Cool ideas:
- Close blinds and windows during the day, open them at night (if it's cool out)
- Plant trees for shade
- Hang your laundry out to dry
- Utilize ceiling fans - a little air flow goes a long way
- Eat light, cool meals or grill outside
- Take a cool shower
- Make a solar oven
- Spritz yourself with some cool water (or even lavender water)
- Hang a wet sheet in an open window
- Go to the movies - it's always a/c overload at the theater
6 comments:
The only downside to keeping your a/c at a reasonable level is that you freeze when you go anywhere.
In order to stay cool I'm naked all day long at home. What's good about this is I have a seven foot fence in the backyard, so the only time I need to get clothed is when I leave the house. I even garden naked--except for shoes. Furthermore, the sweat evaporates more quickly than it does when I wear clothes and cools me off. Everyone should do it. It's great!
This works in my two story Victorian house:
Open a basement window and simultaneously open a window high upn the second floor. A coolreeze will "chimney" up through the house. Place some fans to divert some of the cool breeze as needed.
I do use a small air conditioner, but only sparingly and during extended hot spells.
We open windows and use a house fan when it's cool outside at night. Our A/C is kept at 80, which some may think is crazy. Hey, why not wear shorts and a tank top at home? It won't kill people to be a little warm in the summer. I hate going into overly air conditioned stores.
A recent study said two things: Living in heat and having a good sweat is good for you - you body adapts and actually strengthens you
Staying in AC all summer prohibits your body from adapting to the seasonal changes and therefore weakens you when exposed to temp extremes.
Call me nuts , but at 55yrs old, I thoroughly enjoy being outside on a scorching day - with plenty of water, of course. I also enjoy extreme cold if dressed properly.
Petey, those are excellent points and it's so frustrating that people don't realize that. We should be warm in summer and cool in the winter. It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is when my office is 65 degrees - I sit still and type all day - not a lot of circulation to keep warm.
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