Summer, summer, summertime
Time to sit back and unwind…
…Adjust the base and let the alpine blast
Pop in my CD and let me run a rhyme
and put your car on cruise and lay back cause this is summertime…
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Summertime indeed! When we are over the temptation to keep eating robust slices of raw mango sprinkled with chilli powder and rock salt, does the realisation dawn upon us that it’s indeed summertime and we need to get the ACs serviced, fans checked, pastel and white linens out, and the freezer stuffed with ice-creams. Indian summers can be overwhelming in most of the states and there are even casualties reported due to the summers, at times. Despite running the ACs in their coolest temperatures, summers can be unbearable and painful. Since there’s no running away from an Indian summer, why don’t you follow these 5 super-awesome tips to keep your home cool during the summers and bring down the suffering as much as you can!
Minimize usage of heat generating machines
We know machine-usage generates heat but we hardly do anything about it. Delay the usage of heat-generating machines such as washing machine, dishwasher, incandescent lights, and microwaves until evening on hot days and minimize heat circulation inside the house on summer days. Besides, limiting machine usage, it’s a good idea to reduce indoor humidity too – minimize washing and drying of clothes, showering and, cooking because these activities let out a lot of moisture. If you must do these, then use a ventilating fan to extract warm, moist air out of the rooms.
Keep blinds on
It’s a good idea to keep the blinds on through the day and avoid unwanted heat and humidity from coming in. Studies show that most of the unwanted heat in a house during summers comes in from poorly-covered windows. Did you know that using blinds and curtains effectively can save you up to seven percent of your power bills on ACs and fans and bring down the indoor temperature by up to 20 degrees? Take special care of the south and the west windows and cover them with effective shades to keep your rooms cool at all times.
Ventilation is the thumb rule
Get rid of unwanted heat through properly ventilated spaces in the rooms. Window fans make a great tool to ventilate hot rooms. Place them facing out, on a side of the house that’s not so windy. Keep a window open in each room along with the interior doors to allow the air flow to the fan that will pull out the hot wind. Also, when it’s cooler outside, especially during nights, open up the windows to allow ventilation in the rooms.
Use cotton or lightweight fabrics
Your most preferred fabric around the house during summers must be cottons, linens, or other lightweight fabrics such as mulmul. Light fabrics breathe easier and therefore stay cooler. Try using buckwheat pillows in summers as there are naturally occurring spaces between buckwheat hulls, so your body heat will not be held on inside them like conventional pillows. Curtains, table linens, bed linens, runners and all other household linens must be lightweight and light coloured too to make a soothing sight in summers.
Keep yourself hydrated and cool
Concentrate on your body temperature rather than your room temperature! Keep drinking fluids through the day, avoid junk food, wear light fabrics, apply cold cloths to your neck and wrist after a long day, take showers if you feel it’s too hot to handle. Have fruits and veggies that have higher water content like melons, gourds etc. Get cool in your head before you head to the rooms to make them cool!
And in case the above listed super-cool tips are still falling short of keeping the temperature down, get your air conditioner services and enjoy the blast of chilled air. Wishing you a chilled out, cool summer in the year 2017!
