How we survived 120 degrees WITHOUT air-conditioning | Tips for staying COOL in the summer!

Knowing how to keep your house cool in the summertime without using electricity is a good skill to have. A few weeks back, the temperature topped out at 120 degrees in our area and stayed hot for three days straight. In a house without air conditioning, we had to pull out all the stops to stay cool!
To listen to the podcast interview or read all these tips on my blog, click here: melissaknorris.com/podcast/ho...
**********************
Links Mentioned & Related Links:
How to Keep Your House Cool in Summer Without Electricity: melissaknorris.com/podcast/ho...
How to Cook Outdoors in the Summer: melissaknorris.com/podcast/ca...
**********************
Listen in to the top #10 rated Pioneering Today Podcast for Home & Garden for Simple Modern Homesteading Tips melissaknorris.com/podcast-2/
**********************
My Books:
The Family Garden Planner: melissaknorris.com/planner
The Family Garden Plan: melissaknorris.com/family-gar...
Hand Made 100+ From Scratch Recipes: melissaknorris.com/handmade-book
The Made-from-Scratch Life: melissaknorris.com/made-from-...
**********************
Howdy! I'm so glad you're here. I'm Melissa from Pioneering Today and a 5th generation homesteader where I'm doing my best to hold onto the old traditions in a modern world and share them with others.
Click any of the below links for FREE resources and training to help you on your homestead!
Homemade Sourdough Starter Series melissaknorris.com/learnsourd...
How to Pressure Can Series melissaknorris.com/pressureca...
Beginners Home Canning Safety melissaknorris.com/canningclass
For raising, cooking, and preserving your own food, come hang out with me on Instagram / melissaknorris
and Facebook / melissaknorris
**********
#stayingcool #noac #keepingcool

[@dwjr5129]

So the retired firefighter in me requires that I warn you to be careful with the grill under the porch awning. It looks pretty low and can ignite rather quickly if the grill gets away from you. Saw a lot of homes destroyed that way. Please be careful! I don’t want to have to watch you do a KZbin series on rebuilding your home!

[@jamjar5716]

I was worried at the very least that the siding would melt.

[@MelissaKNorris]

@@jamjar5716 it's hardy board (partial cement) and there's more space than the angle you're seeing on the video

[@jamjar5716]

@@MelissaKNorris glad to hear it, thankyou!

[@jbr1952]

I agree. Not good for the window or door either especially if they are vinyl. Would move grill away from house and in open area. Better safe then sorry.

[@BradfordHomestead]

My gas grill is on the back porch but it’s screened, and I still wheel it around to an area away from wood and screens. I am sure Melissa moves those around when she cooks

[@amandataylor682]

I have pecan trees on every side of my house. They block almost all direct sunlight in summer and I get loads of sunlight in winter while they're dormant. Its a wonderful set up to naturally regulate the house.

[@iggypopisgod9]

have pecan trees on every side of my house. They block almost all direct sunlight in summer and I get loads of sunlight in winter while they're dormant. Its a wonderful set up to naturally regulate the house..... that wont work in houston lol

[@melindac1189]

Sticky sap from pecan trees

[@2okaycola]

What about the nuts?

[@BillySBC]

Nice

[@ndhimmer]

A couple tips you might consider - For the first maybe hour or so when you want to open the doors and windows in the evening is to only open one door and then point the fan in front of it to the OUTSIDE. It sounds counterintuitive, but you're pulling the hot air out of the house. It creates a vacuum. Keep all the other fans on to move the air through the house towards the open door. After an hour or so you can open ALL the windows and doors and point the fans inwards in front of the windows like you mentioned to pull the cooler air in. This way it's not fighting against hot air. We also live in the PNW and prior to living in this house, we had no ac and this was our method. It really does work. Also, black out curtains like others mentioned really are your friends here. Think cave-like!! Also soak your feet in cool water. And if you're washing your hands to cool off, wet yourself up to the inner elbow - it's amazingly refreshing. Hope this helps someone.

[@melissacomer8404]

A strong attic fan would do wonders. Open the windows in the evening, turn that sucker on and pull a lot of hot air out thru the attic. Hubby's parents had one. Amazing what it does.

[@a.p.5429]

I remember my grandparents doing the draw fans. It helps. My parents had the attic fans. Also helped.

[@DChristina]

Excellent tips, thanks:-)

[@susangrimm6771]

It's accurate. Set your fan 2 and 1/2 to 3 ft from your window and point it outside to get the maximum air circulation inside

[@straightasarainbow5344]

@@susangrimm6771 to back that up kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z32VlplneLVgr9k

[@heatheringram2976]

I grew up in Australia where it gets very hot. A lot of houses didn’t have air conditioning 30 years ago, not sure why. But as a kid I would only sleep under a sheet. I would wet it then spin it in the washing machine and sleep under that on crazy hot nights when I couldn’t get to sleep. It’s so dry there, that the sheet would be bone dry by the morning. In the day I’d do the same with a T-shirt. I’d wear a wet (not dripping) T-shirt and be comfortable.

[@huggalon]

I'd say even just 10 years ago it was fairly common to not have air condition in homes in Australia. It's the same for dryers and dishwashers. I'm 35 and grew up in a housing trust home in South Australia, and we didn't have air conditioning until I was in my late teens. My brother and I would sit in front of a small fan in our underwear. Maybe once a day I was able to stick my head in the freezer when mum wasn't looking lol It's amazing how fast it's changed, and I can't imagine living without air conditioning now.

[@jesusitorayala8214]

this is climate change, we must prepare for the worst🔥🔥🔥🔥🌍🔥🔥🔥🏤🔥🔥

[@a.p.5429]

Great tip. Thanks.

[@enoughsinsofmineown1033]

I'd here my sons get up at night sometimes and take a shower. They had sheets but never used them lol.

[@jamjar5716]

@@jesusitorayala8214 The earth has gone through ice ages and heat waves through out its life. I agree we have done some damage but mother earth herself gets pretty rough with us.☺

[@novampires223]

I sew several cups of white rice into canvas bags to heat in the winter in the microwave, lovely to sleep with. In the summer I keep them in the freezer, a couple of those will keep me cool for hours. 😊

[@edie4321]

Great idea. You are supposed to freeze your stored rice to avoid bugs. This sounds ideal.

[@lifetodamax]

Cool! (Literally ha!) Heard of this trick for heat but never for cool!

[@MsRaineyroo]

I haven't used my AC unit in three years, and even when it's 35C+ outside, my house is cool, even chilly! Once the sun goes down I open two windows, and place a fan in front of one of them, pointing the fan OUTSIDE! This sends the warm air out, creating a lower pressure inside the house. The cooler air from outside is drawn inside through the other open window to equalise the pressure, creating a continuous cycle of cooling through the night. You just need to be strategic about which windows you open so that the air flow is not impeded and allows for cooling throughout the house/apartment. I live in a two story house, so I have the fan at an upstairs window and the other window open downstairs (since warm air rises!). Hope someone finds this useful.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That's why people in the Pacific Northwest, specifically along the coast don't normally have air conditioning at home. Normally, the temperature in the evening will drop to somewhere in the 50s at night, which allows us the opportunity to vent as much of the hot air from our houses as possible. A few years ago when we were having record high low temperatures at night, it was particularly miserable. And yes, you generally do want to point fans out of the house, unless you've got a pair of them to help a cross breeze form, in which case, one in and one out is probably not a bad strategy.

