Ways to Stay Cool Without A/C

We're in the thick of summer, and it can be difficult staying cool. Especially if you don't have air conditioning, or if your's breaks. Ugh, I went through this years ago. My A/C would go out almost nightly at 2 or 3am, and I'd wake up in, what felt like, a sauna.

Well, here are some tricks to keeping cool without A/C.

• If you aren't using something that takes electricity, unplug it. Even when they're not being used, they still emit heat when they're plugged in.
• Keep the shades closed. This is for obvious reasons, especially in rooms where the sun comes in.
• Use windows and fans. We knew how to keep the house cool when I was growing up because in Oregon, you most likely didn't have A/C. So at night, you open up the house and run fans to get the air circulating. And then during the day, you shut the blinds to keep it dark and cool.
• If you have cotton sheets, use them. Flannel sheets are an obvious no-no, but even silk sheets can trap the heat, which makes it worse.
• Looking to add an extra cooling punch to your sheets? Toss them and your pillow cases in the freezer.
• Use your grill. It's outside, so you don't have to worry about it heating up the inside, unlike the stove.