5 More Tips for Staying Cool Without Air Conditioning

When it comes to battling summer heat, it helps to have a fully loaded bagful of tricks to help you stay cool. In addition to keeping your curtains drawn and replacing those heat throwing incandescent bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, here are a few more tips for staying cool without cranking up the air conditioner:

1. Pump up that basement air: Have you ever gone down to your basement in the summer and noticed a substantial difference between its temperature and that of the rest of your home? That cool air can be put to use by keeping the basement door open and placing a fan facing your living area at that doorway in order to pull that cool air upstairs. However, don’t do this if your home has mold or high radon levels.

2. Stay wet: For some temporary but delicious relief, after showering, stay damp (not drenched) and sit near a fan. Also, spritzing yourself with a spray bottle or, when the place and time is right, pouring water over your head helps cool you down as the evaporating water stimulates sweating — the body’s cool down mechanism.

3. Drink water: Your body’s losing a lot of water by sweating. Staying well hydrated helps keep everything functioning, including the body’s blood flow and its ability to continue to allow you to sweat and stay cool.

4. Limit appliance usage: In addition to keeping the oven off as much as possible, limit your use of other appliances and electronic devices that generate heat, such as TVs, dishwashers and computers, which can be put in hibernate or sleep mode when not in use.

5. Cotton bedding and PJs: While a hot, humid day can be oppressive, trying to go to sleep on a wickedly hot night can be pure misery. By using cotton sheets and wearing loose cotton pajamas, sweat will be able to evaporate instead of being trapped by fabrics that don’t “breathe.”

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Tim C.

9:37AM PDT on Oct 20, 2011

cool

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/thank-2-randy-paynter-care2-team/

send a green star

Michele W.

9:13AM PDT on Sep 22, 2011

Great tips.
Thank you

Jennifer C.

12:27AM PDT on Aug 9, 2011

Thanks for this article.

Asiatic L.

12:46AM PDT on Jul 30, 2011

can use a water cooler as opposed to an air conditioner...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roar-for-the-Asiatic-Lion/148251028527367?ref=sgm

Gordana R.

6:51AM PDT on Jul 2, 2011

great

Charles B.

6:35PM PDT on May 29, 2011

Thank you Terri!

Elizabeth B.

7:41AM PDT on May 29, 2011

thank you

Masha S.

4:30AM PDT on May 29, 2011

perfect time to use the grill for cooking outside

Janice L.

8:59PM PST on Jan 23, 2011

People used to sleep on the porches when it was really hot.

Lola S.

10:06AM PDT on Oct 2, 2010

Another trick my family has always used: keep the windows closed during the day to keep out the heat, and open the windows again in the evening once the outside air is cooler than the inside air.

For extra cooling, place box fans in windows on lower levels to pull cooler air in from the outside, and box fans pointing outwards in upper level windows to blow the hot air outside.

Works like a charm!