[@inspired9239]

Thank you, but it wouldn't work for those of us in the south near where humidity is problematic. I'm currently without A/C and temps have been running daily in excess of 100 degrees and, because of the humidity, the heat factor is about 5-9 degrees hotter. My best takeaway from this video is freezing fabric and then placing it on the body. I think I'll do the same for my dog and placing it in her bed so she can sleep comfortably at night. Believe it or not, it's the evenings that are the most uncomfortable. It was 92 degrees indoors when I went to sleep last night. When I woke up last about two in the morning, the temperature was 91 degrees inside. YT channel, The Provident Prepper, had another good idea as well, to wet the cover sheet to fall asleep comfortably.

[@judyhowell7075]

Grew up in the South with no AC, we had huge attic fan pulling heat out of house, crack windows and the air would flow through windows freezing

[@reibersue4845]

Grew up in the city with no AC. We had a whole house fan drawing air out. In the hot humid summers I slept on the floor under the window to get the breeze pulled in by the fan.

[@keithwilliamson8428]

Nice video! We use all your tricks. Except the frozen towels. We have AC but we don't like the frozen air blowing on us, so it's the last resort. The pool and whole house fan get us by mostly.

[@vinlago]

This is why there were summer kitchens in the south. It was a separate building which would keep the main house from heating up. Same as someone else mentioned having trees around to shade in summer but allow sun through in winter is key.

[@jerome620]

Moisture doesn't evaporate when it's 98 degrees with 90% humidity here in the south. :(

[@lindanizamoff7981]

if you live down south you need an air conditioner. Even if you have only one in one room, it gives you a place to go and cool down.

[@a.p.5429]

Try a ceiling fan on low.

[@enoughsinsofmineown1033]

I hear that lol

[@gregjames8458]

AC went out once. I rigged up a box fan over my hammock..... that was the only way her in Mississippi in July!

[@donnakinsey2053]

@@lindanizamoff7981 Truth! When the hurricanes hit us last year in Louisiana we were without power for almost a month. We bought a welder and used it as a generator during that time. I guess at some point Our kitchen was an add on to the farmhouse. It has a door and so can be closed off from the rest of the home. We ran a window unit for the kitchen and slept under the kitchen table. We were outside working hard all day long to clean up our farm from the damage so it was really nice to have a cool place to sleep at night!

[@CinderellaRaptured333]

I am a janitor in a school district that thought it would be a ‘great idea’ to save money by turning the air off for the summers in all the schools. Oh, btw- I live in southern Tx….105 degree heat outside with heavy humidity. The day the teachers return about 2 weeks before school starts, they turn the air on for them! Also, they keep all the computers held in a special air conditioned room because they don’t want their large investment getting ruined by the heat. Inanimate objects get air conditions, but Janitors…?! Nah, we’re just lowly humans.

[@usa2342]

Unfortunately I guess its same in different states as well... The worst part of this job is washing carpets, and that horrible smell that lingers for a few days .

[@roses2war]

The summer of 2020, I stumbled over your video about surviving during the Depression. I was fascinated, and it sparked a deep desire to start homesteading. You were instrumental in us taking the leap by getting out of the city, and moving north onto an 80 acre (former) farm. That was a year ago next month. Since then we have raised our first batch of 60 broiler chickens that we will be butchering in 2 days, and a second batch of 50 chicks are in the brooder, along with 10 egg layers. We built a big 50x50 garden, a 20x50 potato garden, and a 10x50 melon patch. I have been addicted to homesteading videos since that very first day. Not all channels are the same. Many are becoming nothing more than click bait, where they ramble on about nothing really, to stretch the length of their videos. It is actually becoming annoying. But when your videos come up, you actually TEACH something beneficial every time. It is not wasted time to watch your channel. Thank you for that. And thank you for helping me realize a lifelong dream!

[@MelissaKNorris]

Thank you so much for sharing and I'm honored to have helped in anyway on your homesteading journey. You've done a lot in a short time period! 🙌

[@noraecarreiro3155]

Yvonne Evanoff- that's amazing, good for you living your best life!!! very inspiring

[@Anonymous-km5pj]

God bless you, your family, animals and land

[@fireseedmusic]

That's exciting & inspiring! We bought our 5 acres in May. We are on a construction loan for the first year, as the house is so dilapidated, so we have to get that up to speed. After that, we can get a mortgage, then pour into the land.

[@ajvintage9579]

You know, you can live perfectly healthy lives without slaughtering sentient beings who don’t want to die. Chickens aren’t “broilers” or objects, they are creatures with intelligence and feelings who fear pain and death as much as you do. Go vegan for the animals, your health, and the planet. Watch the documentary Earthlings.

[@craigr5147]

The easiest tip is take off your shoes and socks when inside the house. It'll drop your body temperature a few degrees. Most people don't realize this.

[@splash4891]

going a step further, just be a nudist in your own home and have a fan in each room and that will make all the difference

[@mrswray]

We have black out curtains on all of our windows and it makes a huge difference

[@JamieE76]

I use black-out curtains on all my windows as well. Have been doing that since we lived in the south where it's basically summer weather 9 months out of the year. They really work great!

[@saltycat662]

We have those too. Great for all seasons.

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

Living in the Arizona desert and not having ac for 9 years (only evaporative coolers) I learned a lot of tricks to help keep cooler. We have temps over 110 regularly and the nights don’t get any cooler than the low to mid 80’s 🥵 our average inside temperatures were 85-90 and above sometimes(still cooler than outside). I bought the styrofoam boards at Dollar Tree in a combination of black and white ones to place in ALL my windows the bedrooms have blackout curtains also. Blinds/curtains stay closed when the sun is on that side of the house. Inside cooking is only done late at night so there is no heat added to the house during the day, I would boil eggs and pasta and sauté chicken for salads and other meals that are served cold. I would also cook a weeks worth of meat on the grill early in the morning as it is too hot to grill in the late afternoon. Lots of cold drinks, smoothies, popsicles, Italian ice, etc helps also. We bought the cooling rags to put on your neck too. All outside chores done very early in the morning and later in the evening. Our son had a double window fan that he put on top of his chest of drawers and he placed a towel in front and used frozen 2ltr bottles in front it helped a bit of course the closer he was to it the cooler the air but it helped keep his room a bit cooler. The frozen bottles in front of a fan work better in smaller rooms and stronger fans. Ceiling fans are essential also. When my family would complain about it being hot inside I sent them outside for 10-15 minutes and they would come back in and realize how much cooler it was inside after all 🤷🏻‍♀️ These are just a few of the things I have done and even though we got our ac replaced last year finally I still do some of them to help keep the house cooler and our electric bill down.

[@a.p.5429]

I have used the frozen water in plastic bottle behind the fan. It helps .

[@Andre-jp4yt]

not eating alot of food helps too, especially carbs like pasta or pizza and sugar or even coffee...just drink water and fruits or salad with little meat

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

@@Andre-jp4yt the pasta is used to make pasta salad with lots of vegetables in it and served cold so it is filling but not heavy. I used to make all our own popsicles so I could control the amount of sugar in them better. The biggest thing is drinking lots and lots of water.

[@stephme2686]

In my apartment if it’s 75 outside inside it’s 105 and I’m not even exaggerating. It’s always way hotter inside than outside and we do all of what you mentioned but nothing helps. Btw we are the top floor apartment so we have the roof and maybe that’s the problem?.. We think somethings wrong with the apartment though.

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

@@stephme2686 there might not be insulation in the roof.

