Hacks to Get You Through a Heat Wave
Is there anything more beautiful than summer in Twin Falls? From hiking the Shoshone Falls, biking the Canyon Rim Trail, or just enjoying the beautiful weather of your backyard, it’s hard to beat summers here.
If it gets a little too hot for comfort though, read on for seven of our favorite hacks to get you through a heat wave and be sure to read our blog on slaying your energy bills through the dog days of summer.
Keep Your Blinds Shut
A quick and easy hack to cool down any space is to keep your blinds and curtains closed during the hottest hours of the day, usually 12pm to 4pm. By blocking out some sunlight, it will slow down how quickly your home heats up.
If you want to be a real stickler for natural cooling, only open your blinds when the outside temperature is lower than the temperature inside.
Smoke and Grill, Don’t Bake and Broil
Keep your ovens off during a heatwave, they’ll just heat up your kitchen and slowly the rest of your home as well. If you can stand the heat, it’s better to use that BBQ or outdoor smoker to enjoy delicious summer treats. Keep your home cool and work on being the neighborhood’s best grill master at the same time.
Ancient Air Conditioning
Believe it or not, air conditioning has been around longer than you’d think. Roman and Chinese emperors would have their subjects gather ice and snow in the winters, and then store it deep underground to keep until summer. When it got too hot, the ice would be retrieved and brought to the throne room so the cool air could be fanned by hand.
Today you don’t need to be an emperor to use this ancient air conditioning hack. Fill a large bowl with ice and water and place in front of a fan to have icy air circulated through any room. If you’re a DIY guru, or just really bored, check out this DIY video on converting a simple table fan into a low-energy icy air blaster!
Have a Spicy Snack
Now that the icy air is flowing, use this hack for a one-two punch to knockout the heat. Eat a small spicy snack and yes, we’re being totally serious. Spicy food gets the blood flowing fast and your sweat flowing faster. Sweat is nature’s natural air conditioning.
When you’re sweating in an already cold room thanks to our last hack, you might just think winter came early.
Refrigerate Your Sheets
Another weird hack to keep cool. If you have trouble sleeping in the hot and muggy weather, this one is definitely for you. Put your bedding into a large bag to keep them free from picking up any food odors, unless you like the idea of your bed smelling like dinner in which case no bag necessary, then place your sheets into the fridge or freezer.
Pull them out a little while before bed and create your very own nighttime heat-busting sanctuary.
Turn Off Non-Essential Electronics
Computers and televisions are silent culprits that keep themselves cool by venting their hot air into your home. During a heatwave, switching these electronics off when they’re not being used is a quick and easy way to turn down ambient heat.
Drink This, Not That
One of the best, and healthiest, ways to beat any heatwave is simply to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water, even when you aren’t thirsty, is the best way to stay hydrated. If you’re following our hacks and eating spicy foods to help you sweat, you will need to replace the water you’re losing to the heat.
Not all fluids are equal to keeping you hydrated and cool. Iced coffee or a cold beer feel refreshing when you drink them but they actually warm you up! Coffee causes your body to lose more water thus actually making you less hydrated, and anyone who’s drunk a little too much alcohol knows that dry mouth feeling all too well.
To stay cool in a heatwave, stay away from alcohol, coffees, and energy drinks, and stick to cold clear fluids like water, or coconut water to stay hydrated and cool. For an added bonus, spice up your water by infusing lemon, or mint for an extra burst of cool.
Putting it Together
With these 7 hacks to get you through a heatwave, you’re well on your way to staying cool during the hottest summers. If you’re still looking to cool down even more it might be time to upgrade or check your HVAC system to make sure it’s in working order. Contact us to see if we can help your AC keep you cold this summer!