How to cool a house in the heat without air conditioning: working life hacks

This summer never ceases to amaze us with the weather: thunderstorms and showers are now and then replaced by abnormal heat. It is not typical for our latitudes, forecasters say. Every year our summer "picks up" at a temperature of + 1.5-2 degrees. It is good if the house has air conditioning or climate control. However, its regular use has its own nuances: firstly, it consumes additional energy. Secondly, in small rooms there is a risk that you will simply be blown away. We have selected several effective ways to cool an apartment in the heat without using an air conditioner. Together, they may well reduce the room temperature by 5-7 degrees.

Close windows

The main mistake in cooling a room is keeping the window open in the heat. So not only will you not lower the temperature in the apartment, but on the contrary, let in even more hot air there. If the layout of the rooms does not allow you to

draft, close all windows tightly as soon as the outside sun begins to heat up the atmosphere.

It is better to ventilate the room in the evening, at night and at dawn. Of course, at this time there is a risk of launching mosquitoes into the apartment. To avoid this, use the fumigator correctly: first, you need to turn it on indoors for 30-40 minutes, and then leave it to work with the windows open.

Use curtains

The sun perfectly warms the air in the house through transparent glass. Therefore, physical protection from light must be added to closed windows. Buy blinds or blackout curtains and keep them closed while the sun shines through your windows. You don't have to spend money on new curtains, but buy a piece of any dense fabric in the store. For example, gabardine can be found on the Internet for 40 UAH per running meter (with a cut width of 150 cm). This will be a temporary and possibly not very aesthetic solution, but it will do a great job of protecting your home from the heat.

Cover the windows with plastic

Instead of curtains (or you can also use them with them), it is very good to use sunscreen film. Now you can buy it in any online store, but when choosing, be sure to specify what the darkening effect will be. Cheap films (up to UAH 100 per roll 2.7 meters long and 0.7 meters wide) are almost transparent according to reviews and do not provide the necessary protection. It is better to opt for mirror reflective films (price from 120 UAH per square meter).

A budget option for such sun protection is a conventional aluminum foilwhich we use for baking. The price of a ten-meter roll in stores starts at UAH 50. You can attach it to the glass with ordinary tape, without bothering too much with the intricacies of pasting (as is the case with sunscreen film).

Humidify the room

Moisture works very well against the heat and stuffiness in the apartment. If you have a humidifier, fill it with ice water and let it run for a full day. If there is no humidifier, operate as this device yourself. Spray ice water around the house from a regular spray bottle regularly, every 1.5-2 hours. This will freshen the air, and it will be much more pleasant to be in the apartment.

Turn off household appliances

In the summer, we try to cook less so as not to heat the air in the apartment once again with a stove or oven. However, other electrical appliances can also add to the heat in your home. For example, a heated towel rail, which most often works all year round without shutting down. The TV and the computer also warm the surrounding space - turn them off when you are not using them.

Remove the carpets

If your home has carpets or carpets, for the summer it is better to roll them up and put them away. They not only heat up very quickly in the heat, but also perfectly collect dust and fine dirt that flies into the house from the windows opened at night. Firstly, you will no longer need to vacuum regularly (this is to the point about the minimum use of household appliances). Secondly, walking barefoot on a bare floor in summer is much more comfortable than walking on a carpet pile.

Do wet cleaning

If you are in the apartment all day, regular wet cleaning will help to "bring down" the air temperature. Rub the floors and surfaces in your home with ice water at least twice a day. It will immediately become easier to breathe, because wet cleaning also helps to get rid of the accumulation of dust.

Build an air conditioner

If you don't have an air conditioner, you can build a budget alternative. To do this, you need a regular household fan and a container of cold water or ice cubes. Place it in front of the fan and turn on the device at the required power. It will disperse the icy air around the apartment and quickly cool the room.

There is another life hack in using the fan. If it has already become colder in the street towards evening, and the apartment is still stuffy, put the device on the windowsill with the blades on the street. So it will pull all the heated air out.

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