Ways to Make Your Home Cooler in Warm and Hot Weather

To cool off your castle in the hottest times of the year, you want to make your home as much of a cool, dark, breezy cave as possible. Go through each room, and turn off lights that are not being used. Turn off electronics that are not being used.

Check your ceiling fans if you have them to make sure that they are circling air in the correct direction. You will know if it is the wrong direction as it will feel as though heat is pouring down on you.

Make sure that every window has a screen so that when it is pleasant out, you can open the windows.

Before you open or close windows, inspect each window for air leaks. This can be done with a candle. Light a candle and slowly move it around the frame of each window. If there is air movement, you may have a poor seal, which means your energy dollars are going to waste.

Inspect doors and pet doors for drafts as well. Close and lock the pet door at night if your pets don't go out. Some pet doors allow such movement that mosquitoes and other pests can easily enter.

If you are not expecting company, undress. You are much cooler in shorts and a tee shirt than in slacks, a shirt, or other outer wear clothes.

Use body powder with cornstarch in all the places that you sweat to prevent sticking and chafing. My favorite is Caldesene powder. They make two versions. One, the blue, is designed for babies, therefore it has no scent. The pink one has a light fragrance. Other than the scent, they are the exact same product.

Don't just choose a deodorant, which masks body odor, use an antiperspirant, which works to prevent sweating.

Drink cool or cold water to keep cool from the inside out.

If you are in an area that is affected by high humidity, then look at the different dehumidifiers that are available.
At a wedding recently, the air conditioners failed. The bride and groom quickly rented dehumidifiers and fans. Although it was not as cold as commercial air conditioners would be, the reception was cool and comfortable, with no one sweating. It was incredible to see the waitstaff empty the full containers of water, a gallon at a time. I was grateful for that effort.

Since then, I have looked at dehumidifiers for personal use in a home. Although they can be expensive at first, the savings and coolness of the air will quickly prove that it is a worthwhile investment.

We all love warm meals, but when you are already hot, do you really want to add a hot meal to your internal temperature?
Plenty of foods can be consumed during warmer months to keep cool while meeting nutrition needs. In addition, warm temperatures are a great time to spend cooking outdoors. Keeping the heat outdoors keeps your costs down in cooling your home.

Food prepared on a grill tends to be healthier fare as well.

Draw a small amount of cold water in a tub or plastic dish. Immerse your feet in the water and let them soak for at least five minutes.
Your entire body will feel cooler and comfortable in that time.

For an extra treat, add Epsom salts.

If all else fails and you are seriously still very hot, have a cool shower and then slip into some lightweight clothes that are barely damp. In moments, you will feel cooler and more able to relax in your own home.

In the warmer months, plants do a wonderful job of filtering the light and giving beautiful shade for everyone that is in that room.

In warm and cool weather, plants create oxygen for all of us and make a room much more livable.

Make sure that you water plants as needed and that you don't over or under water your plants.