🎶 Sometimes, all I think about is you…late nights in the middle of June…heat wave’s been faking me out…🎶
With summer temperatures soaring across the United States, you might be wondering how to keep cool during the heat wave — without A/C.
Wait, how does staying cool relate to sleep?
Research shows that our body’s core temperature needs to cool down at least 2 degrees to fall asleep. That’s why a warm bath or shower can help you wind down, since the warm water draws your body’s warmth away from your core and towards the skin.
Anyway, did someone mention ways to cool down outside of A/C?!
Fans + Ice
Fill a bowl with ice or ice packs and put it in front of a fan. When the air blows through the ice, it’ll cool down before it meets your body. Sublime.
Plants make you cooler
Along with adding a bohemian aesthetic and ~vibes~ to your home, some plants actually help cool the air down in your house! A few plants that release extra moisture from their leaves when your house is extra-toasty are a ficus, aloe vera, snake plant, and bamboo palm. The moisture absorbs into the air around the plant to cool down the area.
Make sure your fan’s spinning counter-clockwise
Ceiling fans are a go-to, but make sure it’s spinning counter-clockwise to push a cool breeze through the room. Have it spin clockwise during the winter to move warm air around. If the ceiling fan seems to not be creating a cool breeze, watch it to see which direction it’s spinning. There’s a small button near the base of the fan to reverse its direction. This is brand-new information to me! Seriously, I’m going to switch my ceiling fan right now.
Draw the curtains
On days when it’s super hot, sunlight filtering in through the windows creates a greenhouse effect inside and makes it extra-warm. A shade with a light background reflects light back outside instead of adding heat to your house.
What material are your sheets?
Check out the material your bedsheets are made out of. While extra-cozy, flannel is best for cold weather, while cotton sheets will keep you feeling as cool as possible. While you’re at it, might as well swap out the heavy comforter for a cooler quilt. How about that one your aunt made you when you were 12?
Take a break from cooking
As you’ve probably noticed, using the oven and stove warm up your kitchen considerably. If you’re like me and your bedroom is off of the kitchen, it can be helpful to make cold meals or meals that can be reheated in the microwave or toaster oven instead of your regular oven.
Or, if you’re like me and just noticed today that you can order pizza every day and spend less on food than you would if you were to cook, do that!
Use big appliances at night to keep your home cool
Larger appliances like washers and dryers give off a lot of heat that can raise the temperature of your house, so save those chores for nighttime when it’s cooler.
Who doesn’t love to be lulled to sleep by the sound of your dishwasher?
Use those exhaust fans!
Exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen are designed to pull up hot air and push it outside. Turn them on to cool things down.
Get those screens going
No, not your phone screen. Adding screens to your doors and windows can be a great way to get air flowing through your home, especially in the early morning and evening when it’s cooler.
Bonus points if you befriend the nocturnal critters through the window.
Optimize light bulbs
“Light-bulb!” -Gru from Despicable Me
Incandescent bulbs give off more heat than CED or CFL bulbs, so check these alternaives out the next time you need to replace your bulbs. They actually use less energy, too! Win-win.
Be smart about windows
Keep your windows closed during the hottest parts of the day, and open them during the cooler hours to bring in fresh air. Do your best to get a cross breeze going to really enjoy the coolness.
Keep some doors closed
If you have rooms that you don’t use during the day, keep the doors to them closed to prevent the cool air from flowing in. That way, you can keep all the nice, cool air for you in the rest of the house!
Stay cool out there, folks.
docbotic 
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