helps if you tend to sweat a lot. It will keep you from becoming dehydrated by replacing the water your body has lost from sweating. Wiki How gives great suggestions on how to keep cool by using water. These tips are creative as well, which means there is something for the entire family to use.
Plant Some Trees
This tip does not work quite as quickly as the other tips for beating the heat, but if you plant a few shade trees, in a few years your home could be enveloped in a wonderful shade. Houzz.com gives several tips on shading your windows from the sun.
This shading keeps the heat out of your home, thus keeping your home cooler. If trees aren’t an option, try putting up awnings over your windows to keep out the sunshine on hot, summer days.
Keep the Doors Opened
Some people prefer the doors in their homes closed, but this can prevent cool from going into those rooms, making them stifling hot later in the day. Not only should you keep the doors opened during the day, but you should also utilize this tip on the hot, muggy nights as well.
Keeping the doors open will allow cool air to flow throughout your home naturally, keeping it much cooler than it would with the doors closed.
Related: 10 Reasons Why You Should Install Solar Panels For Your Home
Change Those Sheets
Often, we keep fleece or satin sheets on our beds during the winter time. These sheets, however, are not very effective when it comes to the summer heat. In fact, fleece and satin sheets hold in heat, which can be detrimental when we are trying to sleep during the summertime.
Instead of using fleece or satin, try replacing your sheets with a light, cotton fabric that keeps your body cool. Cotton sheets are also soft, which makes them a great choice for hot summer nights. The Huffington Post gives great tips for keeping cool between the sheets during the summertime.
Grill, Don’t Bake
Using the oven or stove during the summertime can create unnecessary heat within your home. It’s much better to bake things in the oven and not bake yourself in the heat of the kitchen.
It is a good idea to avoid using the oven or stove and utilize an outdoor grill instead. Of course, summertime is a great time to grill your favorite foods. The best part is you can keep your home cool and enjoy your favorite barbecue meals at the same time.
If you must use your oven or stove, try opening a window or turning on a fan in the kitchen. The circulation can help move the heat outside instead of simply sitting in your kitchen.
Treat Your Windows
Let’s face it; our windows are where the heat and sunlight filter into our homes. Though they give us natural sunlight, they can also give us too much heat, making our homes feel hot and muggy.
By adding a sheet of heat-reflecting film on the windows, we can reduce the amount of sunlight and heat filtering into the house each day. Hometips.com describes the processes we can use to determine what kind of film to use and where to put it to provide the most benefit to our homes.
Save Money By Keeping The AC Off This Summer
The summertime is a great season full of sunshine, but unfortunately, with the sunshine comes warm days. These warm days are great until they begin to overheat our homes and bodies. The heat can make it hard to stay indoors or even sleep at night.
Air conditioning, while amazing at times, can become expensive to run all the time. Luckily, the many tips and DIY crafts can help keep your home cool and refreshing all summer long without overrunning your air conditioner.