When heat waves hit the Pacific Northwest it can be tough to stay cool in homes designed for a temperate climate! Here are some tips to help release the heat!
1. Close Your Windows
This may seem counter-intuitive, but closing your windows will help keep cool air in and hot air out. You can open them back up at night when the temperatures drop but then close them in the morning before leaving the house.
BONUS: Get a window fan that blows hot air out in the early evening & brings cool air in over night.
2. Let Nature Be Your Air Conditioner
With the help of fans of course! Strategically place fans throughout your home and open windows and doors to create a cross breeze if the air outside is cooler than inside. They have window fans that will work in both directions so you can blow hot air out and cool air in.
BONUS: Put a shallow bucket of ice in front of the fan, take caution of the water created from the melted ice.
3. Eat Cool
Turning the stove or oven on will only increase the temperature in your home. Eating cold foods for dinner such and salad or gazpacho can help to keep your core temperature down as well as your home temperature. If you do want to eat hot food the grill is the best way to go so all the heat will stay outside.
4. Hang Out in all the “Cool Places”
If you’re lucky enough to have shaded areas in your home or yard, or super luck and have a below-ground basement, try to spend most of your time in these spaces. That might mean moving y our computer to the kitchen table for the day, folding laundry in the living room, or prepping your dinner on the patio.
BONUS: Open windows + doors across rooms from each other to create a cross breeze.