I remember the hot, humid summers of my Massachusetts childhood – lying on top of the covers, with a fan blowing directly on me as I tried to sleep. We had one window unit air conditioner, but mostly we survived the heat with fans and fresh breezes.
As an adult, I spent my summers either on islands (teaching marine biology), or in Oregon, where the summers are mostly hot and dry. But our Missouri summers are often unbearably hot and humid. Many people rely on their air conditioning to stay cool and comfortable. But, let’s face it – paying electric bills for a summer’s worth of air conditioning is pricey! And in our solar electric home, we cannot use air conditioning.
How to Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning
Here are my top five tips, and I’d love for you to share yours in the comments!
1) Smart design
Our house was designed with passive solar principles in mind. That means that in the winter, we get a wonderful amount of sunlight streaming into, and warming our home, while in the summer, the roofline of the house shades our windows from direct sun. We also built our home slightly recessed into the tree line, so large oak trees to the east, west, and north shade our home from late spring to early fall.
Of course, you probably don’t have the luxury of re-designing your home, But there are many ways you can alter your space to keep cool in the summer. Shade cloths, screens, or fabrics can be rigged up to create shady outdoor nooks that can feel quite pleasant. Or consider:
- Building a covered porch
- Erecting a pergola and grow trellising plants up the sides and top to create shade
- Placing hammocks or chairs in the shadiest part of your yard
- Setting up a temporary tarp, or a pop-up tent to create a shady retreat or sitting area
2) Strategic window opening
We like to keep our windows open as much as possible, both for fresh air flow, and also so we can hear the kids when they are playing outdoors. But the most strategic way of keeping your home cool is to only keep your windows open as long as it is cooler outside than it is inside. That is usually in the mid- to late-afternoon. On the hottest days, we close the windows up mid-day, and then open them again in the evening.
Depending on the layout of your house, you might have better results by opening only windows on the shady side of your home, or opening windows on the shady side of the lower floor, and the sunny side of your upper floor. My suggestion is to simply experiment and see what works best for you and your home. You might find that your house would really benefit from drapes to keep sunlight out.
3) Cooling mists
Our neighbor turned me onto this trick – when you’re feeling really hot and cranky, mist yourself with a cooling essential oil spritz. I like to mix up this recipe:
- 1 oz water
- 1 oz witch hazel or rubbing alcohol
- 5 drops Peppermint essential oil
- 2 oz mister bottle
Combine the ingredients and store in a 2 oz mister bottle. Simply mist on your body when you need to cool off, avoiding the face and eyes. I like to spray on the back of my neck, the insides of my wrists, and behind my knees.
4) Water!
Some days, the outside air temperature is so high that we drip with sweat even while sitting still. It’s easy to forget how much water we need to drink to make up for our body’s water loss. So, on hot days, I start the morning with a huge glass of water, and drink lots more every time I come indoors.
We are so fortunate to have a homestead pond, and we take at least 2-3 swim breaks on the hottest days. If you don’t have a pond, you can try the following tips:
- Wet a bandana and wear it around your neck.
- Wet your hair or your shirt.
- Dip your hands, up to your wrists, in cold water (same goes for your feet up to your ankles).
- Take a quick shower at the coldest temperature you can tolerate. We rinse off in our outdoor shower immediately before bed.
5) When you need it, a fan!
This year we bought ourselves a fan – well, technically, a circulator. We are really loving our Vornado, which plays well with our solar electric system, has a timer so we can set it to turn off as/after we fall asleep, and really moves air! On the hottest days, it has made all the difference in making our small house feel like a cool refuge.
What are your favorite ways to stay cool without air conditioning?
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For a great cool down, take a large ZipLoc bag and put 1 part isopropyl alcohol to 3 parts water. Put this in the freezer. It will become slushy, but not hard as ice. Put one of these cold packs behind your back over your kidneys and another one one your chest. As you blood passes through these areas, it will definitely cool you down.
That’s a great idea! I’ve been laying wet cloths on my body before bed, just to help cool down so I can sleep! But the alcohol/water mix is a new trick!
