The summer time can be a very humid and hot period of the year, depending on where you live in the world. For some people, the weather can get too much, and even heading down to the beach and sipping on milkshakes just doesn’t cut it anymore.
But what can you do in this situation? When it’s too hot outside, but you’re worried your efforts to stay cool aren’t exactly green? Because turning on the air con can pump out a lot of emissions, and it can certainly ensure your bill for the month is higher than ever!
It’s hot outside, and you need to combat this, but you also want to keep to your green lifestyle at the same time – is it hard to make the two worlds combine into one neat package? As long as you know what you’re doing, absolutely not! There’s all kinds of ways to ensure your home and your body feel as cool as a cucumber when the temperatures get rough, and you’ll never have to compromise on your concern for the environment outside.
So, if you’re worried about the summer heat that’s on its way, but you’re also worried about your potential footprint on the planet with your efforts to try and stay cool, here are a few ideas for you.
Even just turning on a fan can do wonders for your home, but are there more efficient ways to cool yourself and your space down?
Prepare Your Outfits the Day Before
If you know what the weather is going to be like the next day, you can always prepare your outfit for the day ahead of time, and lay it out before you go to bed. Of course, you can always download a weather app straight to your phone, or you can always boot up a laptop quickly and take a peek at the forecast on Google – you no longer have to look outside the window and just guess what the weather is going to do all day.
So, if there’s showers on the way, then you’ll know to wear something light but take a jacket with you if you’re outside at all. If it’s going to be hot and humid all day, you’ll know you’ll need to put something lightweight and made out of cotton on the bed for you to wear tomorrow.
All in all, if you’re wearing the right clothes, your skin will be much better at using its own inbuilt system of cooling you down – you’ll be able to sweat it all out, stay hydrated and feeling like you can move, and your clothes won’t collect any of the moisture or the bad smells either!
Change Your Bedding
You’re going to want to take a look at the bedding you’re using right now, and determine whether or not it’s appropriate for use during the summer period. If you have a heavy winter duvet on your bed, it’s time to switch it out for something a lot more lightweight. You’re also going to want to think about the pillows you’re using, and if the mattress you’re lying on has a breathable material make up, allowing it to retain cool air without any of the clogging dust that usually makes our mattresses overly warm when we’re lying on them.
First of all, make sure the tog of your duvet is as low as possible, or ensure that your blankets or comforter are as thin a material as they can be. Something with only a tog of 4 is going to be your best bet here, but if that’s a little too thin for your liking, you can always swap it out for a slightly heavier 10 tog. Plus, you can always wipe the duvet down with a damp cold cloth, to ensure you’ve got an extra layer of cooling protection to sink into during the night.
Then, change your regular pillow out for something like a buckwheat or a cooling gel pillow – these will help you to stay cool during the night, as your head is one of the warmest places on your body. Make sure you don’t get a headache from just how clammy it can get from laying on a pillow all night long!
Then you’re going to want to invest in a cooling mattress as well, especially if your old mattress is coming to the end of its 8 year cycle, or you live in a particularly warm or humid area. It might be a little bit pricey, but mattresses with natural fillings are best at ensuring you’re as cool as possible when you’re between the sheets, so keep an eye out for them!
Install a Ceiling Fan
If you’re someone who doesn’t want to have to rely on air conditioning, thanks to the amount of electricity it uses or the amount of emissions the collective use of air conditioning can put into the environment, you’re going to want to install a ceiling fan or two. Ceiling fans are environmentally friendly ways to keep the air in your home circulating, and ensuring that a cool breeze can always be felt up and down your hallways and in and out of your bedroom.
Moreover, you can always find the right ceiling fan for the room you’re planning to put one in. You don’t have to spend money on a huge fan that won’t fit in your WC, and you won’t have to rely on two or three small fans to try and keep your kitchen cool. In the latter scenario, looking into products like 96″ ceiling fans for a large presence could do your home, your environment, and your wallet the world of good!
It’s important to note that during the summer, you should set your fan to circulate in a counterclockwise manner, as this is much more efficient in cooling the air in your house down.
Cool Your Skin and Blood
You can also attempt to keep your skin, and the blood inside your body, as cool as possible. There are quite a few ways to do this – wearing the right clothes, as we’ve noted above, but you can also use ice packs, damp cloths, as well as splashes of water here and there to help with the efforts.
Invest in a couple of ice packs that you can keep in the freezer at all times; utilizing your freezer’s already incredible ability to keep things cool is just another way to ensure you don’t have to invest in air conditioning. When they’ve frozen to a crisp, pull them out and stick them in the right place – wrap one in a thin towel and apply it to the back of your neck, or put one on the floor and let your feet rest on top. Allowing your body to cool down from the feet upwards is highly effective, thanks to the amount of nerve endings there are in your toes, sole, and heel.
Then, dampen a cloth and rub it up and down your skin two or three times a day, to help your body stay cool in the heat, and to allow your sweat to cool a little faster too. And then head over to the sink and hold your wrists underneath the stream of water for about 20 to 30 seconds each. This helps your blood to cool down, so be sure to do this four or five times a day too.
Plus, you can always dig into an ice cream or two during the hottest of days – items like these help your body to cool down from the inside out, and they’re very tasty to let yourself indulge in!
Get Outside and Plant!
And finally, make sure you know just how effective plants and trees can be in combating the heat outside. Even just a few houseplants, sprinkled throughout your space, can ensure your home is feeling as cool as you want it to be. Not to mention, if you’re blessed with a garden space, either out the back or out the front of your house or apartment, make sure you’re planting things that can help your home to brace against the onslaught of the sun’s rays.
Tall trees that soak up the sun before it can even hit your exterior walls is one of the best ways to maintain an even and low temperature throughout your home. Plus, many trees and plants love the sun, and they’ll be looking mighty green and exotic whilst they’re out there – all of your neighbors will be highly jealous of your garden!
Do You Want a Cool Home for the Summer?
Keeping cool during the summer can seem a very hard task, and we’re often unprepared for it. But if you want to live green and stay cool at the same time, you can always employ the use of the methods above to ensure you’re feeling chill and comfortable in both yourself and your home. Plant right, get the air spinning, and then relax!