3. Get cold comfort-Here's a four-seasons tip for keeping utilities charges down: Buy a
hot water bottle. In winter, fill it with boiling water for toasty toes without cranking the thermostat. During summer, stick it in the freezer to create a bed-friendly ice pack.
4. Be creative-If you thought fans are just for blowing hot air around, think again! Point box fans out the windows so they
push hot air out, and adjust ceiling fan settings so the blades run counter-clockwise, pulling hot air up and out instead of just twirling it around the room.
5. Go old-school-Remember when refrigerators were iceboxes that contained actual blocks of ice? Us neither. This stay-cool trick is straight out of the icebox era, though. Make a DIY air conditioner by positioning a shallow pan or bowl (a roasting pan works nicely) full of ice in front of a fan. The breeze will pick up cold water from the ice's surface as it melts, creating a cooling mist.
6. Fill up the tank-Get a leg up on
hydration by drinking a glass of water before bed. Tossing and turning and sweating at night can result in dehydration, so get some H20 in the tank beforehand. (Pro tip: Just eight ounces will do the trick, unless you're really into those 3 a.m. bathroom runs.)
7. Cool off-A cold shower takes on a whole new meaning come summertime. Rinsing off under a stream of
tepid H20 brings down the core body temperature and rinses off sweat (ick) so you can hit the hay feeling cool and clean.
8. Hang out-Cool down a whole room by
hanging a wet sheet in front of an open window. The breeze blowing in will quickly bring down the room's temperature.
9. Unplug at night-As in, literally disconnect electronics. Gadgets and other small appliances give off heat, even when turned off.
Reduce total heat in the house (and save energy!) by keeping plugs out of sockets when the appliances are not in use.
10. Get creative with grains-Rice and buckwheat aren't just for eating! These cupboard staples can also keep you cool on hot nights. Stock up onbuckwheat pillows, which don't absorb heat like cotton and down. And for a cold compress on really hot nights, fill a sock with rice, tie it off, and stick it in the freezer for an hour or so. The compress will stay chilly for up to 30 minutes, definitely enough time to nod off.
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