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Happy hump day, kids! Scroll on down for Today's Tip.
COOL YOURSELF WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING
Not everyone has air conditioning in their home for the beastly hot days of summer. Here are some hints on how to keep relatively cool without A/C. Some are also helpful to those with A/C who want to cut back on the utility expense.
Close your blinds. Close your blinds and curtains when the sun hits your home in the morning, to block out the sun's heat. This makes a BIG difference! Close windows and exterior doors throughout the hottest part of the day.
Open windows at night. Open select windows to allow the cooler night air to blow in throughout the evening and night. If you leave all interior doors open (including closets and kitchen cabinets!), this helps as well. [Who knew? ] If you leave them closed, they store the daytime heat and your house won't cool off as much at night. When daylight comes, close the windows and blinds again.
Use fans. Position a ceiling fan, an upstairs window fan or an attic fan to draw off the heat collected in upper rooms and push the heat outdoors. Set your portable fan so that it sucks cooler air from the floor below and blows it upward toward the ceiling.
Make a DIY air conditioner! Fill a metal bowl with ice, set it front of your fan, and adjust the fan so the air blows over the ice. OR - fill a couple of 2-litre bottles with water and freeze them. Then place them in a large bowl or pan to catch dripping water. Position your fan to blow over them. You can freeze the bottles overnight, use them during the day, refreeze and reuse.
Open vents and flues. If you have a stove fan, you can turn that on and it will draw hot air up and out of the house. Likewise, opening up your chimney flue will do the same thing and will pull cooler evening air in through your windows.
Turn off heat sources. Don't use the stove or oven. Eat cold food or use the microwave. Switch to fluorescent lights because incandescent light bulbs generate a lot of heat. Turn off your lamps and your computer when you're not using them. Your TV also gives off a lot of heat, so turn it off!
Avoid steam. Don't take a hot shower, wash dishes or cook until after dark. Also wait till evening to run your dishwasher or to do ironing.
That's enough Tips for now! Good luck keeping cool!
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LOVE the frozen water bottle idea! Does this actually work??
I do use window fans blowing nice cool air into the house at night when the temperature and humidity is low enough. It makes a tremendous difference.
What I would love is a whole house fan. My parents have one, at night in the summer they turn it on and you can literally feel the air moving from the lower floors of the house up into the third floor. Unbelievable!
We used to open a bathroom window, turn the shower on with cold water, and pull air through with a fan in an upstairs apartment during the hottest month of summer. Still use the strategic window flow through after dark.
LOVE the frozen water bottle idea! Does this actually work??
I do use window fans blowing nice cool air into the house at night when the temperature and humidity is low enough. It makes a tremendous difference.
What I would love is a whole house fan. My parents have one, at night in the summer they turn it on and you can literally feel the air moving from the lower floors of the house up into the third floor. Unbelievable!
When I was growing up, my dad took an old furnace blower and put it in the window at one end of our second level. It was placed blowing outward, to pull hot air out of our attic bedrooms and to pull cooler air in through the open windows at the opposite end of the house. It worked very well. Dad was always good at improvising.
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My posts as a Moderator will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS And check this out: FAQ
Moderator of Canada (and sub-fora), Illinois (and sub-fora), Indiana (and sub-fora), Caregiving, Community Chat, Fashion & Beauty, Hair Care, Games/Trivia, History, Nature, Non-romantic Relationships, Psychology, Travel, Work & Employment, Writing.
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~ Life's a gift. Don't waste it. ~
You forgot one of the tips to staying cool without air conditioning...
Spoiler
MOVE TO ALASKA!!!
Ahahaha - Good one, Mutt!
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__________________
My posts as a Moderator will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS And check this out: FAQ
Moderator of Canada (and sub-fora), Illinois (and sub-fora), Indiana (and sub-fora), Caregiving, Community Chat, Fashion & Beauty, Hair Care, Games/Trivia, History, Nature, Non-romantic Relationships, Psychology, Travel, Work & Employment, Writing.
___________________________
~ Life's a gift. Don't waste it. ~
Doesn't mint julep sound cooling? I wonder if it is.
Had some great, cooling iced mint yogurt today! My boss bought it for me!
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