Top Tips to Beat the Heat
While summer fun in the sunshine is something many people look forward to, it’s important to practice some simple safety precautions to keep things from going from fun to dangerous. Whether you’re inside or outside, there are lots of tricks and tips you can practice just to increase your comfort level when things heat up.
Here are some top tips to beat the heat this summer.
1. Time for Sun, Time for Shade
In your home, you can close curtains and blinds when sunshine starts pouring in late in the morning, and open them during the early morning and early evening hours. This can make a big difference in keeping your home cool during the day.
2. Night Air
During the night, open windows. Use fans in the windows to help pull in the cool night air. When the sun comes up and things start to get hot, turn off the fans and close the windows. If you don’t use air conditioning at all, you might want to leave the windows partly open and move the fans away from open windows but still leave them on.
3. Damp Sheets
When it starts to cool down outside but your house is still hot, consider hanging a wet sheet in the doorway or in open windows. Incoming air is cooled by the water evaporating off the sheet. You might be able to rig something up with a wet sheet in front of a fan, but make sure the fan isn’t touching the sheet.
4. Cross Breezes
It’s amazing what a difference it makes in air circulation when you have windows and doors open opposite each other. This allows the air to flow all the way through your house.
5. Slow Down
There’s a reason why summer is considered a “lazy” season. While most of us can’t stop everything in the summer, we can slow things down a bit. For example, strenuous outdoor activities can be saved for evening or early morning. And it’s important to know your limits – seniors will have a different idea of “strenuous” than young children, for example!
6. Indoor Fun
Children are especially hard to keep down in the summer time. They want to be outside in the heat running around! While it’s good to get out and get exercise and fresh air, consider some fun indoor activities for kids on those really hot days. Local museums and fitness centers are good places to start.
7. Water Fun
There’s nothing like water to keep you cool. For outdoor summer fun, water parks, pools, sprinklers, and other wet activities are a great way to enjoy the outdoors while beating the heat.
8. Carry Spritzers
Since not all outdoor activities are going to involve being indoors or playing in water, bring your own water! A spray bottle or mister can help a lot in keeping you cool. Put some ice in the spray bottle if you can, and refrigerate it between uses or keep it in a portable cooler.
There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy the summer, heat and all. Be prepared, make a few adjustments, and enjoy the season.