Beat the heat with 5 easy home additions to cool a room without AC during the summer season.
Summer days are known for the sweaty, sultry heat. And keeping a house cool in extreme heat is always a challenge. Usually, to beat the heat, we keep lowering the AC temperatures; and while doing so, we forget there were a time and life before or without air conditioning.
Have you heard the phrase ‘Sleep like an Egyptian’? Long time ago, the Egyptians had figured out simple and effective ways to cool themselves in the desert sun. Of course, as there was no electricity, the Egyptians had mastered the art to cool a room without AC. The wisdom they left behind is useful even today to benefit you and me. So, here we are, with 5 quick tips on how to keep a room cool in summer naturally.
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The summer season, however dreadful, brings along two friends – the cool shade and the fresh breeze. Yes, these two, combined together, is the way to stay cool in the heat.
Place palm plants
The first rule to cool a room without AC is to protect it from direct sun. During the summer months, a place which does not receive direct sunlight is like a blessing. However, it is always a challenge to keep a room cool that faces the sun. An easy way out of this is to create shade by placing large dense plants on the sun-facing wall. You can choose the palm varieties with dense foliage such as the areca. The palms will add some fresh green boost to your room décor, and also provide cooling shade from the sun.
Hide behind the palms,
and you shall be cool and calm
Anonymous
Install a mist spray
Summers feel so very hot due to the high temperatures combined with dry air, the combination is discomforting and also dehydrating for us. A simple escape from this is water mist. Earlier, people used to keep open water bowls to maintain the moisture levels in the surrounding air. Now open water is a slow, passive, but effective way to tackle the hot dryness. Today, technology allows us to spray diffused water into the air through pressurised pipes. You may notice these as standard fitting in restaurants or cafes with an outdoor seating area. For indoors, you can choose to use a table-top humidifier with a cool mist setting. The humidifier fills your room with cool vapour to maintain comfortable moisture levels, and in turn lowering the temperature.
Fix a canopy shade
Another sure shot way to cut the sun out is by fixing a heat resistant canopy above your south facing windows. These canopies come as fixed or retractable installations; and also in many vibrant colours and prints. Here, I must make you aware that the canopy shade is one of the more expensive options, but it is worth the big buck. Once the canopy is fixed above your window, it cools down the air in the shaded area. Eventually your glass window doesn’t get heated up like a furnace. This is a great solution for large glass windows that face direct sunlight and throw plenty of heat indoors into your home.
Cover with bamboo chick
Here is one ecofriendly, go-green option to protect you from the sun, while making your room look cool. Bamboo blind chick curtains are made of cotton cloth and bamboo slits – both of which are biodegradable materials. The design of a typical bamboo chick curtain is suited for both outdoors and indoors; you can fix them on your window or the balcony. And the best thing about this shade cover is that it is not airtight. The bamboo chicks provide shade while letting the breeze pass by. A usual practice is to sprinkle water on cotton cloth of the curtain. The damp cloth cools the dry summer air, before it enters your home. This is an excellent tip to keep your home shaded and also ventilated with cool breeze.
Choose cotton bedsheets
As the summer arrives, my suggestion is to pack away the smooth satins and plush polyester bed linens; and welcome the light and fluffy cotton bedsheets and pillow covers. You see, the thread weave of cotton allows the fabric to breathe; so, it feels lighter and airy.
Cotton fabric feels more refreshing in the summer months, as compared to the denser silks and satin fabrics. And, as a material, cotton does not have a nature to capture and hold the heat. Also, the vibrant colours and prints of cotton go well with a summer style home décor. Choose the cheerful cotton bed linens to cool down your body temperature and also to air cool the room without AC.