Your “bandana on the neck” reminded me once again of who we kept cool while building houses one hot summer. Of course we HAD to work even though it was hot. Maybe you ALSO have something that MUST be done even though it is almost 100 degrees. What we did was take an extra tee shirt to work. Wet the tee shirt and wring it out so it isn’t dripping wet. Hold it in front of you by the two sleeves. Wrap the two sleeves around behind your head and tie them. The body of the tee shirt is hanging down over your face at this point. Now flip the body part up and back on top of your head. Your own size should work for this and be long enough to hang slightly onto your neck keeping it cool, your head shaded and cool as well. As often as needed, rewet and retie. You can even flop a hard hat on top of it all if you need it.
Sounds like a great trick! Thank you for sharing!
Growing up in muggy NE Missouri, my folks did not have air conditioning in our country home but I don’t remember it being unbearable because I didn’t know what I was missing. Mom used to make us popsicles using Kool-Aid and we thought that to be a great treat on hot days. And, if you are nearby any creeks that are naturally spring-fed, those are the best because the water is so clear and cool as I see some mentioned being uneasy about murky water. I usually just wade around wearing old tennis-shoes or sit where there are deeper pools.
Nowadays, I like to bicycle so I freeze water in a plastic bottle and take it with me on my ride. As the water melts, it’s a cold drink. Also, I’m a big fan of wearing hats when you know you’re going to be in the direct sun. It helps immensely!
Great ideas! Wish we had a spring-fed creek!!
Ok, I have to ask and you’re free to think I’m a wimp. We have a pond, too, and being just south of you, I know what you mean about the heat/humidity. I’m a city girl and grew up swimming in pools – water you can see through to the bottom. I am so ridiculously grossed out by the thought of swimming in our pond because the water isn’t clear. I’m not usually a wimp, really, but for some reason the ticks and swimming in murky water are proving hard to get accustomed to here. Suggestions? Reassurances? Thoughts?
Do you guys swim-swim, of just float around on noodles. Do you wear swim shoes? Do you encounter snakes? Do you come out dirtier than you went in? Is it slimy?
See, I’m a complete wuss! Help a girl out?
I’m not going to lie, Tessa. There are CRITTERS in our pond. And no, you can’t see to the bottom. We regularly see snakes, turtles, and fish (biting fish) while swimming. None are going to kill us though. So, here is what we’ve done to make things more “civilized” – 1) We bought a trailer load of sand and made a “beach” entrance so our feet don’t have to touch muck to climb in. 2) We have a dock that goes out into deeper water so you can dive right in. Otherwise, i just try not to think about it all. I do swim- swim, and sometimes float on noodles, but the biting fish like to nibble when we are stationary! So it’s best to “just keep swimming!” Hope that helps, xo Teri
P.S. I don’t come out dirtier than I go in.
My biggest fear about moving up to The Shack and trying to stay off grid is the heat. I’m a wimp in the humidity and heat. I really like what you said about how you built your house. I’ll have to think about that a bit more about that and keep it in mind when I’m ready to build (or renovate).
It is very challenging. I really melt in the heat and become useless. It requires a totally different schedule – wake early, do nothing in the day, and work late.
The glass mister bottle is a god send throughout our super hot summers. I only use water to save money, since it evaporates quickly. I spray it head to toe, not just select areas. And before bed I mist my entire bedding, especially the pillow.
It really is a wonderful and quick way to stay cool. I bet the lavender spritz I made would be a great pillow topping!
I mist with rose water. I also spray rose water on the feet of the preschoolers in the resting room after lunch at the Waldorf school where I work.
That’s such a sweet, and calming idea, Sarah. Thank you for sharing!
We live in Chandler, AZ. So we look for creative, cheap ways to stay cool without A/C. I received this idea yesterday. Check it out. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/invention-turns-plastic-water-bottles-into-a-diy-air-conditioner/ We were going to do this as a homeschooling project for our chickens and playhouse. Cheap and easy project that can be made with discards.
That sounds like a fantastic homeschooling project! Let me know how it goes!
During the 100*+ days last summer, my husband and I started what we referred to as “Hillbilly Happy Hour”. We put a 5 gallon bucket about 10″ tall between us on the porch to put our feet in, filled it with the cool well water, and sometimes added ice. Another ice bucket full of beer, a fan blowing on us, and we were comfortable out there for hours!
