How to keep cool without air conditioning

Wondering how you can keep cool without air conditioning?

Yes, air conditioning is true comfort. But it is a modern convenience and wasn’t always around. So, how did people stay cool without AC on days of extreme heat or a summer heat wave?

Here are some tips from people who know how to keep cool without air conditioning when high temperatures are predicted

Whether by necessity or by choice, people have learned how to stay cool without air conditioning.

You can use these techniques to keep cooler and reduce the heat you make during everyday life. It is possible to keep cool without air conditioning.

Keep your home cool on hot days

We all love fresh air, but closing the drapes, blinds, windows, and doors will keep your home cooler. Sealing out heat will help you keep cool.

It may seem counter-intuitive but if you close windows, the hot air from outside cannot enter your home. Blocking direct sunlight with blinds and curtains, including blackout curtains, will prevent it from heating the inside of your home.

Cook in the early morning when it’s cooler. Grill outside later during the hottest hours of the day. Use a crockpot, air fryer, or slow cooker more—they use less energy and give off less heat.

Here are some great no-cook meal ideas.

Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps.

Use fans and ceiling fans correctly and effectively to stay cool without air conditioning

Many people use ceiling fans incorrectly. Ceiling fans should be set to rotate in a direction that pulls hot air up to the ceiling.

Save electricity and energy costs by using as few fans as possible, keeping them in rooms that people are using. There is no reason to keep a room cool that no one is using.

Turn on the exhaust fan in the bathrooms and kitchen to exhaust the hot air. These are other ways to stay cool without AC.

Find cooler parts of your home

If you have a cellar or basement, an area that’s below ground level, it should be cooler. Porches will be cooler at night. Add cots or move mattresses to those areas and sleep there.

At night, open windows across from each other to provide a cross breeze.

Heat rises, so open windows on the upper level on a hot night to let out heat that has risen there during the day, replacing it with cool air

Use water and ice to stay cool without air conditioning

Freeze water in as large of vessels as you can accommodate. I have a freezer and freeze gallons of water. You can also fill liter soda bottles with water and freeze them.

Cut the bottle open and place the ice in a basin in front of a fan. A box fan works best for this—it acts like a mini air conditioner.

To lower your core temperature, routinely wipe your face and neck with a cold washcloth. Fill a basin with cold water and put your feet into it.

Take a cool bath or cold shower. Put kids in a kiddie pool of cool water – and put your feet in, too!

Put t-shirts into the refrigerator or freezer. These can cool you quickly, but your body will quickly warm them up, and they will become wet. At that point, remove them. This is also the reason that putting your pillowcases into the refrigerator or freezer is not advised.

Keep cooling towels or cooling hats like these on hand or use cold washcloths as cold compresses. Applying them to the neck and head is an effective way to feel cooler as much heat is lost through the head.

Keep hydrated with cold drinks, preferably water. Keeping your core cool will help keep you cool. Sweating helps to cool your body, and you can’t sweat efficiently if you are dehydrated.

Losing more water than you take in puts you in a situation of becoming dehydrated and hyperthermic (high body temperature). Both can be life-threatening.

Enjoy frozen treats, like ice cream, and make slushies out of ice and frozen fruit.

Seek places with central air conditioning

Use super-hot times of the day, like the afternoon, to visit the grocery or department store or take in a movie. That’s what I did when I was pregnant.

Don’t forget to check in on your neighbors when it’s dangerously hot. They might need your help to get relief from the heat.

Children and older people are particularly vulnerable to heat stroke and those who work outdoors can experience heat exhaustion.

Keep everyone cool on hot days

Don’t forget your pets! I freeze outdated yogurt in ice cube trays as a healthy treat for my dog and keep his bed in a cooler part of the house. Sometimes, he gets his own fan at night. 

My chickens love pecking at blocks of ice, especially if there are herbs or something yummy inside to discover. Give all pets access to plenty of cool water.

You can stay cool in the warmer months by using these tricks to keep warm air out and cooler air in.

And by not using an AC unit, you’ll have lower energy bills.

Do you have a favorite way to say cool? Post it below, and I’ll share it with our readers!