Ask Lemmy

Hot showers at night or when you’re feeling extremely overheated. Trust me, that’s way better than cold showers. First shower warm, then get soapy, and then shower as hot as you feel comfortable. I do this for over 10 years now and it’s amazing. My theory is that it heats up the body and due to the outside being cooler, it actually cools your body down - albeit 35°C. By the way I shower with ~42°C regular lol

OP, do you have an air conditioned library or a cold springs near you? When I was living without AC I found that getting really cold at some point in the day chilled me off for quite a few hours, made the rest of the day feel better. I had a friend who would get in a cool shower then not dry off just lay in the wind from a fan.

If you can afford it, buy a single window AC unit, install it in your bedroom, and then live in there all summer. That's what my parents did when I was little and we lived in a house with no AC. If you can't afford that, a box fan in the window once the sun goes down, then shut it off in the early morning and close/black out the window/draw shades as soon as the sun is up to try and keep the cooler air in that one room for as long as possible.

Passive or Active Ventilation. The idea is to encourage air to pass through the home, which helps with removing heat from inside. Passive Ventilation would be opening windows, using wind catchers, etc. This depends on the design of your home, among other things that you probably don't really have control over. Active ventilation is the same idea, but you use strategically placed fans to induce good airflow. For example, if you have two windows that are opposite to each other, you can place a fan at one window to intake air, and a fan at the other window as exhaust.

When its hot, avoid cooking indoors if you can. Especially iff you dont have proper exhaust in your kitchen. Buy some food that require less heat or none. Sandwiches, Fruits, Salads, etc.

Keep your home cool and yourself too.

My method is "live in Alaska."

Live somewhere it doesn't get hot.

If your roof is not shaded by trees, a light colored roof makes a huge difference. This can be accomplished a number of ways. Replacing your roofing material with a lighter color is ideal but expensive. Coating it with something like Henry Tropi-cool is durable but the product is also a little pricey. The absolute budget way to do this on an asphalt shingled roof is with a slurry of masonry lime. I've experimented with all of these methods and the results are dramatic. In my case the coating paid for itself within one season and made the house noticeably more comfortable.

Open upstairs windows after 8-9 PM to let cool air in, blackout blinds work really well too

Not really a thing you can just do, but thick walls. I live in an old house with double layered exterior brick walls. It has such a massive impact that sometimes I wear a vest inside, while it's heatstroke temperatures outside.

Pretty good (but long) answer with historic solutions here : https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2025/06/dressing-and-undressing-the-home/

My short answer : do not let the sunshine in (stores, awnings, shutters), let it flow let it go (air), I like big walls and I cannot lie

Probably not exactly the answer you're looking for.

If you have access to sun and are tech savvy, hop on Facebook market place or equivalent. You can probably get very cheap used solar panels that still have plenty of output. Rig up a AC unit in one room and cool just it.

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but awnings. Glass is a superb thermal conductor. Not even the best curtain in the world would prevent air getting hot through the window if the sun is hitting it directly. An awning is meant to shade the window glass, preventing heating way more than a curtain alone.

Also, if the home has several levels, open the upper floor windows more than the lower ones. Hot air expands and raises. If it has somewhere to escape it will keep the house cool and the windows will draw in wind. Wind moves faster at higher altitudes. That's why attic fans are so effective.

Sleep outside, if you have a space. Get a deck umbrella, a mosquito net and a cot and a sleeping bag (actually on super hot days I used to just sleep on a towel). It's so much cooler than trying to get by indoors with no AC, even with fans. And it's rather pleasant.

Close on the sunny side during the day. If the air on the shadow side is cooler, less humid or same as inside, open that side. If your home is more humid or hot than the sunny side, close it just enough to prevent sun ray for entering.

If the heat is not also damp, put wet clothes next to windows or fan for natural refreshment. You can also spray water on your curtain.

Wear natural fiber, coton or lint. Loose clothes, that does cover you body. This way, the evaporation of sweat cools you down. You will also smell much less than if you are wearing synthetic fibers.

Wash your feet, your face, your forarm with water regularly. Do not use cold water, room-temperature or fresh is better but go all the way to the articulation (ankle, elbow), wash inside and outside and let the water dry on you.

Drink small amount of water regularly. Once again not cold.

Keet your heat cover when you expose yourself to the sun. When you get home change out of your clothes that were heated by the sun.

Do not over exercice.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/O2COOL-Deluxe-Handheld-Battery-Powered-Water-Misting-Fan-Pink-New-3-7-inch-by-10-6-inch/266174408?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&selectedOfferId=E796AF3D453545CEA73408F9E18C74C5&conditionGroupCode=1

I was also wondering if plants could also help inside, any ideas ?

They shouldn't. Plants can raise humidity, but they have no power to break the the laws of thermodynamics. Once heat is in your house you can only really move it out of your house; there is no destroying it in place. Note this does not apply to plants just on the outside of your home, like on a roof.

Watch your use of appliances carefully. Even a fridge generates heat - it might be better to place it outdoors or semi-outdoors if you're going to be really hardcore about your approach.

A better insulated house will keep heat out as well as cold, so all usual tips on building or renovating your envelope apply.