[@Epiccatsandkittens]

The best way to cool your house without A/C is a whole house fan. Your attic can easily reach temperatures of up to 150F degrees during a heatwave. All that trapped heat radiates through the ceiling even with insulation, into the living space. Using a whole house fan, it sucks the warm air out of the living space and blows it into the attic pushing out the 150F degree heat through the attic vents already installed and replacing it with the cooler air in the house. This works beautifully, by opening a few windows no more than 5 inches around the house, you acheive a cool breeze in the entire house. The best places to open the windows are the furthest away from the fan like kitchen or living room whichever is the furthest from the fan, and the bedroom windows. Let it run overnight, then first thing in the morning before the sun rises, close up the house, which traps in the cool air. Now you just cooled the thermal mass of the house which means it takes longer for the house to heat up over the course of the day. And in the evening, just repeat the process. Now In my situation, I have A/C but it doesn't kick on until maybe 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

[@lgbassett1310]

My family and I can truly relate. We have no A/C this year, too. We are staying hydrated, keeping curtains closed during hottest time of day, all room fans circulating. We are making it work.

[@victorwadsworth821]

Those chill bandanas, wrap on each wrist, this area is closest to your blood system thinking like your body is a air conditioner, circulating the cool fresh blood. These wraps can be found for about a dollar each.

[@jamjar5716]

Victor E, yes, every joint and pulse point. Wrists, behind the knees, inside elbows and around the neck. Feet in a bucket of cold water. Keep water and tea in the fridge.

[@shaunnaharris2033]

Can also hang a wet sheet in the door way place a fan on opposite side so it’s blowing the sheet towards the room your in. It helps till the sheet dries

[@deltadawn679]

I've never had AC in my life. I've lived in Arkansas, South Florida, South Georgia, and now SE Texas. Most times I haven't had a fan either, as I live off grid. People have survived the heat since the dawn of time. You adjust and find ways to beat the heat. My house is completely shaded, my roof is painted with the ceramic white paint. I open windows at night, close in the morning. Jump in the creek from time to time....lol

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

That's pretty ignorant. You should do some research because the lengths that those people would go to in order to maintain a livable temperature were pretty extreme. Also, anybody that grew up in the Northern US, or similarly far north, does not have the sweat glands necessary to put up with these conditions. We just don't, the US Military specifically studied that to figure out how to manage deployments. In those societies, you see things like buildings being built to surround wells to take advantage of the cooling from evaporation of the water. Multiple hour breaks in the middle of the day, and diets that were tuned to the season to ensure adequate electrolytes. Plus, in most of those societies, they were only working during the coolest parts of the day anyways, as that's when the animals they were hunting were most active anyways. Berries were similarly just as easily picked early in the morning and late in the evening as well. They most certainly did not have to work their safety into an arbitrary schedule set by businesses.

[@RT-bt5ql]

Liar

[@banderas2000]

everyone is different. this heat is also not natural.

[@deltadawn679]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade Well...I was born and raised until an adult, above 6500ft elevation, in NE Oregon. I moved from there to the South, where I have lived the rest of my life. I have survived just fine, sweat glands and all...lol

[@SouthernRebels94]

​@@SmallSpoonBrigadeYou do know the northern parts it can still get as hot as it does in the south, I was born and raised in the deep south but I been living in North Dakota for a while and I can say it gets just as hot here in North Dakota as it does the deep south during the summer as it been getting between 80-90 degrees here during the summer the only difference is its cooler around 30-40 at night.

[@gregoryfranklin5108]

When I was a kid (1953 -1969) , we had no air conditioner. In the evening just after dark , my dad and mom put a window fan (on exhaust) in one end of the house and we opened 2 windows about 2 inches in the other end of the house . This drew in cool air in our bedrooms and exhausted the warm air out . In the morning it was time to close everything up for the day .

[@melissasullivan1658]

As your 9b 110+ expert, I would encourage you to not cook at all when it gets that hot. Use the microwave, eat salads or brave the heat and just BBQ in the mornings. You’d be surprised just how much even your clothes dryer adds to the temps in your house, let alone using a stove/oven!

[@jimb3093]

Something I discovered this year is Heat Cool window film. It’s advertised to reject 72% of suns heat and blocks 99% of UV rays. It reduces glare and heat. I installed on my doors. I found the storm doors act as a greenhouse and were warping my doors! I also installed the film on windows where the sun blares through. That combined with blinds and curtains keeps things cool. You can find the stuff at big box stores. The brand I have is Gila. I advise watching the how to video on KZbin before installing the stuff. Anyway. My 2 cents. Well with the rise in costs 5 cents lol!

[@DChristina]

Thanks- I’ve heard of this before, but appreciate being reminded! 😄

[@edzanjero353]

Can it be easily removed or it is on like window tint?

[@jimb3093]

@@edzanjero353 yes, it simply peels off if needed.

[@HzFvr]

Thank you!

[@karenkaren5013]

5 cents 😆inflation for sure lol😉

[@wisewords3485]

Every time I see these videos or articles, I know it’s advice being given by someone who lives in a low humidity area, like some western parts of the United States. These strategies don’t alleviate the need for air conditioning in the humid Southeast. Yes, I’d love to live comfortably without ac and cut my power bill in half. But it’s not gonna happen here. Great tips for people in dry heat who don’t already know this though.

[@alabamatrixie7379]

BS...I live in the pacific northwest on the west side of the mountain range and it's humid as heck

[@wisewords3485]

@@alabamatrixie7379 and your point..? I didn’t say the whole west was dry. I said cooling tips for dry regions aren’t as effective in the hot, humid conditions of the southeast.

[@alabamatrixie7379]

@@wisewords3485 My "point" is obvious and clear. I don't explain things that are simple enough for a child to understand.

[@wisewords3485]

@@alabamatrixie7379 anyone reading these comments can figure out who the child is here. ;) Peace out.

[@spiders9360]

I know this is a bit of an older video, but I know people are trying to find ways to stay cool. So I got a lil tip for you. Dip your arms and feet into cool water!!! From what I've heard, cooling the parts of your body where veins are closer to the skin can really help. So head, forearms, feet, ect. Hope this helps.

[@PulpParadise]

Head, neck, forearms, and ankles/feet. The same is true in winter; if you keep these areas warm in winter, you will be significantly warmer overall.

[@piotr277]

If you want to cool yourself, get a shower and do not dry your body or just wipe your torso, legs and arms with a wet towel. As the water evaporates, it lowers the surface temperature. You can do the same trick by taking off your t-shirt and spraying it with some water, then putting it back on. That's the same way your body regulates temperature by sweating. ;) It works well to cool your beer outside in the Sun too, wrap it in paper towel and pour water on it. :P

[@01splitpea]

stayed Years ago, we stayed at an old farm house on the Steinhatchee River, in Florida in July, which had no AC. The ceilings were exceprionally high. We covered ourselves with wet towels at night. Fans during the day. Kwpt our hair and clothing wet at all times and drank a lot of water. Happy memories.

[@kerim.peardon5551]

I live in a very humid state. What you just described gives me the heebie-jeebies. Lol. Here, you sweat and it doesn't evaporate, so you're hot and clammy and it's miserable. We went to a camping event some years ago and it was over 100 degrees on Saturday with our typical Southern humidity. When it got too hot to do anything, my husband and I tried to take a nap. But we never managed to do anything other than lightly doze because it was so hot, you were sweating while lying down, doing nothing, and the beads of sweat would drip down your body and it felt like there were bugs crawling on you.

[@teresacoffman5529]

One trick I’ve begun to utilize is screening off my porch. I bought a screen tarp from Harbor Freight and hung it from the eaves of our porch. I used carabiners because it’s easy to remove in the fall. Make sure it’s long and wide enough to fit your porch. That extra bit of screen fabric makes a huge difference. Is it fancy? No, but it cools our porch which cools the house in turn.

[@teresacoffman5529]

@@materh7738 I don’t think so. I think shade cloth is a tighter weave than this, but I could be wrong.

