Creative Ways to Keep Your Home Cool This Summer (Without AC)!

As we approach the dog days of summer, we are all looking for ways to keep our homes comfortable. Without air conditioning, it is a task that can prove to be a little challenging, but the good news is that there are some simple solutions to help (aside from adding a fan to every room of the house)!

Here are some of the simple and creative ways we are keeping our homes cool this summer:

Utilize Your Doors

Closing the doors of unused rooms can help control keeping the cool air in the areas of your home that are being used during the day. At night, take advantage of lower temperatures and open the doors to let the air flow through all the rooms of your home.

Close Your Blinds

Though it does not seem like much, keeping your blinds closed during the hottest parts of the day can keep a significant amount of unwanted heat from coming in through the windows. By keeping your blinds open, windows begin to have a greenhouse effect on your living space, by allowing heat to enter and then essentially trapping it inside. Another great alternative is using blackout curtains. Blackout curtains have the opposite effect of acting as a greenhouse, they keep heat out and act as a natural insulator, trapping the cool in.

Switch Up Your Sheets

It is always a good idea to rotate your sheets in the changing seasons to not only maximize a good night’s sleep, but to also make sure your body maintains a comfortable temperature during the night as well. Though materials like fleece and flannel are coziest in the cooler months, cotton is the best fabric for the summer since it breathes more easily and stays cool.

Use the Old “Fan A/C” Trick

This life-hack has been around for decades and still works just as well to stay cool on the hottest days. Take a large mixing bowl and fill it with ice (or ice packs) and place it in front of a large, rotating fan. Instead of blowing and mixing around the warm air, this allows the fan to circulate chilled, misty air around the room!

Reverse Your Ceiling Fan Rotation

Most people do not know that ceiling fans should be adjusted every season. By setting your fan to run at a high-speed counter-clockwise, the airflow from your fan creates an extra-chilled breeze that will quickly cool off any room.

Switch On Your Bathroom Fans

Bathroom fans are designed to lift all of the hot, steamy air from showers and pull them up and out of the house. Kitchen fans are designed to do the same things for our stoves when we cook. Utilizing these fans during the hottest parts of the day can help eliminate some of that extra heat trapped in these areas.

Cook Outdoors

Though it may not seem like it, simply turning on and using the stovetop or oven can add an exceptional amount of heat to your home. Instead of cooking indoors, take advantage of the nice weather and switch over your meals to cook on a grill or prepare some meal ideas that do not require heated cooking at all.

Take Advantage of the Night Air 

As soon as the temperatures start to drop for the evening, crack your windows and strategically set up your fans to allow cross-breezes to let in all of the cool night air. Then, in the morning, make sure to close your windows and blinds to trap that cold air in from the night before and keep the heat of the day out.

With so many more of us staying at home this summer, take advantage of all the creative ways to keep your living space the most comfortable and enjoyable!