How to Cool Down When You Can’t Afford to Run Your AC
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Raise your hand if you’re struggling to stay cool this summer! 👋
Summertime temperatures are soaring and so is the price of… well… everything. If inflation has deflated your wallet and you can’t afford to run your air conditioning throughout this scorching hot summer, we’ve got you covered with 45 budget friendly ways to cool down.
Read on for the 411 on how to cool down without AC or a sky high electric bill.
How to Cool Down Fast
1. Take a tepid shower or a long cool/cold bath. (With peppermint soap if possible cause fun fact: the menthol in peppermint soap tricks your brain into thinking you’re colder!)
2. Place a cold compress on your forehead, neck, wrists, and/or the top of your feet.
3. Stick your head under cool running water.
4. Dip your feet in a bowl of cool/cold water.
5. Eat popsicles or suck on ice. (These popsicle molds make it easy to DIY popsicles!)
6. Wear a cooling headband or an ice pack neck bandana.
7. Use a neck fan.
8. Sport a cooling wrist band.
9. Invest in an Embr Wave wristband. They’re not the cheapest accessory but they immediately make you feel cool (and warm in the winter) with the touch of a button.
10. Get a hat and a scarf/bandana wet and put them in the fridge for a while. When you put them back on, BAM, instant cooling.
11. Spray yourself with cold water or, better yet, use a misting fan full of ice water.
12. Put a bowl of ice in front of the fan you have aimed at you. It’ll bllow colder air at you.
13. Go for a swim.
14. Make use of local cool zones designated by your community to keep at risk people from overheating. Cool zones are usually in places like libraries, community centers, movie theaters, or indoor malls.
Or you could always embrace your inner kid and run through a sprinkler!
How to Stay Cool
15. You’ve heard it a million times, but it bears repeating: stay hydrated. Our natural cooling mechanism is sweating and your body needs moisture to fuel that sweat. If you aren’t peeing, you aren’t drinking enough.
16. Stick to water to hydrate and skip the sugary drinks since sugar revs your metabolism and makes you run hotter.
17. While you’re at it, don’t overdo it with the alcohol or coffee.
18. Drink an electrolyte replacement once a day.
19. Eat chilled, water rich foods like melons or oranges.
20. If you do venture outside, wear a hat and lightweight loose clothing. Bring plenty of water and stay in the shade as much as possible.
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How to Cool Your House Down Quickly
21. Use fans strategically! Aim them out the window to blow hot air out during the hottest part of the day and turn them around to bring cool air in at night.
22. Set your ceiling fan to rotate counter clockwise so that the air is forced straight down.
23. Hang a wet sheet in front of a window. The air passing through will be cooler.
24. Turn off the lights and only use lights with LED bulbs if you can since incandescent bulbs generate more heat.
25. Run the exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom to draw hot air out.
26. Use blackout curtains. They insulate your room and keep out the hottest temperatures of the day. (Open windows and curtains to let in the cool air at night when it’s cooler.) (These ones are even temporary using suction cups instead of involving hardware!)
27. Close off unused rooms to keep cool air near you.
Summers are only getting hotter, but there are ways to stay cool without AC!
Other Ways to Cool Your House
28. Avoid heating up the kitchen with the oven or stove and instead break out the crockpot or fire up the grill to cook dinner.
29. Wait to run the dishwasher and do your laundry until nighttime to avoid the heat from those appliances running when it’s already hottest.
30. Channel your inner handyman and make your own DIY bucket air conditioner. (Or order one ready made here!)
31. Invest in a portable AC so you can take the cool air with you from the TV room to the bedroom without having the expense of buying a unit for each room. (It’s pricey up front, but it’ll be infinitely cheaper in the long run than running your central air.)
32. Keep cool air in with weather stripping.
33. Use heat reflective window film.
34. Install a solar attic fan or a whole house fan.
35. Use a removable patio/balcony awning.
36. Install awnings over your windows.
37. Plant vines along your exterior walls in preparation for next summer. The vines will keep the heat of the sun off of your house.
How to Sleep When It’s Too Hot to Sleep
38. Put your sheets in the freezer before bed. (Pro tip: Put them in a bag so they don’t come out smelling like frozen pizza!)
39. Toss your pajamas in there too.
40. Get a cooling mattress topper/mattress protector.
41. Use a cooling pillow. (This one gets rave reviews, but this one is easier on the budget!)
42. Use linen, low thread count cotton, or moisture wicking sheets.
43. Sleep downstairs or even on the floor. (Heat rises!)
44. Commandeer the bed and sleep alone to avoid added body heat.
45. Consider sleeping in a hammock or a cot. Since there’s more air flow around you, it’ll be a cooler option.
Whether you don’t have AC or just can’t afford to run it after you spent half your paycheck filling your gas tank, we hope this list helps you be more comfortable when the heat is overwhelming this summer. Stay safe out there, friends!
Got any heat beating hacks we missed? Share with us in the comments!
