By Debra Maslowski
No A/C in your house? No worries. Use these time tested tips to stay cool in the summer if you don’t have central air, or you just want to keep energy bills low.
I grew up in Minnesota, and anyone who’s been there in August can tell you it’s not always about the cold! We didn’t have a lot of money in my younger years, so we didn’t even know what air conditioning was. I remember some of the ways we kept cool and have found some new ones too.
How to Stay Cool Without Central Air
Here are some ways to stay cool in the summer if you don’t have air conditioning, or you just want to keep energy bills low:
Windows and Doors
Keep your windows, doors, and drapes shut until late in the day. This will help keep the warm air out. My house stays nice and cool, even when it hits near 90°.
Install blackout curtains, especially on south-facing windows. These curtains are made with a thicker backing to help keep sunlight and heat out. Some are made with a plastic backing. If you don’t want to use that, go to a fabric store and buy some cotton quilt backing. It’s thicker than most other fabrics and will have the same effect.
Open windows and doors (with screens) in the evening and night time. Most areas cool down at night and there are nice cool evening breezes. While the humidity may be higher, the cool air will offset any discomfort.
Using Fans
Install ceiling fans, and have them turned on properly. Ceiling fans have a switch that controls the airflow. In the winter, it should be set to force warm air downward to heat the home. Flip the switch and it pulls the cool air up to the higher levels.
Fans are an indispensable item in the summer. Along with ceiling fans, they get the air moving. Choose from box fans, oscillating fans, or small desk fans. They all work in much the same way.
If you have central air and heat, you may be able to pull cool air from your basement. Check for a “fan-only” option on your thermostat. If the basement has a mildewy odor, add a few drops of essential oil (like lavender) on the filter. It will help kill mildew spores, the number one cause of “basement” smell.
Light Bulbs
Check your light bulbs. Old incandescent bulbs throw off a lot more heat than the newer LED or CFL bulbs.
Using Plants & Trees
Get some plants! Certain plants naturally cool the air. Some good choices are palms, aloe vera, ficus, snake plant, dracaena, pothos, ferns, spider plants, and begonias. The larger the leaf, the more cooling action the plant has. Adding drip trays underneath the plants will prevent the plant from becoming waterlogged if too much watering is done, and the excess moisture collected in them will cool the room.
If space and local regulations allow, plant a shade tree outside your home on the west side. This will help block the worst of the sun’s rays.
Clothing & Bedding
Having trouble sleeping at night because of the heat? Go with all-cotton sheets. I use flannel sheets even in the summer. The top sheet doubles as a really light blanket.
Your blankets should also be made of cotton. If nothing else, use a thin cotton blanket closest to your body, and blankets made from other materials on top of that.
Dress in cotton nightclothes to keep cooler at night. I sleep in a cotton tank and shorts, and it’s very comfortable.
You can put a plastic bag filled with ice under the sheets at the foot of your bed. It can cause a lot of dampness unless wrapped well. I made a pouch from diaper cloth, the kind that has a plastic coating on one side to keep it waterproof. I try to avoid plastics, but since I won’t be wearing it or eating from it, I made an exception.
Water & Ice
Consider a misting personal cooling fan. You can find rechargeable options or simpler versions like this spray bottle with a small battery-operated fan attached to it.
Damp towels in doorways work well to help hot, dry air become cooler. If you’re trying to keep humidity out, this probably won’t work for you. I raised rabbits in high school and when it got really hot, we put wet towels over the hutches to keep them cool.
Pour some ice water into a basin and soak your feet. Your feet help regulate body temperature, so cooling them off will help the rest of your body cool off.
Food
Eat spicy foods! Heating your core with spicy foods (and those hot in temperature too) can help make you sweat, thereby helping cool you off.
Grill your food outdoors. Turning on your oven and stove only adds to heat in the house. Take your meals outside for a change.
Do you have any tips for keeping cool in the summer? Share them with us!
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A/C alternative….place a bowl or tupperware with two frozen cool blocks (freezer blocks)
in front of desk fan. It will give a couple of hours cool moist air. So much better than dry air con.
What time do you normally open the windows? I would think after 1 or 2 since I always hear 10-2 is the hottest part of the day.
Run a hand towel under really cold water, wring and drape around the back of your neck. Repeat when it gets warm. The other thing I do is fill a big bucket with cold water and soak my feet while watching tv, reading a book……works great!
These are great tips. I’ve lived in East Texas in a travel trailer with no a/c for many years. My trailer is in the shade. I use a flannel top sheet for the total blanket. Open windows at night and always use a fan. Also i have found that when it’s hard to get to sleep due to heat, I eat a popsicle and then lay down. Those little popsicles are like central a/c in the body 🙂
One really hot night, I took a damp top sheet, covered up with it, and aimed the fan at my bed. It worked quickly and well!
I would like to know what plants and herbs repel regular houseflies? Can anyone tell me this please?
Filling an old fashioned ice bag with ice, (the kind that expands when it’s filled and has a screw on top), and placing it or wearing it on your body.
Keeping ice in my mouth also helped a lot! These are the two things that were life savers to me when I worked as a letter carrier with a driving route. Those trucks were like driving around in ovens but the ice did the trick!
Can you send me some recipies for home made dog treats please
We have a finished basement & when we had a new heat pump installed, the contractor cut a hole in one of the cold air returns & placed a grate over it. When the temps & humidity are high, we shut down the house & only turn on the house fan at the thermostat. This pulls cool air from the basement & keeps the house very comfy even in some of the hottest temps.
Ok, I get it now. The swamp cooler is the same type of cooler we used in the greenhouse I worked at in Minnesota. You may not think it’ll work in high humidity, but it did make a difference. Of course, there were days it topped 125f in the hoop house! Anything would help at that point!
I live in high mountain desert. It’s been around 100 the past few days. We curtain the West facing windows, open the east side windows and use ceiling fans in each room and a stand fan at the foot of our bed. Not too bad really. I just bought a used large swamp cooler to put in a window. I need to get the waters line and tiny control at the water faucet in the yard, a water pump and build a stand for it. I’ve usually lived with a swamp cooler in the western states. It’s useless where you have high humidity.
Another reference to the swamp cooler. I really do need to look that up. Thanks Mary!
Sounds ironic, but my best method is to run around outside and get really hot. When I come back inside, no matter how hot I thought it was when I left, it will always feel really nice. If I then add to the effect by taking a cold shower, I’ll be shivering in no time.
Great idea Amy! I’ll have to try that one too!
Put clothing, at least underthings and nightclothes in bag into freezer for an hour or so before donning.
Ohh! Another great idea Ne’! Thanks for sharing!
I always take a cool shower before I go to bed. I then go to bed with wet hair. Makes for a great might of sleep!
Great idea Dawn! I’m going to try that tonight!
I block off my kitchen and hall with heavy duty see through plastic shower curtains to help block heat coming into the living room from other areas when I do need to use my one small AC it seems to help a lot.
We use the same concept at work, Barbara, to keep the cool in the cooler while running in and out. Great idea to bring it into the home too!
I have always wanted to get a portable swamp cooler, because I notice when I hang up my clothes that I don’t put in the dryer they cool the whole house as they dry.
I need to look that up, Sharon. What is a swamp cooler? And yes, I never dry my clothes all the way either.