How to Keep Your Cool Without Air Conditioning
Simple Ways to Beat the Heat
After a rough winter and extremely wet spring, we've jumped straight into summer-like weather with temperatures soaring to the low 90s. There was no period of acclimatization - the transition from sweatpants and long underwear to tank top and shorts happened in literally one day. How can you keep cool in the blazing heat if you have no air conditioning?
Ice, Ice Baby
It's no secret that you need to stay well hydrated during the warmer weather, but take it a step further and sneak in some ice cubes in addition to drinking water. Sipping water throughout the day will help your body over the long term but doesn't necessarily make you feel better in the heat of the moment. Sucking ice cubes or crunching on ice chips provides your body with hydration with the added immediate benefit of the cool sensation.
Fans can help by circulating the air, but they don't actually change the air temperature, so the benefit is somewhat limited if the temperature is stifling. Fill recycled ice cream buckets or milk cartons with water and stock your freezer, then place one of the containers between you and the fan. Make sure that both are on a steady surface and that the bucket of ice isn't too close to the fan since water and electricity make for a volatile combination. You might also place a towel beneath the container to protect your floor or table from any drips or water stains from condensation.
As with any electrical appliance, be mindful of children and pets when using a fan, with or without blocks of ice.
Throw in the Towel
A wet towel can do wonders to keep your cool. Whether pounding the keyboard or dragging the vacuum cleaner around the house, wet a thin hand or dish towel with cold water and ring out slightly and drape it around your neck for immediate relief. If a wet towel doesn't fit in with your business attire, a quick trip to the restroom for a cold washcloth to wipe your neck and brow can do in a pinch.
Check Your Pulse
Something I learned in my early years in the Marine Corps still serves me well today. When running during extreme heat conditions with heat stroke and heat exhaustion being a concern, we were instructed to grab the hose at the finish line and run cold water at the pulse points on our wrists. When your body is overheated, hitting the pulse points at the inside of your wrist, the back of your knees and around your neck with a splash of cold can help cool your body quickly and provides instantaneous refreshment.
Living without air conditioning during a scorching summer is no picnic, but there are ways to make it a little more tolerable. How do you beat the heat?
Ice, Ice Baby
It's no secret that you need to stay well hydrated during the warmer weather, but take it a step further and sneak in some ice cubes in addition to drinking water. Sipping water throughout the day will help your body over the long term but doesn't necessarily make you feel better in the heat of the moment. Sucking ice cubes or crunching on ice chips provides your body with hydration with the added immediate benefit of the cool sensation.
Fans can help by circulating the air, but they don't actually change the air temperature, so the benefit is somewhat limited if the temperature is stifling. Fill recycled ice cream buckets or milk cartons with water and stock your freezer, then place one of the containers between you and the fan. Make sure that both are on a steady surface and that the bucket of ice isn't too close to the fan since water and electricity make for a volatile combination. You might also place a towel beneath the container to protect your floor or table from any drips or water stains from condensation.
As with any electrical appliance, be mindful of children and pets when using a fan, with or without blocks of ice.
Throw in the Towel
A wet towel can do wonders to keep your cool. Whether pounding the keyboard or dragging the vacuum cleaner around the house, wet a thin hand or dish towel with cold water and ring out slightly and drape it around your neck for immediate relief. If a wet towel doesn't fit in with your business attire, a quick trip to the restroom for a cold washcloth to wipe your neck and brow can do in a pinch.
Check Your Pulse
Something I learned in my early years in the Marine Corps still serves me well today. When running during extreme heat conditions with heat stroke and heat exhaustion being a concern, we were instructed to grab the hose at the finish line and run cold water at the pulse points on our wrists. When your body is overheated, hitting the pulse points at the inside of your wrist, the back of your knees and around your neck with a splash of cold can help cool your body quickly and provides instantaneous refreshment.
Living without air conditioning during a scorching summer is no picnic, but there are ways to make it a little more tolerable. How do you beat the heat?
Published by Marie Anne St. Jean - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
A Top 1000 Content Producer for the last three years, Marie Anne is a retired U.S. Marine MSgt whose weapons of choice are now crochet hook and pen. When not writing for Yahoo! sites such as YCN! Voice... View profile
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19 Comments
Post a CommentExcellent tips!
It's the simple things that are brilliant! The idea of ice in front of the fan is great. Thanks!
hello Marie!! my son is ex USMC :)
here in Tucson hubby and I made it to mid June this year without the AC but sstill have 2 fans..dont really need the ice in front of them however its a good idea and you know its the same principle as the swamp coolers which is really te number one way of cooling here in the desert..this rental just happens to be AC
great article!!
Good Article, Marie Anne. I hadn't talked to you in a while.
No air conditioning here and we are packing for a move on Sunday. It is killer. Your tips have been helpful. So glad my new home has air conditioning!
We are actually running electric fans to reduce the air conditioning bill.
Marie Anne, it is awful to be without air conditioning in the summer.
Ice bucket in front of the fan.... Why didn't I think of that. Keeping the freezer/fridge full of frozen containers also cuts the cost of running them.
I am trying to do without AC this year. So far, I've made it thorough the 90 degree days. At work I use the AC in my office, but it is tricky when I get home in the evening and the house is hot. Without AC, I eat a whole lot less jalapenos these days! Jalapenos and menopause are not a great mix anyway! :)
Marie, good article but I have to tell ya, I live in FL and there's no such thing as living without air conditioning. That is because I would surely die out there in this heat! Back in '03 after Hurricane Charley went through, we didn't have air conditioning or power of any kind for a whole week in mid-August. For me, that was my stint at "Survivor" and it was very, very ugly...