10 Tips to Keep Cool When There’s No A/C
Whether you are trying to save some money on your monthly bills or you don’t have access to an air conditioner this summer I have some tips for you to stay cool when there’s no A/C! You may think it’s impossible to make it through the hot summer months without the sweet relief of air conditioning but it’s totally doable and not nearly as hard as you may think.
Blackout curtains will keep the heat from the sun out of your home
Using blackout curtains or insulated shades will make your home feel a lot cooler especially during the day. They also work wonders in the morning when you are trying to sleep in because they keep the light out too.
Fans are great, but a window fan is the best
Ceiling fans are good at moving air around in a room (make sure you have it set correctly for the season) but a window fan will make the greatest change in air flow. They can be set so that the hot air circulates out and cool air comes in through the window. I find that sleeping with a window fan at night keeps the entire room cooler and you can really feel the difference in the air compared to a regular room fan.
Cooking can really heat up the kitchen and the entire house on a hot day
You don’t want to have to live off of fast food or takeout all summer and you can’t just stop cooking. My answer is to pull out my slow cooker or the electric pressure cooker. Either are the perfect solution, especially if you don’t have the option to grill outside. You can still have home cooked food without turning on the oven. The bonus is they both make cooking so fast and easy! Here is a list of my favorite Slow Cooker Wonders along with 15 Recipes for Slow Cookers that will have you using your slow cooker everyday!
Cotton, cotton, cotton! I can’t stress this enough
Cotton pajamas and bedding are much more breathable than most other fabrics. Loose fitting, lightweight cotton pajamas are the way to go to stay cool on those hot summer nights. Look for crisp cotton and Sateen sheets that feel cool to the touch to make sleeping without A/C a more pleasant experience.
A cold pillow feels just heavenly on a hot night
Wrap your pillow in plastic wrap or a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer for about an hour before bedtime. The cold pillow will feel amazing when you lay down. They also sell special flat gel inserts that you can chill and slide into your pillowcase at night. My favorite pillow is a Memory Foam Stay Cool Pillow With Gel. I don’t sleep without it, even when traveling. You know that screw top hot and cold water bottle that you never use? Fill it with ice cubes and take it bed with you. Trust me, it works wonders!
A light dusting of cornstarch
Apply a light dusting on the bed sheets. It will keep you cool and relieve that sticky, sweaty feeling. This is a great tip, especially for kids that tend to sweat a lot while they sleep.
Use a cooling towel or damp washcloth
Wet a washcloth with cold water and place it on the back of your neck. This will help to cool your body temperature. You can also buy a special cooling towel to keep cool for longer periods of time.
Move to lowest level in your home
Heat rises, so stay on the lower levels of your home when possible. If you have a finished basement you may want to spend some time during the day down there. Basements tend to stay much cooler than the rest of the house.
Install a dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers remove the moisture from the air and without the moisture you will be comfortable at higher temperatures. I have been able to turn my air conditioning off on days of moderate temperatures and set the thermostat up at least 4-5 degrees even on the hottest of days since installing my dehumidifier. Both are great ways to save money too!
Pack up and go visiting
On the hottest day, you may not want to venture outside but these are the perfect days to go out. Go to places that you know have A/C. Go window shopping at the mall, visit a museum, set up a play date at a friends house, or grab a bite to eat at a restaurant – and enjoy the free A/C! Honestly, I have been known to load up the children with a cooler of snacks and take what we call a musical adventure. I have a special cd that get pops into the car and we drive while mom gets to listen to her favorite tunes (with the air conditioning blasting) and the children watch a movie or play with their tablets in the back. When the music starts over, I turn around and head home. Crazy way to spend an afternoon but when it is THAT HOT at home, it takes extreme action in order to get through the day.
Have you gone without A/C in the summer? What did you do to stay cool? I would love to hear your tips so please share with me in the comments below.
I don’t think I could make it through a summer without air conditioning, but I use these tips to cut down on the \.
These tips are well needed.. So many of us are used to turning on the AC that we dont think of these hot day tips…
Nice tips. I’m dealing with a major heat problem. AC quit working so we have box fans and open windows lol.
These are such good tips. I have blackout curtains downstairs , but I need them upstairs too.
These are great tips. Thankfully I have AC, thank goodness as it is near 90 here in Michigan!
We have central air, but live in an area that gets hit tropical storms and a hurricane once in a while. When the power is down, it just gets hot. I wonder if they make battery operated fans?
We eat a lot of fruits and vegetables during a heat waive to avoid turning on the stove or oven .
I have had experienced no air conditioning in the summer, it was not pleasent by any means, but thankfully their was a creek near my home, where we could go to cool off
Thanks for these tips, really nothing worse than heat. Don’t know why everyone else in the house prefers it!
We really could have used some of these before we put ours up. Blackout curtains are definitely something I want to get in the future.
We also have an attic fan….we put a very big attic in the ceiling and when turned on with windows open, it sucks air through the house!
Great tips! Using the AC can get really expensive!
Great tips! It’s going to be a hot summer!
Totally agree about cotton!!!! We’ve also been using the bbq everyday…..no way am I heating up the house with the oven/stove.
Ten months ago I movd in my new apt on the 3rd floor. I love my apt but it gets pretty hot up here. I have high ceilings which I love. I have central air/heat that I turn on at night for a few hrs. I have a table fan that I keep on and I bought a floor lamp to keep my bdrm cool. The tip about the corn starch is great! I never knew that. I have Peach sheets I like to use in winter to keep me cool and comfy. Thanks for the tips 🙂
These are great tips. I have followed most of them except for the pillow. I shall see about cooling it off tonight.
Great tips! I was amazed how much of a difference it made when I put regular curtains up on my formerly bar glass French doors. Blackout curtains would be even better!
These are all wonderful suggestions. I have AC but can’t afford to use it, so this is helpful! It is in the 90s today!