[@adterpandrea]

Growing up, we didn't have AC and my mom used to do most of that (not the outside cooking except BBQ). Back then, we had 2 big metal fans ("whole house fans") that mounted on the window frame and you could reverse direction of the blades. They were on the second floor windows of two bedrooms on opposite sides of the house. During the day, she would close all the upstairs windows (except the ones with the fans) put them on exhaust to draw the air through the house from downstairs, pulling the heat up and out. At night, she would reverse them to blow cool air into the bedrooms to cool us while sleeping. You can't get those fans now so I found metal, large air volume fans that are on a frame shaped like a hassock so they can rotate 360°. I attached them to the upper frames of my windows by hanging them on large hooks screwed into the window frames & opened the windows by pulling the top windows down. Then, rotating the fan to exhaust or blow in, as necessary, I could cool the house pretty well. Opening the top of the window allowed me to pull the hottest air out quickly. Also, we live in a row home in the city. Having the open window at the top allowed for privacy in the bedroom because people on the other side of the street couldn't see in. And, I mounted the blinds on the window frame below the fan. Might have looked a little odd but it was well worth the atypical appearance. To turn the fan on and off, we left the fan set on high & set the plug in an outlet with a switch. I had a pole with a hook attached to grab the handle on the fan's cage, or the cage itself, to rotate it. It worked brilliantly.

[@YT4Me57]

My parents did the same and I still use those same techniques to cool down the house!

[@SuperWhatapain]

Great idea

[@kimberlygraham8565]

We had a whole house fan installed in our first home. It was a Cape Cod so it was installed at the top of the stairs in the landing area. I loved being able to crack open the main floor Windows just a few inches, turn that on, and the night air would cool the house 10-20 degrees in a matter of minutes. Then we’d close up the house to keep it cool the next day. We had a big shade tree on the East side of the house which helped too. Worked wonders in the spring and fall where the worse part of the heat is midday but the mornings and nights are cool. I wish we could have installed one in our new home as soon as we moved in but it needed a lot of other remodeling first and the “life” happened. Still miss that fan LOL

[@cathyvincent3510]

When using fans I find oscillating fans help more because they move the air around the rooms and it stays much cooler than when I used box fans.

[@lindanizamoff7981]

We have a window fan and keep a fan at the foot of the bed and it works great ,like being at the beach. The air blows over your body.

[@iggypopisgod9]

When using fans I find oscillating fans help more because they move the air around the rooms and it stays much cooler than when I used box fans. 53 1 box fans need push pull system...one 1, one out

[@StarwaterCWS]

We didn’t use our AC last year to save $. Hottest indoors reached 85 during triple digit days. Ceiling fans kept us comfy. We opened our windows in the morning using metal fans to force cool air in. It really saved us a bundle’.

[@victorwadsworth821]

If you ever loose a long term tree, insurance will pay good on it's loss. A tree can make a good reduction in heat to your home. I love watching the birds & their singing.

[@Denpachii]

I live in a 30's farmhouse surrounded by giant oak trees here in NE PA. We lost one of those trees in a tornado about ten years ago, and it's loss is felt from lack of shade. I did expand the garden, though! Window mounted AC is a no in this house as the thin walls shake like heck, the noise is ... not good. The basement on the other hand is an excellent source of cool air for the first floor. using a fan. There is a much older home not far from me where there was an outdoor summer kitchen, basically a semi attached large shed where all the cooking was done when it was hot, as well as a smokehouse. The old timers knew how to get things done.

[@Bettinasisrg]

That's one thing a lot of houses in the West don't have, basements!! I loved going down into our cool basement in hot muggy Chicago summers! Not a lot of people had A.C. back in the 60s and 70s

[@user-kc1tf7zm3b]

Modern split ACs are very quiet. Moreover, they are extremely efficient to heat the home as well. For freestanding homes, window AC units are for mugs.

[@LoriAtHomeByTheCreek]

What we do is open up windows when temp outside starts to go below indoor temp. We put a very strong fan in one window FACING OUT, and open 1 window in each room. That fan will suck out the hot air while pulling cool in. It's awesome. I find it much more effective than blowing the fan in from the window. Just thought I'd share that. Hope you are blessed with cooler temps. Thanks for your videos!

[@OceanGateEngineer4Hire]

Keep the fan about 5ft away from the window. There was a guy on KZbin who meticulously tested the optimal fan distance to maximize air circulation in the home, and keeping it around 5ft from the window pushed way more air out/sucked more in, than when the fan was right up to the window.

[@curiousone6435]

Some of your tips didn't apply to me due to my living circumstances, but I tried your idea of soaking a towel/dishcloth in water, freezing it, and using it as a neck cradle. I've been doing this for all day today in hot Washington, DC, and it works quite well! Thank you for that tip. I'll chime in with one of my own: making a concoction of homemade peppermint spray. I fill a spray bottle with peppermint essential oil and water, shake it really well, and spritz on the back of my neck, arms, along my legs, between my boobs, and backs of my thighs. I gotta do it eyes closed (peppermint burns!) and holding the breath for a few seconds. It's best to do this outside in the open air. That helps a bit, too. Bonus: it's a good bug repellant. The downside is that it lasts for only half an hour or so. Cheers, and thank you for making this video.

[@tinyhomestead6023]

Cool idea! I'm growing a small spearmint & a peppermint plant. So, I just went out and tried a couple of handfuls. Next I'll rum it around and drop it in a spray bottle that I will chill in the freezer for a few minutes 👍🏼 It's certainly worth a try!

[@sunshinelady7933]

@Curious One Thanks for the VALUABLE TIP .... It's hitting two birds in one stone!

[@moonglowdancer1892]

Cool showers and water misting bottle, keep your wrist and feet damp will help. We live in Texas heat along with humidity can be brutal.. everyone stay cool this summer!

[@cryptickcryptick2241]

Spray down the house with a hose or put a sprinkler on the roof. Generally, on hot days the roofs of houses will get up to 140+ degrees. Evaporative cooling can cool the entire house on the outside. If you put a sprinkler on the roof of the house, just for a few minutes, long enough to get it wet, or spray the roof down with a garden hose. (It takes about 2-3 minutes.). As long as you are cooling the roof you can also spray down the siding, windows and the rest of the house. This water will evaporate and cool the outside of your house some. Each gallon of water that evaporates absorbs about the amount of heat that one small window air-conditioner can pump out of the house in an hour. Generally, the roof of the house will dry in about an hour, so you need to repeat several times through the day. Evaporative cooling can help moderate some of the heat, and it can really take the edge off on a super hot day, this is not going to cool your home anywhere nearly as good as an air conditioner, but it can help. If I had to guess, I would say this can reduce the temperatures in a house by 5 degrees.

[@gargdallas5564]

I like how it rains cats and dogs and 1 hr later there's no sign it did.. this absolutely cools nothing.. in fact I'll prove it if you lay on your roof and let me spray you with water 🤣 dont listen to this

[@cryptickcryptick2241]

@@gargdallas5564 This is simply a large version of using a water mister to spray yourself with water, or being at the beach and taking a dip. Everyone knows how a good afternoon shower can do an amazing job of cooling things off! This one trick alone is not going to provide an amazing level of relief (like having an air conditioner) but at every little bit of cooling can help! In order for this to be fair you need to lay on the roof twice, once while being sprayed and another time while not being sprayed. Roofs are very hot 145 degrees, and this will reduce those temperatures while the water is drying (to 100, 110). This is still warmer than most people want, but it slows the heating of the inside of the house. While roofs are suppose to have well ventilated attics and lots of insulation to isolate roofs, this only works so well. A quick spray down on the outside of the house does cools things, some of that cooling effect may be offset by an increase in humidity. and this is generally not recommended long term as it could damage roofing. That said, there are numerous examples of places that used this approach. Lumber mills for example, spray logs so they do no dry to fast and crack and have also put sprinkling systems on the roofs of the sheds to keep it cooler inside.

