Tips to Beat the Summer Heat

We are headed for some record breaking heat days. Some of us live in areas that don’t get a lot of hot weather and we are completely unprepared. So, I asked moms from hot summer areas what their tricks are to keep their homes (and kids) cool. Here are their responses.

For the Home:

Turn your ceiling fans to the counter-clockwise direction. This should be done every summer.
Unplug all unnecessary appliances (turning them off is not enough). Even in the off position, appliances emit heat.
Did you know that a traditional 100 watt bulb can increase the temperature by 11 degrees per hour in a small room? Turn the lights off and/or replace bulbs with LEDs.
Don’t cook inside. Either barbecue or make salads and sandwiches on really hot days. If you absolutely have to cook inside, turn on your venting fan to remove some of the heat.
Close your blinds. If you can, install awnings outside to further block the sun. You can even put outdoor umbrellas in front of windows.
Close off rooms that you don’t need to use and focus your cooling techniques on the rooms you live in.
In humid weather, use only cotton sheets and cotton clothing if you can. Use a dehumidifier in your home as well.
Invest in a cooling pillow and/or mattress pad to help with naps and sleeping at night. Try putting kids’ pillow cases and sheets in the fridge before bedtime if the weather is really miserable.
Put a bowl of ice in front of a box fan for a homemade “air conditioner”. Have an extra one for the kids to sit in front of.
Park a hot car outside for a few hours before pulling it into the garage.

For the Kids:

Give your kids a bucket of water and some paint brushes and let them “paint” the house, fences and decks. Kids love doing this and there’s no clean-up involved!
Take the kids to the park really early in the day before it gets hot and busy. Don’t forget sunglasses and sun-blocking clothes for the kids

Find the nearest water parks or splash pads in your area. Many of them are free

Have lunch in a fast food restaurant with an air-conditioned play area.
Make use of your local library and read in their nice, cool buildings.
Invest in a sprinkler or a Slip ‘n’ Slide and invite the neighbor kids over.
Freeze small toys in ice and let the kids excavate them.
Make a sponge lei: Cut sponges into small pieces and string on yarn. Soak them in cool water and let your kids wear them.
Have squirt gun fights in the back yard or set up targets.
There’s some wonderful water tables available online that will keep your kids happy for hours. Add water beads.
Fill your tub with cold water and toys. Let the kids play in their bathing suits.
Even a small kiddy pool can be loads of fun. Float flowers in it, put bath toys in, buy some mermaid dolls or sea creatures to make it even more inviting for the kids.

I bought this for my grandson and he loves it. The faucet works and the water is recycled through the sink so mom doesn’t have to constantly refill a reservoir.

For the Adults:

My niece (a beautiful cop) puts a bag of frozen peas under her shirt to keep cool on hot days. She also has an apparatus called A Cool Cop. It was invented by a police officer because it gets really hot under their vests. One end attaches to the AC vent and the other loops down into the vest to blow cool air in. Isn’t that the coolest thing? (pun intended) Cooling vests for the rest of us are available on Amazon (my Harley riding hubby has one).

Sarah lives in a very hot part of California. She soaks her feet in a bucket of cold water while she watches her kids play, she puts cold, wet towels on top of herself when she lays down, and …
She makes ice necklaces. Simply drape areas of a simple necklace into small cups of water or sections of an ice cube tray. Freeze until firm and wear your creation to keep cool!

My relatives in Texas put a tarp in the back of their truck and fill it with water for a homemade pool!
Make your own cooling spray: In a two ounce spray bottle, put: 2 TBS each of witch hazel and distilled water. Add 4 drops of peppermint essential oil. Shake and spray it on the back of your neck, legs and arms.
Finally, don’t forget to stock up on ice, cold beverages, popsicles and ice cream!

What would you add to our “Keep Cool” list?

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