I think this is brilliant, Shelly Jo! I am SO going to try that this year!
I like to freeze damp t-shirts and wash cloths. The t-shirt l put on before going to bed. It’s shockingly cold to start but you get used to it right away and it leaves you quite comfortable for a good long time. Enough to fall asleep in. The wash cloths l use to cover my head while l’m sitting up. The coolness flows down your body as warm air rises. I only use air conditioning in emergencies.
Thanks for your tips, Bob! Although I must say, I’m shivering just thinking about the frozen shirt! But if we have a really hot summer, I may just give it a try!
If you can open a window on the other side of the house along with the door, a breeze will come in, but not if you just open one.
Here in the semi-arid west we have a whole house fan in our attic. We turn it on for a few hours in the evening and a few hours in the morning to suck in the cool air and blow out the warm air that rises. We’ve been known to run through the sprinklers at the park when we walk the dog in the evening. We have ceiling fans in the bedrooms and dining room. We eat a lot of meals outside and cook somethings on our Coleman stove. We hand wash dishes and line dry clothes so there’s no added heat from those appliances. I dampen the curtains with a spray bottle and that cools down the air blowing through the window. It’s easier to live here without AC, it might be in the high 90s during the day but it almost always cools down at night!
My mother has a convection oven in her garage so she doesn’t heat up the house when she’s baking in the summer.
Great tips!!
Here are a few I learned about.
1) Freeze water in 1 gallon jugs and set them in front of your fans. When they’ve melted you can just refreeze. It’s like recycling AC.
2) DIY 5 gallon bucket AC video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxSLbpAwibg
This video is so cool. Will be trying this.
Many older ladies hae told me about wetting and wringing out a large sheet then hanging it in front of a fan or open window with a breeze to create a cooling effect. Also if people don’t have access to a pond sitting in a little wading pool under the shade of a tree would be very cooling as well both for adults and children.
It is Winter here now so I am struggling to remember the tricks I have to keep cool. I have both town and tank water but I only use tank in the garden, if there is enough I like to fill one of those plastic shells that kids use for sandpits with tank water. Put it in the shade, wallow in it whilst reading a book and pretending I am a swimming pool owner. The water is super cold and it feels like a luxury despite the kinda cramped-ness. Then the water is used on the garden. I also add cucumbers and other hydrating fruits and veg to my smoothies.
I have a mister with peppermint oil (witch hazel is a good addition, I’ll have to do that) and use it a lot. I mist head to toe and love it. It’s a big help. My husband was given a microfiber cloth meant to be soaked in water, ringed out and worn under hats. It creates a cool, damp shade around your head and neck and really works. He loves it, especially when he needs to do some work outside.
Our home is 1200 square feet, much too big for us. So when it’s hot we have no problem spending most of our time in our bedrooms on the cooler north side. The ceiling fans push air down on us and make a big difference. Most of the heat is probably coming from the shallow roof, but it really helps hanging a flannel sheet between the west facing sunroom and the rest of the house.
We also block the south facing kitchen window with cardboard and a sheet. It’s not pretty, but the dimmed lighting is cozy and it reduces the temperature enough to be noticeable. I also wear only minimal clothing when it’s super hot and often go without. We’re on a few acres, so we have some privacy, but we do have neighbors, so I have to be careful. :o)
Those are great tips! I have to tell you, it’s like torture getting my children to put on clothing in the summer! We live on a dead end road, so luckily, it’s not a big deal!
When it’s cooler outside than inside, I place a fan at a window facing out while other window(s) are open. It cools quickly as it removes hot air while replacing it with cooler air.
I know when it gets hot and humid, we crave anything cool, or even icy cold. In some really hot countries, it is the custom to drink lots of hot tea first thing in the morning. This helps your body thermometer register heat and prepare its defences against the heat. You actually feel cooler. I try to remember to prepare this way before working in the hot garden. Not to say I don’t enjoy a tall cool drink when the work is done.
I remember learning that when I was living in Kenya and everyone started the day with hot chai (which is now my routine as well). But mid-day, I totally craved a cold beverage!