[@deborahmcsweeney1650]

You nailed it pretty good! I haven't had AC for 15 years in Central Kansas. The windows open at night is key and shutting them in the morning before it gets warm. Fans. Lots of fans are wonderful!

[@MelissaKNorris]

Glad to hear from a no AC veteran!

[@kit2130]

Doesn’t always work. I live in KS too & went a year without a/c. It was so hot I was trying to submerge in a cold water bath but the even the water wasn’t as cold & warmed up too fast.

[@amyschmelzer6445]

Do you not have humidity in Kansas? I lived 8 miles from Kansas in Nebraska when I was a kid. I don’t remember whether we had humidity or not. However, here in Ohio it gets humid enough that even if it’s only 72 I will drip with sweat outside. Those 85-90 days can be miserable because the relative humidity numbers are just as high as the temp.

[@Susie98052]

How do you cope with the no-see-ums? They fit through the window screens. Last time I visited the plains states, I was constantly getting bitten. At the end of my visit, I was so miserable and swollen in the face and ears from all the bites

[@kit2130]

@@Susie98052 Humidity was high this year with a lot of rain during warm weather. Most of the time it rains in the cooler springtime so it isn’t as much of an issue. Summers are just hot. I’m not sure about the no see ums you’re referring to. We do get chiggers-best not to mow in hot weather with wet grass. They love that & burrow under the skin & leave little welts. But they’re avoidable. Mosquitos & ticks are out right now with a vengeance. We have some massive mosquitos 🦟 that I’ve never seen before along with our small ones. The ticks are thick. Pulled 2 off my shoulder just today. But I’m in the country with open land all around so idk what they’re dealing with in town!

[@RahonaStream]

Also in Washington: To keep the heat out was to put mylar survival blankets over all of our windows.

[@stacylgh]

I bought car sunshades that are silver on one side and black on the other. It doesn't rattle like the mylar or tinfoil. You can just pack them up during cool months and reuse. It doesn't cover the entirety of my tall windows but that just gives the cats a place to look out. We use them on the backside of our house because it's West facing and very hot in Georgia summer.

[@moniquegebeline4350]

Try that with 75-85% humidity tho! Lol stay cool you are hotter than we are on the gulf coast now.

[@amandataylor682]

I was gonna say. You almost need a snorkle to go outside my house right now. 😁

[@stacylgh]

I put large car sunshades on the back west facing side of our house and it makes a big difference. I have heat intolerance and using cooling towels and stuff where you rely on evaporation doesn't help much when it's high humidity.

[@eugenetswong]

Melissa, these tips are great. Thanks. I encourage you to look into solar box cooking, which requires no fuel to operate, since it uses the sun's rays. Since it is used outside, your indoors will keep cooler. Also, I encourage to look into placing outdoor window blinds on the outside of your windows, or hanging some kind of flexible roll down blinds, to prevent most glaring light from entering your home. Blocking the sun, when it is outside, heats up the blinds outside, as opposed to heating your curtains up inside.

[@lethaharris1608]

We have used damp towels laid on us with a fan blowing on us when we sleep with a spray bottle near by and this next tip will sound crazy but sleeping on top of a sleeping bag that has that I think it's polyethylene covering it breathes and do the towel trick . Sounds crazy but worked for us for a lot of years . Awesome ideas so thankful for your videos!

[@SuperWhatapain]

Strange I would think sleeping bag would be hot. Hmm gotta try

[@lethaharris1608]

It's odd I know but I'm talking about the cheap ones . I think how it works is it wicks off the sweat and allows air circulation but I don't really know how it works so... We did it for years and I hope it works for you .

[@judywood4530]

The one thing that I would add is to place your fans to take advantage of the prevailing direction of the wind: blowing in for west and north facing windows and blowing out for east and south facing windows. This is a generalization, but the air moves through the house much better if you do not fight the current direction of the wind. Another thing is to cover the windows with 2-3 layers of newspaper to block the sun which works in conjunction with curtains and shades. This, too, is very effective. You do not have to leave this on your windows all summer, just when you know scorching weather is predicted.

[@MelissaKNorris]

Thank you for sharing your tips!

[@theresachiorazzi4571]

We managed to survive years ago without air conditioning my poor father worked in a machine shop we were poor we did with less than people have today. I went to school with no air condition we were by no means spoiled. Times are better today than back then.

[@sajmt1414]

I live in the south with the heat and high humidity. I didn’t realize until about a week ago that y’all in the north don’t have AC. That just blows my mind. Great video.

[@Singr4God]

I live in WA state and summer temperatures are usually 70-85 degrees in summer. That's why the no AC. But now more houses are being built with AC. I'm lucky to have it! 😊

[@KyrenaH]

It depends. In Nebraska we had AC. It would frequently get in the triple digits there.

[@n.a.garciafamily]

In MN we absolutely do. Gets super hot and humid in the summer, very cold in the winter 💞

[@Dotalina33]

@@n.a.garciafamily as country kids we didn’t have AC up here in Michigan growing up. The humidity here is high surrounded by the Great Lakes. Now every car you see has it and most homes. Maybe it wasn’t as hot back in the 50 and 60’s but all I recall doing was sitting out under our huge tree with ice chips to suck on and wet towels on our necks. Oh and yes bowls of cold water for our feet. I don’t ever remember getting over 101 degrees but with humidity again that would equal another 5-10 degrees. Our poor mom of 5 was busy just trying to endure let alone cook. But she did!!

[@TK-ij2xi]

This was on Pinterest & I became curious. Living in the Valley of the Sun my entire life, my grandma didn't get A/C until the '90s! Menopause sent her over the edge. The thing is, if you don't have raw "dirt" around you - it won't cool off at night. We keep our A/C at 82 because it is 110 at night due to all the asphalt/pavement retaining heat ...plus, we're in a valley. My grandpa's mother - who lived in Parker Dam in the 30's/40's used to put a wet sheet on a box fan for "air conditioning" for the kids. I grew up with swamp cooler until the monsoons hit - and then we just say around eating popcicles with a wet washcloth on our head! 🤣 There were a LOT OF SALADS.

[@mares4636]

I live in the east valley (hello neighbor!) and am looking for ways to cut back on using the AC. Wasn't last summer the worst?! Stay cool!

[@TK-ij2xi]

@@mares4636 We left as soon as September hit. So, I think we missed the records of 2023. But having lived through 123, everything is relative. I remember running the neighborhood in Phoenix in the summer barefoot, finding relief on the grass between carports! Those were the days. Close everything down, close your window shades....once it's hotter outside at night than inside, close your windows. My daughter lives in a 1 bedroom apartment and can keep her AC as high as 85 (no sun hits her place). Good luck!! 🤞

[@leslie6189]

My grandparents... And many grandparents.. Earlier generations... Had "outside kitchens"... It is a COVERED... usually SCREENED in patio, right off the house... An actual kitchen set up.. Camp sink or Gardenning sink for year round... Permanent electrical outlets for hot plates.. A counter surface or folding tables.. And outdoor fridge (secure all foodsources against bears/wildlife if you live in such areas

[@SNi-hn1wd]

My aunt in Arizona always did this.

[@Wisdomseeker_777]

I recently moved backed to south Texas where the temps are in 3 digits every summer I've spent here. I actually used to dampen tank tops & partially freeze them before wearing when it was unbearably hot. It definitely helped!

