6 Ways To Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning

It has finally started to get hot here in Indiana. Last week it was in the 80's well into the evening. I flipped on the air conditioning a couple of hours before bed. I forgot all about turning the air conditioning on until I was ready for bed. Then, I realized after 3 hours it hadn't dropped a single degree in the house. Our air conditioning was broken again.

The unit in our house is 21 years old, so it isn't always perfect. We have had a couple of summers where it is broken for a while before it gets fixed. I am one of those people who can only sleep if the temperature is just right. Over the years in this house, I have learned to love these 6 ways to stay cool without air conditioning. Whether your house doesn't have air conditioning, it's currently broken, or your just trying to save money you can stay cool without air conditioning.

Reduce Sunlight

During the daylight hours, keep your blinds and curtains closed, especially the windows that face the sun. It can help keep out heat from coming in. In a few rooms that really see a lot of sunlight, I have installed thermal shades to really help with keeping sunlight out. By spending a few minutes each morning to close off some blinds and curtains you can really keep your house cooler.

Get  A Cool Breeze

If you are really hot you can make your own "AC". Just take a bowl full of ice and place it in front of a fan. The breeze from the fan blows past the ice and cools off. It really is an easy trick to get a cool breeze going. I have set this up a couple of times at night to help me sleep.

Stay Low

My favorite trick to staying cool is to keep low. If you have a basement, hang out down there. I even sleep in my basement on really hot nights. Because a basement is underground and has the dirt for insulation it is often 10-20 degrees cooler than your home. When the house is 90 degrees the 75-degree basement feels amazing! Even the difference between the first and second floor is normally 5-10 degrees in our house. Just try to stay on the lowest level to really stay cool.

Draw Warm Air Out

If you have a standard double-hung window I highly recommend this fan here. It takes the warm air out on one side and draws in fresh cool air on the other. I used it in my old house and love it! We had one for every bedroom and it would really cool things down.

In our house now we have casement windows. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to make those fans work. So now I just draw out the warm air by turning on the bathroom and kitchen fans on. I have found that just turning on the bathroom fans can cool the room a degree or two.

Don't Cook

Using your oven or stove can heat up the room. I have also found that cooking while it's hot just makes me grouchy. I prefer to have a cool dinner on those really hot nights. A salad or cold sandwich doesn't make me feel so hot and I don't have to heat up the house to make it.

Run Your Fan Counter Clockwise

You may know to run your ceiling fans to stay cool, but did you know if you don't run them the right way they actually make you feel warmer? Make sure that during the summer your fans are running counter clockwise. It will help force the air down on you giving you a wind chill effect. Take a minute to make sure your fan is going the right direction and you will feel so much cooler.

It may not always be a comfortable 70 degrees in your house, but with these tips you can keep cool all summer long. Even if you have air conditioning you can skip it to save money and stay cool. What tips do you have for staying cool in summer?