Keeping Your Cool

Yesterday here in the mid-west, it was 86°F. Today it is suppose to be even warmer, so a lot of my neighbors have their air conditioners going to try to keep cool. Since I am trying to cut back on our dependency on the grid, we haven't turned ours on...yet anyways. ;-)

Air conditioning is kind of like crack, the more you use it, the more you think that you need it. There are those who need it for medical reasons, such as those with heart conditions, or the elderly, but for most of us, we don't really need it. We only think that we need it. Having said that I will admit though, I like air conditioning especially during the mid summer months when the average daily temperature is 90+°F, but when the electric bill comes, I'm not liking it near as much so I found some ways to help cool down my house and myself, without the use of the AC.

• If you have a basement, use it during the heat of the day or if it doesn't cool down at night. The temperature in my basement remains between 63-68°F no matter how hot it gets outside. So we have basically a second home set up down there with a kitchenette, beds, etc. It isn't perfect, but we do stay cool without to much problems.
• This sounds counter productive, but only have your windows open during the night and early morning. Then shut them during the rest of the day. This will allow for the cool air to get into your home but when the outside air becomes warmer than your inside air, and you shut the windows, it will trap the cool air inside your home.
• If you must have your windows open during the day, wet bath towels or bed sheets and hang them in front of the windows. This will lower a room temperature by 3-5°F. While that isn't much, every little bit helps.
• Avoid strenuous work and play during the heat of the day.
• Drink plenty of water. Your body will feel cooler if you stay hydrated. Stay away from alcohol, sweet drinks, tea and coffee. Alcohol will not cool you down. It will just make you not care if you are hot or not. Sweet drinks adds a lot of unnecessary calories. Tea and coffee both have a natural diuretic in them which is just the opposite of what you are wanting to happen.
• Make use of box and ceiling fans. Remember that fans will not cool a room. They only cool people so keep the fans pointed at you.
• Freeze water in large containers, such as a milk jug, and place it in front of the fan with the fan blowing on you. This will help cool the area around the fan and make you a lot cooler.
• To help cool you during the night, put a small pillow covered in a couple of plastic shopping bags in the freezer for an hour or two and sleep on that. It will cool down your head which in turn will cool you down.
• Wet your head. The evaporation of the water will cool you down.
• Soak your feet in ice water.
• Fill your bathtub with cool water and get in. Once your body gets use to that temperature, let some of the water out and add more cold water. Your body will stay cool for a long time after this. Kids wading pools are also good for this.
• During the daytime, not only close your blinds, but also use insulated curtains to help keep the sun and heat out of your home.
• Keep lights, TVs, and electronics off. These all produce heat and every little bit helps.
• Banish all cooking to outside. If you don't have outside space, cook your meals during the coolest part of the day and then rewarm them in the microwave.
• During the night, open all cabinet doors, closet, and attic doors so the hot air can get out and these spaces can cool down.. The heat is trapped in these places and will keep the house warmer during the day. By cooling them down during the night, it will help to keep your house a little cooler during the day.
• Eat frozen fruit and other frozen treats. Cooling down the core body temperature helps to keep you cooler for a longer period of time.
• If nothing else, during the heat of day, visit your local library, mall, or other places that have air conditioning.

There are solar power air conditioners on the market. I have never used one so I cannot recommend it. If you have any other suggestions on how to keep cool without air conditioning, please leave your suggestion in the comment section to this post. Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)