AC Breakdown in Sweltering Heat? These Tips Will Keep You Cool

There is nothing more unfortunate than an air conditioner breaking down in sweltering heat. Besides the obvious discomfort, living in a hot environment can result in dehydration and a number of health concerns. It’s crucial that you do everything possible for staying cool in Northern California summers. These are a few tips that can help you stay cool when your air conditioner breaks down.

1. Don’t Let the Light In

You should do everything possible to block out direct light from your house. For instance, you should consider closing blinds and curtains. This is especially important in south and west facing windows. Keeping the light out can cool your home by almost 20 degrees. This can be a great help when you are trying to stay comfortable.

2. Make Your Breeze

You can cool your room by making your own breeze. Fill a large bowl with ice packs or ice cubes. Position it at an angle in front of a large fan to get an extra cold mist. This is a salient way of keeping cool when you are in a hot house with broken air conditioning.

3. Check the Direction of Your Fan

During summer months, you need to make sure the fan is moving in a counter-clockwise direction. This will create a cool breeze by forcing air down.

4. Cool Down Directly

Drinking cold water and applying cold compresses is an ideal way of keeping your body cool. You should also consider wearing loose fitting clothes that are breathable and light.

5. Make Use of Exhaust Fans

You should put on the exhaust fan in your bathroom and kitchen even when you are not around. Turning on exhaust fans after showering will help remove damp and warm air from the house. Running the kitchen exhaust fan while cooking will help prevent the house from heating up. You could consider firing up the grill in the evenings as well.

6. Keep Cool in Bed

It can be miserable to sleep in a hot bedroom. You can keep cool during the night by using warm weather cotton sheets. Flannel and fleece sheets will only make you hotter. Cotton is a breathable fabric and tends to stay cool. You can also try freezing a bottle of water and placing it at your feet. Put sheets in the freezer for a short time period. Make your bed with these chilled sheets right before you go to sleep. This will help you get a solid night’s rest.

6. Keep Low

If you have a multistorey house, you should try and keep to the lower floors. Make sure you stay away from the topmost floor. Heat tends to rise up. Correlating with this, the attic or the top floor gets the most direct sun. Lower floors stay cooler during summer months.

7. Keep Windows Open During Night

Check your weather forecast and if the temperature is predicted to drop at night, keep your windows open. In any case, early mornings and late evenings are a good time to keep windows open to let the stuffy interior air out. However, you should do this only if you have window screens since this is also the time when most insects and bugs fly into homes.