Keeping your house or apartment cool while the temperatures soar has been especially hard during this summer’s heatwave and with the electricity prices soaring just as high, those few of us who do have air conditioning are trying to resist the expensive urge to turn it on and crank it up!
Which leaves us with the important question of how on earth can we keep our homes from completely overheating this stifling summer?
Here are our top pointers about keeping your house cool without aircon:
1. Close Those Curtains
Sunshine is great but not when you’re trying to keep cool. Keep sunrays and UV light out by keeping your (ideally dark) blinds or curtains drawn from about 9am, it can make the difference of about 7 degrees! If there’s a breeze, feel free to open a window, but try keep them shut too if the air outside is hotter than indoors.
2. Get Fan-tastic
Fans are a great second option if you don’t have aircon, but the breeze they create isn’t always that cool. Fill a bucket with ice or ice packs and position it an angle in front of a large fan to churn up the air at an extra-frosty temperature and maximise its ability to chill.
3. Be Bedding Bright
We love changing our bedding to complement each season, but swapping rich homely colours for fresh light and bright hues is just the first step in making your bed summer-friendly. Check your duvet and your linen to see what it’s made of. Duck down, flannels, fleece, these are all textiles you should use for extra warmth during cold winter months and shy away from in summer. Rather use 100% cotton duvet inner and linen if possible, which stays cool and is high quality and extremely breathable.
4. Focus On Your Body Temperature Too
When cooling the house without so much as a fan seems an impossible task, focus on keeping your body cool. Where light and loose clothing, give your partner their physical space, sip on cold drinks and apply cold water or ice to your pulse points like wrists and neck.
5. Make It A Good Night
The evenings usually provide some reprieve from the heat, so open up all the windows and try and get a fresh breeze flowing through your house before you go to bed. Just don’t forget to close the windows and curtains again in the morning before the temperatures start rising.
6. Summer Time is Braai Time
Ovens and stoves make your home even hotter still, and it’s particularly uncomfortable for the cook in question. So why not embrace the good weather instead and head outdoors for a braai, we’re really beginning to understand why it’s SA’s favourite summer pastime now!
