As summer progresses on and even moves into fall, the temperature rises. Even some fall temperatures can still reach 90s or better. It is important not to get too hot or dehydrated. Here are some tips to stay cool during summer and early fall.
Loose fitting clothing
Nothing is worse than wearing a tight shirt on a hot day. Change your wardrobe to some loose clothing. The more flowy the shirt, the cooler you will be. It is also important to stay away from dark colors such as black and brown as they attract the sun. Go for more light colors such as white or pink.
Plastic bottles of water in freezer
It is important to store some plastic water bottles in your freezer. It allows them to freeze so when you’re ready to go outside and battle the summer heat, you can just grab one of these. It will slowly start to melt and every sip will taste ice cold. If you do not want to drink the freezing water, it could be used as an ice pack to help you stay cool. Just place it on your head or the back of your neck.
Fans
Fans really help when it comes to cooling off. The best way to have this set up is to have it in front of an open window. This creates a cross breeze. It uses the wind from the outside to make a breeze and the fan makes it cool. If you have multiple windows in a room and multiple fans, you can set this up at both windows and have more airflow. As the summer transitions into fall, this will be especially helpful when the nights start to cool off. Make sure you keep your windows open at night to get a jump start on cooling the house down for the next day. Beat the summer heat before it has a chance to start. If there is nothing but hot air moving outside, turn the fans around to blow out the window, pushing hot air out of the house instead of pulling it in. You can also switch the direction of your ceiling fans to turn counter-clockwise, which will pull the hot air up and out instead of just moving it around the room.
Lights off
Another way to stay cool during the summer heat is to keep the lights off in your house. Light bulbs give off heat so it is best to use natural lighting during the day to keep your house cool. Even energy efficient light bulbs give off heat so this can be the reason why your house is so warm. The good thing about summer is that it stays light outside until 8 or 9 p.m. so you won’t have to turn the lights on until dark.
Reduce use of appliances—stove, microwave, etc
Just like lights, appliances give off heat when they are being used. The stove, microwave, and even the toaster can give off heat when food is being cooked. During the hot summer days, opt for more cool food items, such as salad. If you feel like making a hot dish, use the grill outside instead of turning the stove on.
Go for a swim
A fun way to stay cool is to go swimming. Most pools in the summer time will have a perfect water temperature. You don’t have to break a sweat when swimming either by treading in the deep end. Find a shallow part of the pool and just relax. Better get on this soon though; pools will start to close soon for the fall and winter seasons.
Hopefully these tips will help keep you cool during the summer to fall transition! We do have a pool, so you won’t have to worry about getting to hot when you’re visiting.