28  WAYS TO KEEP COOL IN SUMMER

10 Excellent Methods of Cooling your House

1.Ceiling Fans – make sure they are turned to summer – you should feel the air blowing down on you. Ceiling Fans take a lot less energy than an air conditioner, they are easier to install, and costs less to buy.

2. Compact Florescent Lights, or CFL. Replace your incandescent lights with CFL lights- they are heat free and use a lot less energy. Yes, they cost more, but last 20-50 times longer than conventional bulbs.

3. Here are the heat producers in your house: electronic devices such as your computer, appliances, and lights. Turn them off when you are not using them.

4. Open the windows on the north and south sides of your house to permit air to circulate, but keep out the heat with white shades, blinds, drapes, or bamboo curtains.

5. Drench some sheets in water and hang them over the windows to le the water evaporate in the breeze. This has a great cooling effect.

6.Keep out of the kitchen as much as possible. Don’t even think about using your oven..

7.Reduce indoor humidity. Minimize midday washing and drying and taking hot showers. Humidity makes room air feel a lot warmer.

8. Leave kitchen and any other cabinets open at night to dissipate the warm air inside them.

9. Leave vehicle outside of garage until it cools off.  This is especially useful if you have a connecting garage or car port.

10. Stay on ground floor or basement levels of your house or apartment. It is much cooler.

15 Methods of Personal Cooling

1.     Fill up some spare bottles with water and keep in the refrigerator

2.     Eat lighter summer fare, such as fruits and vegetables. Eat smaller but more frequent meals to keep from overheating

3.     Take a cool shower or sit in a cool bathtub.

4.     Alter your pattern of outdoor activities- either early morning (the coolest) or late evening.

5.     Wear loose fitting light colored clothing. Cotton, silk, or linen will keep you cooler than synthetics.

6.     Fill a spray bottle with water and keep in the refrigerator to spray on your face after coming in from outside.

7.     Drink lots of water along with sports drinks or other electrolytes.

WARNING: Over hydration can be a problem for people with heart, liver or kidney problems in that the kidney’s cannot process the water fast enough.

8.     Avoid soft drinks containing caffeine or alcoholic drinks as they promote dehydration. It is a good idea to avoid any drinks containing sugar.

9.     Some people find that small, portable battery operated fans to be of use.

10.  Spend time in an air conditioned building such as malls or your public library.

11.  Soak a tee shirt in lukewarm water, wring it out, and put it you. Then sit in front of a fan.

12.  Wet your wrists or other pulse points with cold water from the tap. Then use a piece of ice wrapped in a cloth to continue cooling your wrists.

13.  A bandana, soaked in water and tied around your neck cools you and protects you from sunburn.

14.  Take off any articles of clothing that you feel you can do without. At home that can mean sitting in your underwear. Take off your shoes, too, as much of the bodies heat it released through the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, or the head.

15.  Eat spicy food, the kind that comes from peppers, as this will increase perspiration which cools the body as it evaporates.

If You Must Use an Air Conditioner – Do These 3 Things

1.     Keep door and windows closed for maximum cooling.

2.     Clean filters every 2 weeks to improve air flow

3.     Use fans to help circulate the cooled air.  You can set the thermostat on your AC as much as 9 degrees higher for the same amount of cooling, and save as much as 30% of your energy consumption.

Sharon Deloy
Online Marketing in Fayetteville AR