When simple seasonal solutions such as duct cleaning just won’t cut it, perhaps these additional measures will keep your home cool and pleasant during summer.
12 Simple Yet Brilliant Hacks that Will Make Your Home Cooler This Summer
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Make long-term improvements at home.
Okay. The first one might not be exactly simple or cost-efficient but it is one of the most effective ways of making your home have pleasant temperatures throughout the year.
Installing additional awnings or planting trees in strategic places will provide shade and cool for your home for the long term.
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Use blinds.
Blinds help block out the sun’s rays from going into your home. Thick drapes and curtains also help do the trick. These materials provide added insulation against the warm summer weather.
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Close doors of unused rooms.
Keeping doors closed will help seal the air inside the room, regardless if its generated by the air conditioner, a fan, or summer wind.
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Turn off the lights when not needed.
Lights emit heat, especially incandescent bulbs, as pretty as they are to look at. This summer, while the weather is hot, it is best to turn off any light in all unused rooms and areas of the house. This will lessen the emission of heat inside.
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Create a wind tunnel at home.
Open doors and windows at opposite ends of the house. This creates a makeshift wind tunnel to allow air to move freely through your home.
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Hack your fans.
A couple of simple fan hacks to make your home a bit cooler is by setting your ceiling fan to rotate counter-clockwise (to bring the warm air up faster) and to place a bowl filled with ice in front of a stand fan (which blows cooler mist caused by the ice inside the bowl).
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Swap those sheets with cotton.
Switch your bed sheets and other linen to cotton which is a lighter and cooler material compared to silk, satin, and other heavier fabrics.
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Lower your body temperature.
Focus more on lowering your body’s temperature instead of your surroundings. Dress suitably for summer with light fabric that fits you comfortably. Take frequent cold showers throughout the day and before hitting the sack at night.
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Get into a lower sleeping position.
Cold air goes down while warm air rises. Simple physics right there. Take this knowledge and make it work to your advantage. Temporarily change your sleeping arrangements that will allow for cooler temperatures in your sleeping area.
Sleep on the couch downstairs or the basement or you can put your mattress on the floor until the season ends.
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Make use of the cool night air.
The summer weather may bring us high temperatures during the day but it also gives us very cool weather at night. Take advantage of this and keep your windows open in your bedroom when you sleep at night.
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Use the grill.
This one’s pretty obvious. Whenever you use the stove or oven, it generates additional heat indoors. Put that griller to good use and take it out of storage so you can use it for outdoor cooking.
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Hack those windows.
Windows are fairly easy to hack for the summer. Point a box fan to it to draw out warm air from your room. You may also hang a damp curtain above it so that when the summer breeze blows, the moisture from the curtains are blown into the space.
Keeping your home cool during summertime doesn’t always need your air conditioning running 24-7. Simple hacks such as the ones listed above are enough to lower the temperature inside your home without bringing your electric bill up.