[@Chelarue]

I still do that with tees and tanks. I freeze several and swap out as needed. That method was especially a lifesaver during menopause, but it is with my gardening too.

[@Nilsosmar]

I like your first advice (blocking the sun with shades or curtains, and minimizing opening the door) but I have a suggestion based on personal experience. Rather than setting a fan in front of a screen window to try to pull the cold air *inward* (into your house) (at night), open two screen windows and set a box fan by one of them facing *outward*. Facing the fan *outward* creates a much better air flow, moves significantly more air (you can test and verify this with an anemometer), and pushes the hot air out of the house. As the hot air is pushed out, it creates a vacuum and cold air from outdoors flows in to replace it. When you wake up in the morning, your house will be almost as cool as the coolest it was outside, the night before.

[@jennyeagan1840]

Great tips. Have used quilt batting, natural fibers, to laundry clothes clip to the blinds in extreme hot and cold weather. Purchased low expensive, from walmart. Not a fashion statement, live in an apartment so curtian rods are non existent and buying rods helps in certain situations. Another aide in keeping cool. Am thinking of going ahead and purchasing a double rod curtain and installing.

[@tommywilson4027]

This channel gives out some of the best information, families like this are a real treasure to this nation.

[@n.a.garciafamily]

Amen Tommy!!

[@kristinj8271]

Ty for the ideas. We do not have AC. Im in Virginia. My house is at about 84-88 daily. No curtains either on any window. We do have a whole house fan but isn't always a solution. It ends up just moving the hot air. We bought a john deer tractor instead of central air!

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

I live in the Arizona desert and we just got central air last year only using evaporative coolers and living in a manufactured home is not a great combination we had average inside temps of 85-90(sometimes higher). I bought the styrofoam boards from Dollar Tree and put them in all the windows, black blocks all the sunlight and white filters it, I have a combination of them. The boards also act as an extra layer of insulation. The back of my house faces the East so all blinds and curtains on that side stay closed in the first half of the day and then can be opened when we closed up the west side of the house windows later in the day.

[@moniquem783]

Cover your windows with the thickest fabric you can find. Blankets are ideal. Towels will help. Sheets will help a bit if that’s all you’ve got, but the thicker the better. The darker the house is, the cooler it is.

[@kristinj8271]

@@moniquem783 whelp maybe I'll try my table cloths for starters. I have lots of those. Not thick but its a start. Ty!

[@bigdogbob845]

Another effective way to cut the heat is to have rollup, white plastic, shades hung from the eves of the outside walls of your home with the most solar exposure on the south and west sides. the inside window blinds are OK, but outside is much better. And in the evening when things are cooling down I spray down the blinds and window screens with water, just before you open all the widows up for the night, the water evaporation helps a lot.

[@AlbertMoyerJr]

Great tips! We use every one of them for years in Texas, especially if an a/c goes out. Glad you guys survived August in Texas. One tip: Keep a mister bottle handy or even a water hose for spray downs. Evaporative cooling is the best!

[@tinkertailorgardenermagpie]

Thank you Melissa! Just wanted to add a solar cooking method to the best way to cook w/o heating up your house (or standing too long in the sun, tending to it!). People can look it up to be prepared in advance as there are a number of different methods & DIY setups. Most involve a dark tightly covered pot (slow cooker insert could work), cardboard covered in foil/thermal car sunshade, &/or padding (layers of quilt/blankets or a pad made of beanbag chair filling). This is also great as it can be used when rolling blackouts “come to a neighborhood near you!”.

[@josiegallegos7144]

I just had a carport and patio covered installed which is where the sun hits. This is awesome information. Thank you sharing.

[@tomfrederick6083]

I am 27 miles Southeast of Seattle. We only got to 109, so I consider us lucky from what you experienced. I lived in Vegas for 10 years and it never got above 105 during the hottest days. Now 115 is the norm. This climate change is crazy. We have to find a way to keep our plants alive in this weather to they clean the air.

[@jlouutube65]

This is how we existed in the 80's when we had no air conditioning.

[@KPHVAC]

If at all possible block the light from outside the house. On the outside of the house put up those bamboo roller shades or even cardboard to block the light before it hits the windows. Especially for West and South facing windows. Also, a radiant barrier in the attic would be a huge help.

[@loric3455]

I would love to see some videos on cooking and/or baking in your dutch oven in your firepit!

[@villiehaizlip7626]

I use the blackout curtain & fold them to double & hang BUT in the bigger windows under the blackout curtains I use a car window shield that reflects out. It is really a great help on heat blocking!

[@user-pu1bu9qb9u]

Wear cotton, stay hydrated with water, get wet go sit or lay in the shade and be still. The heat can kill you quicker than you think. It happened to my cousin

[@commonweakness9060]

Great video. I love the frozen towel idea. Another tip for fan use is to strategically place one or more fan blowing in from the cooler shaded side of your house while you have one or more fans blowing out from the hotter side of your home. It cools your home off so much faster.

[@miltonbuu]

👍

[@momsyusa5053]

enjoyed your tips I lived with min electric and no fridge AC for many years, the refrigerator trick was nice except that we did not have a refrigerator. Here are some tips I learned with my little ones, never go to bed without rinsing off the salt oil's and dirt from your skin also make your home as dark as possible. I don't even allow a lightbulb on because it creates heat. Absolutely running nothing that would cause heat. All sheets need to be cotton with no nylon or rayon or any other blend of fabric. Fans of course, we also were not on a water system, so all dishwater was used to flush toilets or to put on plants. Having plants around your home does help.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

In hotter areas, it's worth venting the refrigerator to the outside so that it doesn't just dump the energy it removed from inside to your room.

[@eileenfb1948]

In the UK it only sometimes gets too hot. On my south facing, large window I line the curtains with an insulated lining called 3 pass. It blocks light and heat. It makes a huge difference. If I overheat I run both wrists under cold water for at least two minutes - which is how long it takes to cool all of your body. It works a treat.

[@morethanill]

The fan in the window just saved my life. It’s 3:am where I am and I’ve been sweating dying all day. Thanks for all the tips! Blessings🙌🏼

[@teaves8251]

I used reflective foil sided board insulation in my windows. My house stayed at 78° during 116°outside. I also put up shade cloth around the areas with intense sun.

[@peterbelanger4094]

I goes against the impulse that many people have their home all bright and sunny, but during the summer, it's best to have the shades drawn and keep the house dark and shady during the day.

[@piotr277]

Steel roof and siding with reflective coating, double/triple pane windows with good glass and shutters/blinds, well insulated roof and walls (not with polystyrene or fiberglass).

[@peggyhurley5367]

When hurricanes knock out elec. for extended periods in high heat & high humidity Louisiana we utilize ALL your tips! Thank you!

[@sueschoers4974]

I’m in Australia, where we have long hot summers. In the old days before we all had aircon, our way of using nature as a cooler is to hang hessian fabric from your roof in front of your windows, then at night wet the hessian, open your windows & the night air will get cooled by the water. The hessian in front of your windows during the day keeps the sun off them & the room inside will be cooler because it’s shaded.

[@pamt8430]

Black out curtains with rods that wrap around the side of the windows is a must!!! Plus black out roller shades behind the curtains. Living in an area with high temps and a west facing picture window....you find ways to keep the sun out in the summer. Added a reflective insulator (like what you put against your car windshield or used in RVs) dropped the temp on the west side of the house 10 degrees. You do what you have to do.

[@Marcel_Audubon]

the outdoor kitchen is a great idea ... also: maybe they're not as common in the NW, but basements are always many, many degrees cooler than the first floor on sizzling hot days. Attic fans: you're using the same concept with your oscillating fan by the door pulling in the cooler night air, but an old fashioned attic fan can bring a house full of cool air inside in about 10 mins. and keep it cool all night (just remember to turn it off before sunrise when it starts pulling in warmer air!) Great post, MKN!

