If you know anything about my home story, you know my husband, Dean, and I and eventually our kids have lived in many homes. Some of those homes have had central air conditioning and some haven’t. And where we live, summer can be crazy hot and humid, so I’ve learned a thing or two about how to keep a house cool with or without a/c.
Whether you’re trying to stay comfortable without air conditioning, or you want to give your AC a bit of help, there are some simple things you can do to make your home feel cooler right now.
How to Keep Your Home Cool Without AC
Some of these may seem like “duh” moments. But all of them are things I still do on the hottest of hot summer days when our central air can’t keep up.
1. Close the blinds and curtains during the day
This is the quickest win. Sunlight looks lovely… but it brings the heat with it. Keep your blinds and curtains closed during the hottest parts of the day , especially on windows that face east in the morning or west in the afternoon. If you have room-darkening curtains, even better. But regular curtains still help a lot.
2. Swap your bedding for lighter layers
If you haven’t already done this, now’s the time. Heavy duvets and flannel sheets are way too much for hot nights. I like to switch to just a cotton sheet and a lightweight blanket or light duvet for summer. Honestly, this makes such a huge difference for sleep in the summer (just like cozy flannel makes such a difference in the dead cold of winter).
3. Use fans smarter, not harder
Ceiling fans should run counterclockwise in summer to create a wind-chill effect. You can usually switch the direction with a small toggle switch on the base. And for floor or table fans, try placing a shallow bowl of ice water in front of the fan to help it blow cooler air around the room – or right at you while you sleep if it’s extra hot.
4. Turn off the heat sources you’re not thinking about
Funny story, when I was growing up my dad actually forbade us from using the oven in the summer. We had window air conditioner units to help keep the house cool, but my dad really didn’t want to heat up the house. So no oven use was allowed all summer!
Whether you feel as strongly as my dad or not, ovens, stoves, dishwashers, even some lights do give off heat. If you want to try to work with your a/c instead of against it (or if you don’t have a/c):
- Try cooking earlier in the day, before the temperature soars.
- Use smaller appliances like a toaster oven, air fryer, or slow cooker instead of the oven. (We used our Ninja Foodi instead of the oven a lot last summer.)
- Let dishes air dry, rather than using the heat setting on the dishwasher.
- Turn off any lights you’re not actively using.
- Turn off the pilot light in your fireplace (and maybe your furnace), if possible.
All that heat adds up when the outside temperatures are high!
5. Stay cool yourself, too
This one might seem obvious, but it’s easy to overlook when you’re trying to cool the whole house.
- Keep a big pitcher of water in the fridge (add citrus or cucumber if you want it to feel fancy).
- Dress in breathable layers.
- And try this: dampen a washcloth, roll it up, and pop it in the fridge or freezer for a bit, then rest it on your neck or wrists. Instant relief.
FAQs
A little! Through a process called transpiration, they release moisture into the air which can make a small difference. Plus, they add a calm, fresh feel. So it never hurts to have some around.
It depends on the time of day. Open windows early in the morning and later at night when the outside air is cooler than indoors. Keep them closed during the hottest part of the day.
Yes! Especially if your windows get full sun. They can block out both light and heat, keeping rooms significantly cooler.
These simple shifts can help your space feel fresher and more livable, even on the hottest days.
Have a tried-and-true trick I didn’t mention? Drop it in the comments. I’d love to hear what’s working in your home too.
Want to see more content like this in your Google searches?
This button tells Google that Home Made Lovely is a source you like, so it can show you more of it.
