Now that winter is long gone, it’s time to start preparing for those hot, New York days that we all know come before the actual summer arrives. Since a lot of the city’s apartments are quite old, keeping them cool is no easy task, but don’t worry, we’ve got your back! In this article we’re going to show a few tips to keep the heat away.
- Close your blinds.
A great way to keep your place cool during the summer is keeping your windows open during the early morning (7am to 9am) and closing your blinds afterwards. You won’t believe how much the temperature can rise if you have direct sunlight, even if your apartment isn’t the brightest
- Change your bedding.
As simple as it sounds, changing your bedding to a lighter one on those hot summer days will make you sleep like a baby without having to worry about sweating during the night.
- Don’t cook in the oven
Switching to fresh meals is a must during the summer. If your apartment gets too hot, avoid turning the oven on, except if it’s for a minor thing like cooking rice for a salad.
- Have houseplants.
If you’re a plant parent and love to have them all over your place, this is going to be great news. Thanks to evapotranspiration (process that helps to cycle water from the ground into the air and back again) plants help you keep your place cooler. However, if you have a lot of tiny plants, this is not really gonna work since those plants of great size and big leaves are more effective, but hey! There are still a lot of houseplants that can help prevent the heat like the Swiss cheese plant or Philodendron Erubescens!
- Change your lightbulbs.
Maybe it doesn’t seem like it, but having incandescent bulbs instead of LED ones can make your place feel hotter than it is. Another good thing about LED lights is that not only do they irradiate less heat but they’re also eco-friendly!
- Use window reflective film
This film is auto adhesive and allows you to keep your place cooler by reflecting the heat and the sunlight back outside. You can also go for a more opaque film in order to make your apartment a bit more private. If you’re renting and don’t know if you can do this, don’t worry, applying this film to your window won’t make you lose your deposit as it can easily be removed!
- Put an ice bucket in front of your fan.
This strange yet easy task will cool down your apartment in seconds, although it won’t work if you have a ceiling fan.
- Create a cross breeze.
Opening windows from the opposite sides of your apartment will create an air flow that allows you to cool down for a bit. Okay, I know this sounds like a contradiction to tip N1 but you should know this will mostly be helpful during regular hot days and not extreme ones.
- Get a portable AC unit.
If you feel like your fans are not helping fight against the heat anymore but your apartment doesn’t allow installing an AC, switch to portable AC units. This budget-friendly option will not only keep you cool but it can also follow you to any apartment you move into!
Adulting during the heat can be exhausting so it’s really important to keep your apartment as cool as you can, you just need to remember that the heat goes up so if you’re living in a top floor, avoiding the enemy might be a bit harder.