[@200Nora]

Right, you do not want to recirculate hot air in a closed house. Some houses in the south are old (like mine) and have no good insulation keeping them hot if you totally enclose them. I did put insulation in the attic myself and I notice a difference in maintaining the coolness longer after turning off the ac (no, I do not run it 24/7). I am retired and cannot pay the crazy bills (work part-time, here and there, as a nurse). I however have invested some in a solar set up with 6 solar panels, 2000 watts available, and two 5k btus window units to run a few hours a day if needed (in the bedrooms). I learned how to do it myself. Anybody who can bite the bullet should do it, with gas prices on the clouds, and an unstable grid system, it is a good investment for emergencies, (even a small one for the basic things would help).

[@richardmeiners6535]

A wet bath towel lain across your torso with a fan on works wonders, at least in dryer climates. The key is the air moving, it sucks the heat and you will actually get cold. I did this for a few summers in Utah when all I had was a cheap swamp cooler, the towel made all the difference.

[@tinyhomestead6023]

I'm in northeast Texas and it gets very hot here and freezes in the winter. After I retired I decided to practice being very frugal with my electricity...and to make preparations just incase. (It also allowed me extra money to buy some tools & other self sufficient supplies). Now, I have gone without using my central heat & air for almost 5 years. I've found many hacks and your video was a good reminder of using my blackout curtains on the sunny side of my house. Now, I'm going to double up by putting up sets of 2 layer curtains that I'd forgot that I had. I do use a small window air conditioner in my bedroom to help me sleep otherwise insomnia rears it's head. Also, I have been so busy out in the veggie garden that I completely forgot about the frozen towel hack! 😯 I got my wet towel in the freezer just after watching your video!! My other hack is because I grow banana trees & large elephant ears for fun. But they need regular water during in hottest part of our summer. So, when I water them...I hold the water hose over myself...head & all...and take a cold shower outside beside my plants. I keep my closes on and they help me stay cool by being wet while I'm using the water for my plants! 👍🏼

[@Chelarue]

A great hack I use while out gardening in our very hot AR summers is keeping several t-shirts frozen at all times. As soon as I get hot, I put one on; when it's no longer cooling, I swap to another frozen one, and repeat the process as many times as needed, but always ensure I have one or two left for bedtime, if needed. Sometimes, I sleep in one, and other times I roll one under my neck and/or flatten one on a towel under my torso.

[@askmisspatience]

Depending on location leaving the windows opened during a high humidity day is a mistake. Blackout insulated curtains work great. All windows closed. Fans. On days like this a portable ac helps when possible in a closed room. I’d say a midday cold bath is a nice fun thing (especially in a claw tub). An attic fan in a vintage house designed to function without an ac and ceiling or any type of fans is a really helpful thing. Make sure to leave the basement door opened especially if it’s underground. The air circulates up through the house out the attic. This works for houses built before the age of air conditioning. Any time it’s 90 or above outside the basement is in the 60’s. The first floor 70’s. The second floor high 70’s. The attic isn’t insulated yet on the roof. Just the floor. When humidity is above 90 close the attic. Under 90 open the door. All doors opened. Windows closed. As mentioned, the air flows through the house out the attic and the rooms all help circulate air with ceiling fans. There’s all type of attic fans. I use two way fans with three settings. Total price from Aldi $70. These required zero modifications to the windows. Install the fans. The settings are flow in, exhaust, or circulate which is one blows in and the other out. I usually have them on exhaust. This helps with house air circulation explained to me by the power company. So far it’s worked great. In the basement I renovated with glass block x5 for insulation and one window for airflow. Since older houses don’t do well with central air due to design. Many complaints second floors are still hot. Decided to get portable a/c’s and the two way fans. A large humidifier in the basement that barely runs now that I’ve renovated the windows and fixed the stone with spray foam called Pond and Stone to insulate in the cracks. In small bedrooms can use the portable ac which is also a fan and dehumidifier or a small humidifier. This helps keep the room less moist and cooler. It’s a trial and error thing. Figure out the style of home and design heat and cool management based on this. Like, I’m winter, the house is designed for heating each room. Everything was built with a door. Not open concept. Leave the primary furnace at the recommended level. 50-55. Heat each room being used at night to the ideal sleep temp about 68 degrees. During the day heat the rooms as needed. We enjoy going outdoors in the winter with the dog so keeping the house cool helps when the temp drops to below zero for stretches. Having a small heating fireplace for the living room adds ambience. But when everyone is asleep just heat that room with an infrared or tiny thermostat heater. This works for us, but might not be for everyone. We adjust to the outdoor temp because we enjoy outdoors all year having a German Shepherd. To afford items we bought the house then a few items each year from Aldi like the two way fans and portable ac’s. The various tiny heaters or vintage looking heater fireplaces by on sale each year one or two. Same with insulated curtains. Buy on sale a few at a time as able to afford them. Hope this helps someone with their home

[@deecooper1567]

Great tips Melissa. Unfortunately our house faces East & West🥴. We have triple pane windows built for the dry heat of the desert yet when it’s a couple weeks of high temps… 109 to 117.. peaked once at 120 🔥🔥😵‍💫😵‍💫 it’s hard to keep cool 😩. I use the crockpot or just eat sandwiches & GET UP EARLY for outside chores. It just seems like the sun has turned up her thermostat ☀️☀️🔥🔥🔥. Have trees planted & planting more. Thanks for sharing for those who are just overwhelmed with this heat 👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

[@Captainsaucebuckle]

Also, try freezing a few water bottles, and put it into a sock. You can put it against yourself and it isn't freezing cold, just cool. Plus the sock insulates it so it doesn't melt super fast. In the summer I always sleep with one.

[@moniquem783]

Aussie here. I have aircon now, but lived in many rentals without it over the years. Yes, covering windows is number 1. The thicker the covering the better. Blankets if you can. You would knock it down into the 70’s if you put blankets over those blinds. Also, if you have blinds that are inset in the window frame, fabric covering the little gaps at the sides actually makes an enormous difference. A damp cloth draped over the fan helps too, but of course be careful. You can also make a diy aircon with a fan and a tote and ice blocks. There are how to videos here on KZbin. Also mist cold water on your face/skin - good during the day and also as you get into bed. I had a fancy aerosol water mist and would keep that beside the bed for if I woke up. Of course a spray bottle works too, but they tend to drip so put a placemat or something on the bedside to protect the surface. Yes to keeping the doors closed as much as possible during the day then opening everything up at night. Get a cross breeze if you can. Fun fact, in Australia it’s a door on the south side that’s coolest 😉 Yes to cooking outside or in the instant pot or slow cooker if it’s too hot to cook outside. You can apparently also bake in the instant pot. You get a round loaf of bread and have to flip it over to brown the top but it’s bread that doesn’t heat the house. Trees are definitely a plus if you can. There are trees that are fire resistant so those are safer closer to the house. Grape vines around the porch/pergola help too, and you get bonus grapes. If you are lucky enough to have aircon, if you still do all these little things it will keep your energy bills down. Also, if you have a split system, choose the dehumidify/dry setting. It recools the already cooled air from inside rather than pulling new hot air from outside and cooling that from hot, so it takes much less energy to run and gets it cooler than the cool setting can. You also don’t need the fan of it up as high on the dry setting so it’s much quieter.

[@heatheringram2976]

Aussie here too. We slept under wet wrung out sheets to stay cool to get to sleep and wore wet wrung out tshirts during the day

[@shannoncook9915]

Using Doterra peppermint oil works winders to cool you down too. I know it sounds crazy but it works!

