Lovely Advice: How to Stay Cool During the Heat Wave

{fan image by Andrew McCaul}

Yes, I subscribe to Real Simple, and it is pretty much one of my favorite things. It is also one of the enewsletters I subscribe to, so when I received these handy tips on how to keep cool during this heat wave, I knew I just had to share it with you. Mind you, it’s 70 in San Francisco (well, not even) so I’m really not too impacted by the weather. But I’m looking out for those of you who are dealing with it. Oh, and open invite to visit here in SF, if you need to cool down :)

Here’s a few of my favorite tips from Adam Bluestein and Allegra Muzzillo {via 23 ways to Beat the Heat / Real Simple}:

• When the air outside is dry and cooler than the air inside, hang a damp sheet in an open window; incoming breezes are cooled by the evaporating water.
• Closing curtains and blinds (ideally with sun-deflecting white on the window side) can reduce the amount of heat that passes into your home by as much as 45 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
• While running any kind of air conditioner, shut your fireplace damper. An open one “pulls hot air into your house instead of sucking it out,” says Tommy Spoto, a master chimney sweep at Chimney Chap, in Copiague, New York. While you’re at it, close everything else, too.
• Keep a spray bottle in the refrigerator, and when the going gets hot, give yourself a good spritz.
• Run a fan and an air conditioner simultaneously. You can use the air conditioner at lower power and still feel cool if the fan is blowing over you. That’s because the air conditioner removes humidity from the air while the fan helps evaporate sweat and moves heat away from your body.
• Skip the drying cycle on the dishwasher. Instead, leave the door open to let the dishes dry.
• Stay hydrated and eat light.
• Give your oven a summer vacation.If you cook, use the stovetop, the microwave, or a barbecue.

and one of my favorites, something you can ALL do!

• Make a cold compress. Fill a cotton sock with rice, tie the sock with twine, and freeze it for two hours before bedtime. Then slide it between the sheets. Rice retains cold for a long period because it’s dense and starchy, says Jim Hill, Ph.D., an associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California at Davis.

For the full article of ideas, click here!

Have a great weekend, everyone :)

© lovely little details

Tagged as: cool down, heat wave, summertime