Summer Cooling Tips

 Simple Tricks To Make Hot Days More Comfortable

Summer can be a whole lot of fun and filled with campfires, water parks, and more, but it can also get miserably hot from time to time to the point you don’t want to do anything, especially if you live in the south or Texas, like me, where it seems to be hot most of the time.

In some areas of the world, summer goes on most of the year. For some, there’s no real escaping the higher temperature and warm weather. You have to deal with it or stay inside.

Plus, even in the comfort of your own home, you still have to deal with the extreme heat and summer weather.

But we aren’t the only ones that get hot and need to cool down. We have to think about the young and elderly as well as our furry friends

We’ve come up with some tips below to help:

Use Frozen Water Bottles

Place frozen water bottles in front of fans to cool the air as it rushes past. Wind tunnel fans are a favorite for this because they pull a lot of cool air through and centralize it creating a cooling effect to cool you off faster.

Want to take a cool nap? You can make a cold compress by wrapping a frozen bottle in a towel and snuggling with it to help cool your body temperature and body heat down. You could also buy cooling products such as a cooling vest they are a great way to cool down.

Use Fans

Use fans to your advantage. You can put frozen water bottles or a bowl of ice in front of a fan, window unit air conditioner, or multiple fans to make sure the fan speed is on high to cool the air and keep your home cool, as I mentioned above. But that’s not the only thing you can do.

You can buy a fan for every room or buy a portable fan such as a portable neck fan. This way, you have a fan blowing in your face everywhere you go.  I use one in the garden and love it! Here’s the personal neck fan I use <—

Neck fans are also suitable for the office if you don’t want to buy a desk fan or if you have to go out in the heat during the hot summer months, even in the hot car. This way you have cooler air no matter where you go.

Wear Light Clothes

Be sure to wear the proper clothes, such as light colors and loose-fitting clothing, sunglasses, and a hat to avoid attracting and trapping a lot of heat and high temperatures. Light color clothes stay cooler in the sun.

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So definitely nothing black. This way, you don’t overheat. It’s also a good idea to choose lightweight fabrics that breathe well, too.

The best fabrics to go with are cotton, linen, and silk. It’s also a good idea to cover as much skin as possible in the sun to avoid sunburn and sun damage. And of course, don’t forget the sunscreen.

Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water preferably not cold water on a hot sunny day to help keep your body cool and hydrated. If you’re not a fan of plain water, try flavored water.

When your body becomes dehydrated, you can feel light-headed, nauseated, or have headaches and muscle cramps that make staying comfortable in the heat even harder.

Avoid Alcoholic Beverages And Caffeine

Think again before you pour yourself a drink that’s not water on a hot day. On hot days it’s important not to drink caffeine and alcohol drinks such as coffee and beer.

This is because these types of drinks promote dehydration in your body. And the last thing you want to happen on a hot sunny day is to be dehydrated, leading to health concerns such as nausea, headaches and muscle cramps, and more. Even if it’s a chilled drink it will dehydrate you.

Eat Light Foods

Eat light water-based foods instead of hot foods to fill you up without it being too heavy and making you sick. This is a great way to keep your body hydrated and not make you feel weighed down.

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Try salads and plenty of fresh fruit. Watermelon is a filling and hydrating choice to snack on. Regular small snacks will keep you feeling better than a few large meals.

One of my sons growing up used to always say: “I want a salad, it’s too hot to eat.” So, that’s kind of the idea: cooler light food.

Block Out The Sun

Make your home cooler by blacking out all your windows in your home during the hottest weather and summer season. You can do this by closing the blinds and curtains.

But to take it a step further, you can get blackout curtains. They’re an excellent and efficient way of keeping any amount of sun from getting in and making your home so much cooler by lowering the amount of heat in your house.

The summer I was pregnant with our 4th child it was so hot the sun melted our window blinds, it was a super hot summer. I had put tin foil on the windows between the windows and the blinds, so use caution when trying the next one:

But if you have some windows that don’t have blinds or curtains, you can also cover them in tin foil. This is an excellent alternative to helping you keep the sunlight and heat out of your home.

Do Activities At Night

Do your workouts and everyday chores such as dishes at night when the temperature is cooler or in the early morning before the temperature rises and the day’s heat rolls in. This allows you to keep up with your to-do list even in a heatwave, this way you stay cool without feeling sick from the heat.

If you do have to go out in the heat on the hottest days, be sure to limit the amount of physical activity you do, especially outside or in direct sunlight. If you must work outside in the heat, make a point to take as many breaks as you can and find shade often to prevent heat illness. 

Grill Outdoors

Don’t heat up the house with the stove or oven. Cook your meals on the grill or smoker outside and save money, electricity, and keep the house cool and at a lower temperature.

Living in Texas it’s hot A LOT. Since the kids have moved out, I choose to cook veggies once a week for the week, and Hubby smokes and grills out our meats each night – so, we rarely fire up the stove.

Rest

Relax when you can and limit your outdoor activity to a minimum on hot days. Instead, try reading a book you’ve been wanting to read or watching a movie that’s been on your list.

You can even paint your nails or start a new hobby. Pretty much anything or hobby you find relaxing that doesn’t involve much movement is a good choice.

Don’t Forget About You Furry Friend

First things first, you need to know the signs of heat stroke in your pets.

Here are the signs to look out for:

• Elevated breathing
• Dry or sticky gums
• Drooling, salivating
• Agitation, restlessness
• Very red or pale gums
• Bright red tongue
• Vomiting Diarrhea (possibly with blood)
• Signs of mental confusion
• Lethargy, weakness
• Collapsing and lying down
• Little to no urine production

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Now how to prevent a heat stroke. All pets should have access to plenty of fresh, clean drinking water at all times. Ice water can even be a treat in hot weather and searing heat. 

When taking them on a walk, only walk them in the morning or during cooler nights. If you have to walk them during the day, only walk them on grass anything else could burn their feet.

I have throw rugs on my porch because our Molly burns her feet when it gets hot. She stands at the bottom of the steps until I open the door and then she races up the steps, across the porch, and into the house.

If they love water, get them a pool or set up a sprinkler for them, or you could give them a nice cool bath. But for cats, apply or spray tepid/cool water onto their fur and skin.

Molly LOVES the water, we have a kiddie pool for her and she uses it faithfully on hot days.

Wetting down the area around your pet or getting a cooling pad can also help. This would also be a great time to provide pet-friendly ice cream.

And last but not least, keep your furry friend inside as much as possible. Having them outside too long could lead to heatstroke even faster for some dog breeds, such as those with short noses.