[@splash4891]

thats a great tip... and drinking pepp tea helps too

[@davebodily6807]

If there is any way to put a shade or tarp over the window on the outside, to prevent the sun from hitting the glass helps a lot. The sun coming through the glass and heats up the space between the glass and the curtain or shade. So any window on the south and west needs a covering on the outside. When I was younger my dad had the bamboo rollup shades on the outside of the windows. We have have rollup cloth shade on our patio door area .

[@thomasapplewhite8672]

Thoughtful tips! Before A/C we used to hang damp sheets in the windows and blow a box fan through them. It gave temporary relief until the sheets dried out.

[@danikalynn8302]

It's been SO hot with not much relief! This is super helpful, thank you!

[@emmyscreativecorner1575]

I live in California and thought I had all the cool tricks. I love the washcloth idea. I'm suddenly feeling like I should have known this already. 🤣

[@MelissaKNorris]

We learn something new everyday! Everyone has shared great ideas that I never heard before too!

[@melissasullivan1658]

Same! I live in Sacramento and could’ve used that tip when the AC went out last year. Instead I used Igloo Pops. Lemme tell you how silly it looks when you make up covered in melted igloo pops. 😂

[@emmyscreativecorner1575]

@@melissasullivan1658 🤣😂 That's funny.

[@jekbot]

California gal here too. I've never had AC and grew up in the SFV. I used to stuff my pillowcase and top sheet into the freezer. Drove my mom batty. Now, we use a wet bandana just on the torso to fall asleep, and I keep a spray bottle near me to mist myself when needed. Back in 2020 when we had the awful fires, we had to keep the windows closed due to hideous air quality, and we hit 110 without air conditioning. It was not pleasant, but we kept the house dark, and the spray bottles flowing.

[@daisycouchfarm2464]

That was some crazy weather we had! I’m about an hour south of Seattle and wow! We made our dinners in the slow cooker and I actually plugged it in outside so it didn’t heat up the house at all

[@Susie98052]

Same! We're in eastern Redmond, and I had my instant pot and electric hotplates set up in the garage. Even with doing most of these tips, our inside temp hit 95. Probably we need better insulation in the crawl space

[@daisycouchfarm2464]

@@Susie98052 we just had our attic done with spray foam and I think that made all the difference. Highly recommend PNW insulation llc I’m sure they come up to your area!

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@Susie98052 If it's that hot inside, you definitely want to be wearing a winter coat, especially something fluffy like a down parka. It's also worth taking a bold shower and drinking the coldest beverages you can stand.

[@renamaemcdonald2075]

Great points! We found it was great to blow the warm inside air out. This would draw the cool air in & creates a breeze. It works good if there's not that many windows open

[@SueD.]

Great tips. We do a lot of these. Going to the basement helps a lot. thanks for the tip on frozen towels.

[@garethmills6206]

45C without AC is tough! Kudos from us in Australia. Stay safe!

[@harvestmaid5669]

Rice pack in long sock....from freezer.

[@Clarinda787]

I love your outdoor cooking options. I don't have an outdoor kitchen yet so on our 100+ degree days I like to bake in my solar oven. We also use a chiminea and a grill sometimes. It keeps the heat out of the house but we can still enjoy one-pot meals, pies, cakes, homemade bread, etc.

[@kayjay2588]

Heat rises, too. My grandmothers home had transom panels on every door, and a skylight that opened and closed. She'd open her double-hung windows a few inches from the top, with shades drawn, and had only one fan she'd move from room to room, and one box fan in a back upstairs window that faced north. It was hot and humid in Baltimore City, with her flat tar roof, but she kept cool by being still during heat of day, catching up on her newspaper, hand sewing, and napping, keeping her t.v. and radio off because they created heat. Oh, she opened up the cellar door inside because the cooler air would be drawn up by the fans and roof skylight

[@mister-action1]

Thank goodness, we have air conditioning !

[@MelissaKNorris]

So glad we made it through. Where are you located?

[@mister-action1]

@@MelissaKNorris Indiana

[@pilarmartin5051]

Soon Not to be get ready

[@avanellehansen4525]

I survived the heatwave in Washington State. 110* outside and 95* INSIDE with AC and fans ON! I had to bug out to a neighbors house. Best tips for me were getting into cold shower with clothes in. Especially wet hair helped. Tack cardboard over skylights

[@cryptickcryptick2241]

Sometimes AC units get a lot of dirt, leaves, fuzz and other debris on the coils. This dirt can cuts down the air flow and the cooling ability of the unit. the Gently, spraying the coils off with a garden hose can help clean the coils and make them work more effectively.

[@avanellehansen4525]

Cryptic Cryptic. Thanks so much!

[@lettyzane2720]

My mom grew up in Tucson AZ without ac. She used to tell us about the whole family sleeping on the roof (flat and painted white) of their house at night and sleeping with damp bedsheets covering them.

[@ricardogonzalez860]

Hey Melissa, a small trick I learned a long time ago is get a wood board to cover your window and plenty of soda pop 20oz plastic bottles. Cut the bottom off the bottles and remove the caps. Drill holes on the board and space the bottles accordingly. You want the big side of the bottles facing out so when the breeze flows through air cools naturally.

[@sdqsdq6274]

the thing is when ambient temp is hot, the wind/breeze coming in are hot as hell as well , lol

[@huggalon]

You forgot to mention wearing 100% cotton/linen.

[@ceegee6625]

Melissa, I love your practical advice! I too live ina mobile home with no basement and no garage or root seller. Thank you for all of your tips and tricks for gardening, preserving and otherwise!

[@jkx6836]

A nice addition from the modern times - a neck fan! If your face feels cooler, you feel cooler generally. These are U-shaped fans that sit around your neck and blow air up your neck and head, giving you a lot of relief from the heat! USB rechargeable, about $30 online. I have a small farm in Texas and have to be out in the weather every day. Weeks of triple digits are common in the summer, and nighttime temperatures often are still in the 90's (F) so I really appreciate my neck fan!

[@pinschrunner]

We have frequently been 108*F heat index since May here in Central West Florida. Crazy! Don't take the temperature from a thermometer in the sun, but rather the shade. Getting in the pool before bed works to cool down also. Box fans mounted in the window to bring in cool evening air. Ceiling fans. BBQ outside. Grills should NEVER be kept or used up against a home.. I have a small convection oven on a table on the veranda.as well. Prepare cold drinks in advance and hydrate often. Dress with light colored loose clothing. Heavy curtains and energy efficient windows also help.

[@southtexasprepper6605]

Very informative video, hope yall get through this heat wave, here in South Texas we are used to the heat but that doesn't mean we don't feel it, these are great tips, thanks so much for all you share with us.

[@MelissaKNorris]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@letsgrowtexas7391]

I am in Corpus. I dont mind the heat- all of this rain, however, is driving me nuts! Can't mow because we aren't drying out and some grass is over 3 foot tall now!

[@lindafarrow239]

Dehumidifiers

[@readysetgrowfarm8919]

I'm ALMOST jealous of your heat! We are having an unusually cold summer here. I was able to see my breath on the 4th of July and it snowed in the mountains a few hours away!

[@Eucis93]

A good tip is to have only two windows open, on opposite sides of your house and have one fan pointing out one of the windows. It will create a little wind tunnel which causes the window without a fan to pull in cool air while the fan blows out hot air, even if there’s no wind or breeze. It’s also good to remember that hot air goes upwards, so if you have several stories in your house it will always be hotter on the higher stories (best for pushing out hot air) and basements/ground levels will always be the coolest (best for pulling in cool air).