6 Tips to Beat the Heat without Costly Air Conditioning

Wondering how to stay cool without air conditioning? Whether you simply don’t have AC or you’re cutting back to save money on your electricity bill, there are a number of creative ways to cool your home and beat the summer heat naturally.

Here are 6 green tips to cool down during the summer heatwave, slash your utility bills and avoid harming the environment:

Tip #1: Take Shelter Under a Leafy Tree

Believe it or not, trees actively work to cool down the air around them.

Sure, you can grab some shade under a nearby building…but think about it. Concrete and metal absorb heat, so they’re just going to get hotter as the day goes on. Buildings also radiate heat outwards.

Trees, on the other hand, actively cool the air around them while they move water through their bodies to the leaves that need it. So go outside and make friends with a tree!

Tip #2: Make a DIY Swamp Cooler

Back in the days before air conditioning was widely available, folks kept cool by creating their own “swamp cooler” with a nice, wet bed sheet.

How? If you’ve got a two-story house, open windows both upstairs and downstairs. Place wet sheets on the lower windows. Hot air rises and will get pushed out through the second floor while the wet sheets on the ground level will cool the air as it comes in.

Tip #3: Learn Your “Pulse Points” to Stay Cool

Putting ice or something else that’s cold (like rice, which we’ll talk about in just a minute) on your body to cool off is a great idea. It’s going to work best for you when you’re able to strategically place your cooling agent for its maximum effect.

In other words, put the cold object on a place where your body has a lot of blood vessels right up against the surface. This includes “pulse points” like your wrist, neck, and head. Doing this will help lower your body temperature quickly and efficiently.

Tip #4: The Old Frozen Sock of Rice

Ice melts and frozen peas can get sort of expensive if you have to keep buying them. Plus, they thaw. Try tying off a tube sock full of rice and freezing it for a bit. It won’t be as intense, uncomfortable, or messy as ice. The cold rice will also conform to fit the cooling spots we mentioned above.

A color photo of some people hanging out at the beach, and some flip-flops.

If you can’t go to the beach, put a tube sock full of rice on a pulse point like your wrists or neck to cool down.

Tip #5: Watch Out for Certain Foods

Proteins and carbohydrates make your body work a lot harder than other foods. If you want to really keep your body from overheating, eat foods that require less time and energy to digest.

Tip #6: But Eat More Spicy Hot Dishes

Believe it or not, spicy hot foods can actually help you cool off when it’s hot out. They simulate heat in your mouth, so your brain basically gets tricked into thinking you’re hot when your actual body temperature hasn’t changed.

This is why spicy foods often make you sweat, which is your body’s natural way of cooling down. So add some Sriracha to your next meal to help beat the summer heat.

How Do You Stay Cool without Air Conditioning?

Just typing up this list made us start to serious overheat. Got any tips for beating the summer heat? Let us know in the comments!