With the exception of one glorious summer of apartment dwelling, I’ve never lived anyplace with central air.
In fact, it wasn’t even until after I was married that I had a window air-conditioning unit.
My childhood summers were spent sweltering in our home, where the downstairs windows didn’t open and my second-story bedroom was cooled by one small fan. I remember sneaking down to the freezer at night for ice cubes to run across my forehead in hopes I would cool off enough to fall asleep.
The heat can make you resort to all sorts of tactics to keep cool. If you’re feeling desperate, try one of these rather strange methods to find relief from the heat.
1. Take an Icy Foot Bath
The fastest way to start shivering in 90-degree heat is to dip your toes into freezing cold water. Fill a bowl with cool water, and dip your little piggies right in.
Add some ice if you’re brave, but don’t overdo it. Quickly immersing your feet in ice-cold water can be painful – although I suppose it would take your mind off the heat.
While you’re at it, try running cold water over your wrists or placing a cold, wet towel or an ice pack on the back of your neck or your forehead. Cooling down these pulse points can help your whole body feel more comfortable.
2. Wear Cooling Clothes
To turn down the heat a notch and look fabulous at the same time, you could buy this stunning lime-green quilted vest from Amazon. Its evaporative cooling system is designed so that if you soak it in cold water for a few minutes, in theory, you can wear it and feel cool and comfortable for hours.
Actually, you can buy a whole range of such clothing products that claim to keep you cool in the heat of the day. There are cooling caps, cooling sleeves and cooling bandannas.
However, my favorite by far is the Flexi Freeze Ice Vest, which not only lets you wear ice packs on your body but also gives the illusion of six-pack abs. I’m so putting that on my birthday wish list.
3. Freeze Your Sheets
You don’t need specialized sheets to stay cool at night. Simply take the ones you have and throw them in the freezer for a couple of hours before bedtime. Then, pull them out, put them on the bed and enjoy the cool.
Just fall asleep quickly, because on an 80-degree night it won’t take long for them to lose their chill.
Of course, it might become a bit inconvenient to remake your whole bed each night. So maybe try this strategy with just your pillowcase and a top sheet.
4. Go Underground
Head down to the basement on those scorching hot days. Ours stays so chilly that we sometimes use blankets down there in the summer.
Some people may balk at this idea if their basement is unfinished. However, don’t let that stop you. Simply clean out a corner and set up a chair or maybe a desk. Personally, I would rather smell musty and look at the furnace than melt into the floor upstairs.
If your house is built on a slab, well, I’m sorry: You’re plain out of luck.
5. Live Underground
Are you ready to get extreme? Then consider buying or building your next home underground. Sure, you might not get too much sunlight, but that’s a small trade-off in order to have your very own naturally cool hobbit house.
Often called earth homes, underground living will give you the same cool air of the basement without making you feel banished from your main living quarters. If you’re ready to get drastic, you can look here for inspiration.
Your Turn: How will you stay cool this summer? Or do you plan to hit the road to somewhere cooler?
Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!
This post originally appeared on Money Talks News. Since 1991, MoneyTalksNews has been producing both video and print to help you make more, spend less and avoid rip-offs.
The post 5 Strange Ways to Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.
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