Summer temperatures can be overwhelming at times. You can either have a hard time falling asleep or feel sluggish due to the heat. Whether it is to remain healthy or just for comfort reasons, you surely want to keep your house cool during the stifling season.
The warmth of summer can be a drag if your home is airless and hot. The surrounding produced by too much heat and not enough air is uncomfortable. There are various ways to cool your house, but some are not environmental. However, natural and simple methods can give a fresh ambiance while not impacting the environment negatively.
Paint the Walls White
White color reflects light producing a bright, pleasing environment. It can also have a freshening effect, and unlike dark colors, it doesn’t absorb heat. Paint ceilings and walls white for the summer season. In this way, you will generate a cold environment in your humble abode.
Establish Shade
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-window-curtain-on-top-of-brown-wooden-floor-119717/
You can establish shade in your house easily. One technique is to keep the blinds and curtains shut when possible, particularly unused rooms. Another method is to plant foliage and trees outside your house to create shade across the doors and windows. You might also want to fit awnings to your house’s exterior over windows facing south.
Put Bamboo Shades
Place bamboo shades outside the windows to avert heat from getting through the glass. It could stop up to eighty percent of heat from getting inside your house through this manner.
Consider Bare Floors
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/chairs-floor-furniture-indoors-243148/
Carpets produce warmth like leather lounges and couches. They are comfortable, but they shut out the cold and shut in the heat. Hence, it makes sense to have plain floorboards and some scatter mats during the season rather than completely fitted carpets.
Fans
Fans can be inexpensive options to air conditioning units and also good for the environment. Ceiling fans are excellent because they enable maximum airflow to make rooms comfortable and cool.
Use of Appliances
Microwaves, spin dryers, washing machines, ovens and other appliances produce heat when in use. Make it a habit of doing chores like cooking meals and washing early in the morning or after the sun sets. Such chores involve the usage of the mentioned applications.
If possible, it is better to cook meals one evening in advance and just place them in the freezer. In this way, you can just reheat the food when needed. Better still, leave cooking until the night and use a barbecue grill in the garden instead during hot days.
Unplug Electrical Items
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Don’t leave electrical items plugged in or switched on when you are not using them because it can cause extra heat. The warmth they create may not seem like much, but it can accumulate when spread out and combined over time.
Don’t forget to unplug kitchen appliances, televisions, music players, and radio alarms. Make it a house rule to switch it off immediately after using.
Close the Windows
You might think that you are refreshing your house by opening all the windows during the daytime, but what you are doing is letting the heat in unless there’s a cool breeze. Keep the windows and doors closed during the day. Open them at night to ventilate rooms in the evening when your house can get the most benefit.
Include Strategic Houseplants
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/macbook-air-near-clear-drinking-glass-112571/
There are specific houseplants that you can place especially during hot summer days that could help keep your home cool. Peppermint, Pothos, Ficus, spider plants, palms, and English ivy will absorb the heat and reduce temperatures while also cleansing the air, therefore improving your sleep.
Peppermint is one of the easiest to grow around and most resistant herbs, so there are no excuses. You can even pluck some leaves off it, and chew them, and eventually, you can feel it’s organic, minty oil coolness taking over your body heat.
High-Efficiency Air Conditioner
Consider an eco-friendly and extremely efficient air conditioner that has a good efficiency rating. It’s also necessary to properly maintain the unit and regularly clean the ducts so that it can do its job easily. Switch off the AC when you plan to be out of the house for more than an hour and keep it shaded.
Takeaway
Keeping your home cool during the hot season does not mean that you have to sacrifice your green endeavors. There are a lot of ways to reduce your home’s interior temperature without the electric bills going up. By making use of eco-friendly ways to keep your house fresh, you can establish and maintain a cool environment that is pleasing to live in, while at the same time-saving and respectful to the planet.
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Author’s Bio:
Javier Olivo is an interior designer and writer. He always browses the internet for new ideas and shares his knowledge on various websites about household items and home improvements. During Javier’s leisure time, he babysits his Siberian cat, Mushy.
Loves home. I am here to provide how to make your home a much better place. 🙂 Blogging about HomeDecor, Home Improvements and more.
