Extreme heat can be hard to take. If you’re outside, you can do yourself a favor by keeping in the shade and staying hydrated. When things heat up inside your home because your air-conditioning unit suddenly gave out, CALL US FIRST then keep these helpful tips in mind while you wait for us to arrive.
DIY Steps For The Short Term
While you wait for your Air One technician to arrive, there are some simple tips you can follow to keep your house and your family comfortable. Staying cool without AC is not impossible, so long as you have a good plan in place.
- Pull down the shades on all exterior windows in your house. This can keep the sun and heat out of rooms.
- Turn on all ceiling fans or add portable fans to rooms that could use extra ventilation.
- Dampen a kitchen towel and drape it around your neck, or use cooling towels that are available from sporting goods stores.
- You’ve heard the saying “cool as a cucumber.” Treat yourself to tall glasses of ice water or seltzer water filled with thin slices of cucumber as a refresher. Another option is to add fruit to your water.
- If you have kids, be sure to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t become overheated, as children tend to be more vulnerable to hot conditions than adults.
- Put off any household chores that require a lot of bending and lifting. Give the family a free pass to be a little lazy.
- Avoid using your oven or stove to cook meals.
- Limit use of your dishwasher and clothes washer to nighttime hours.
- If you have upstairs bedrooms, consider sleeping in downstairs areas, which tend to stay cooler.
- Strip your bed down to lightweight sheets only.
- Crack open windows at night if the temperature outside isn’t significantly warmer than the air inside.
- If you’re feeling crafty and ambitious, you can make your own temporary air conditioner out of an inexpensive ice chest.
