In many places around the world, from San Diego to Toronto, the summers are getting hotter. This means that it is even more important to stay as cool as you can get when the heat starts to rise. For those living in the south, having to deal with just a few days without air conditioning can seem like a sweaty nightmare.

Even if you keep your AC unit well maintained, it’s never a guarantee that it won’t occasionally malfunction. It doesn’t take long for things to get uncomfortable in your home when that happens. The good news is that there are a few easy ways to keep yourself cool in the summer heat.

Once you call the air conditioner repair, you will probably only have to wait a day or two to get some relief. The best way to avoid a devastating loss of your air conditioning in the summer is to be proactive with your home maintenance. We have put together a few tips to help you stay cool and deal with the heat while you wait for your air conditioning to be repaired.

Shut the Shades

Our homes take in most of the day’s heat through the windows. As the sun’s powerful rays shine into your windows, a greenhouse-like effect takes place. That heat then sits trapped in your home, making things feel uncomfortable. If your air conditioning is out, your first move should be to block as much sunlight coming into your home as possible. Close your curtains, blinds, and shutters during the day to keep your home a few degrees cooler.

Circulation

Dealing with the heat is much more uncomfortable when the air is still. Moving even warmer air around your home can create a much cooler feeling. Try to create a cross breeze through your home by opening windows or doors at opposite ends of the house. You can also run your ceiling or stand-up fans to help create a breeze.

Ice Fan

For those sweltering days, you can make yourself your own natural air conditioning system with a simple bowl of ice. Take ice cubes, fill a bowl, and then place them behind a fan. The fan will lift the cooled air from the ice and move it across your body, giving you some relief from the heat.

Night Breeze

In most places, the evenings have much cooler temperatures than during the day. If you can keep your home relatively cool by shading and eliminating most of the sun’s daytime rays during the day, you can make it even cooler at night. Open your windows in the evening when the sun has gone down to help bring in the fresh air that has been cooled by the night. You can help cool down your room by putting a small fan inside the open window to spread the cooler air. 

It can be frustrating to try to find comfort when your air conditioning goes on the fritz. Make sure to call your repair team right away, and follow some of these easy tips to help you stay cool when the temperatures start to rise.