Fans certainly help you to stay cool, but they can’t reduce the room temperature entirely. To stay cool without AC, you can use some tips to keep yourself from overheating. First, ensure to block sunlight from outside by covering your windows with curtains or shades and properly utilize fans. Second, inner body temperature can be kept cool by having light and refreshing foods such as salads, watermelon, lots of water, and frequent washcloths.
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Keep Out Sunlight
Standard double-pane windows turn the sunlight into heat and raise your home’s temperature, which is solar heat gain. Windows facing west and east allow in the most heat, while the north and south-facing windows only provide small solar gains. There are many ways to cut down the amount of heat coming to your home from the sunlight like you can close the curtains or blinds and use shutters, shades, or awnings.
Blocking sun rays to save your rooms from getting hotter is an effective way to deter hot and humid temperatures. For example, medium-colored draperies with white plastic backings can decrease heat gains by up to 33%.
Use Shelters, Shades, Or Awnings
Shades and exterior shutters are most effective at lowering solar heat gain. Two types of shades are available, fabric and vinyl, and the material might have openings that let some visibility through the window. Insulated cellular shades are pleated materials that get folded for a window’s interior; they help reduce solar gain by at least 80%. An awning is a roof-like shelter on a home’s exterior that protects windows from sun glaze and heat. Awnings help reduce heat by 65% in the summer on south-facing windows and the west-facing windows 77%.
Use Cold Washcloths
Putting a cold, wet towel on your forehead or face can help lower the temperature of your body. You could also apply it on your body’s pulse points like the wrist, back of your neck, groins, or under the armpits. Do you know why a cold, damp cloth will reduce your temperature if applied to these points? It is because your blood vessels are close to the surface of your skin in these areas. So, a cold towel will absorb the heat of your body, making you feel cooler too in no time.
If you have ice packs, bear in mind that you shouldn’t apply them directly on your skin, as it may leave burns in those areas. It is best to cover it with a thick cloth so that your skin doesn’t come in direct contact with the ice. Do not apply it for more than 20 minutes at a time. But this is not a very effective way of reducing the body temperature as cold showers or ice packs store latent heat. You may feel colder, but your body stores more heat and less blood flow to your skin. Bathing with warm water at 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit can increase blood flow in your body which lets out more heat.
High-Reflectivity Window Film
If you don’t want to obstruct views, then the high-reflectivity window films can be super helpful as these are semi-transparent. Usually, they contain three layers:
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- A polyester film.
- A scratch-resistant coating.
- An adhesive layer that adheres to the glass
As the sun rays fall on the glass, the film restricts the UV rays from entering it, protects against the heat, and doesn’t let the light pass through the glass. You can either get a professional to apply it on your car windows or DIY at home.
Use Box Fans
Immediately you can get relief from hot and humid temperatures by using fans. Keep the box fan facing the windows of rooms with hot and stale air, get relief from the heat, and enjoy the cool atmosphere. Depending on the weather in your area, you can decide on opening the windows on both sides of the house during that high-temperature time to provide a cross-flow ventilation system. By doing this, the efficiency of your fan gets increased, and the fans will cool down the house quickly.
Have Cold Foods And Cut Back On Alcohol
Certain foods and drinks help to cool the body. One of the best fruits for summer picnics and barbecues is watermelon that is 90% water. Inside watermelon, its red flesh has vitamins A and C and the antioxidant lycopene that protects you from the sun heat. In addition, it replenishes electrolytes in the body, which gets lost in the sun as sweat.
Mint
The fresh mint flavor is very refreshing and changes the mood as well. You can grow mint in your garden, and it provides an immediate cooling sensation. This is a zero-calorie addition that will freshen up any drinks.
Hot Peppers
You must be surprised to know, but spicy foods indeed have a cooling effect on our bodies. Such foods can beat the heat because it makes you sweat; hence, your body cools down. However, excess sweating can lead to dehydration, so ensure to consume considerable water all along the day.
Non – Alcoholic Drinks
Excess alcohol can damage the body as it can cause the body to lose water content. Adding more fruits, frozen berries, melon chunks, or grapes to the sparkling water is the best refreshing way to be cool, calm, and joyful.
Conclusion
Using these tips, you can prevent heat-related health disorders and enjoy the summer weather. Managing inner body heat by eating a cool summer diet and drinks is necessary, along with taking care of the outer temperature of the body. All these tricks together can save you from heat-related health issues. Scorching and humid climates can be overwhelming without air conditioning. Box fans and ceiling fans are effective in lowering room temperature and prevent you from high heat.
Heat symptoms, if left undiagnosed, may turn into heatstroke, a severe health emergency that can direct to organ failure, damage, or even death without instant awareness. During a heatwave, when temperatures are extreme, you should take better care of kids and older people above 65; they are more susceptible to heat-related issues, and they can easily get trapped in such extreme conditions. Therefore, it’s essential to use every tip and be cool and safe in summer times even without AC.
