Editor's note: This story was first published in 2020 and has been updated.
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Whether you're without power, enduring extreme heat, or trying to save money, there are ways to stay comfortable without artificial cooling.
The heat can encourage fun summer activities, but the body should not be too hot for too long, as too much heat can damage the brain and other organs, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Sweating is the immune system. natural cooling of the body, but when that is not enough, there is an increased risk of developing hyperthermia, a heat-related illness, whose signs include heat cramps, heat edema and heat stroke. Heat combined with high humidity aggravates this risk, since the saturation level of the air causes sweat to accumulate on the skin, preventing the body from cooling naturally.
It is possible to stay cool by using a few basic supplies and knowing how to manipulate your home to control its temperatures. Here are 14 methods to do it.
When you're hot and flushed, hydrating is the first and most important step to cooling off, said Wendell Porter, professor emeritus in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida.
The temperature of the water doesn't matter as your body will heat it, he added. If your body suffers from the heat and needs to cool down, you cannot do so without sufficient humidity, as the The body cools down by sweating.
Taking a cold shower or bath helps cool the body by lowering core temperature, Porter said.
For an extra burst of freshness, try peppermint soap. The menthol in peppermint oil activates brain receptors that inform the body something you are eating or feeling is cold.
Place a cold cloth or ice packs on your wrists or place it around your neck to cool your body. These pulse points are areas where blood vessels are close to the skin, so you will cool down more quickly.
Place box fans facing outside the windows of the rooms you spend time in to expel hot air and replace it with cool indoor air.
If the weather in your area tends to fall between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning and evening, opening the windows on both sides of the house during those times can facilitate a cross-flow ventilation system. If you do this, you can choose to use the fans or not, but the fans would help cool the house faster, Porter said. Outdoor air can draw hot air out of your home, leaving a cooler temperature or bringing in breezes. Just make sure you close the windows. When the sun rises, open them when the weather becomes cool again.
Simply resting near a fan would also reduce your body temperature.
If you have windows that face the sun from morning to evening, close curtains or blinds to “prevent the sun from coming directly into the house and heating the interior,” Porter said.
You can also install blackout curtains to insulate the room and reduce temperature increases that would occur during the day.
If you turn on the air conditioning, do not set it below 70 degrees Fahrenheit in an effort to cool the house faster, said Samantha Hall, founder from Spaces Alive, an Australia-based design research company helping to create healthy and sustainable buildings.
“It just runs longer to reach that temperature and continues until you start to feel a little cold and then it's hard to balance,” he added. Instead, keep the unit's temperature as high as possible while you are comfortable.
Cotton is one of the most breathable materials, so cotton sheets or blankets can help keep you cool throughout the night.
The lower the thread count of the cotton, the more breathable it will be, Porter said. This is because a higher thread count has more weave per square inch.
If you can't sleep through the night because you're too hot, try sleeping somewhere besides your bedroom, if that's an option. Heat rises, so if you have a lower level or basement in your home, set up a temporary sleeping area there to experience cooler temperatures at night.
Common tips for staying cool without air conditioning include refrigerating or freezing wet socks, blankets, or clothing and then removing them to use while you sleep. But this is not a good idea, Porter said.
Because “Because of the amount of energy they can absorb from your body that night, they will be warm in just a matter of minutes,” he said. “And then you would have wet stuff molding your mattress. So you definitely don't want to do that.”
If no one is using a room that does not have vents or registers, close the door to that area. to keep fresh air confined only to occupied areas of the home.
Use the exhaust fan in your kitchen and/or bathroom
Flip the switch on your kitchen exhaust fan to extract hot air that rises after cooking or in your bathroom to extract steam after showering.
Incandescent bulbs generate a higher temperature than LED bulbs. To make the switch, keep an eye out for deals on energy-efficient light bulbs and then slowly replace the light bulbs in your home, Porter said.
Changing light bulbs may save money but won't reduce much heat in the home, Hall said. However, if you focused on changing light bulbs in the areas near where you're sitting, that would make a more noticeable difference, Porter said.
Heat from the oven can spread throughout the house. Keep heat centralized in one area, like a slow cooker. Or cook outdoors on a grill to keep the heat out.
Eating a popsicle or ice cream to cool down may help for a moment. But don't overdo it on sugar if you're overheated or risk overheating, Porter recommended.
“Sugar would speed up your metabolism and you would start to feel internal heat,” he said. “So the fresh deliciousness may be good, but the added sugar may not be.”
If you've tried everything and still can't beat the heat at home, you can search online for local programs that offer ductless air conditioners.
Depending on your state, some cooling centers (air-conditioned public facilities where people can go for relief during extremely hot weather) may be open and take precautions to ensure they are as safe as possible. You could start by checking with local utility offices, as they would know who offers certain programs, Porter recommended.
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