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How to keep the room cool


12 Best Tips for Cooling a Small Room Without an AC [2022]

Heat is hard on us. It makes it difficult to work, decreases our productivity, and even sleep doesn't bring relief. And if you live or work in a small room that warms up much quicker and where air circulation is significantly worse than in large spaces, the hot season becomes a real challenge to survive. Read also: Hot Weather Safety Tips

So, what are the best ways of fighting the heat and cooling a small room? Let's find out the tried and tested ways to cool down a room without AC.

12 Tips to Overcome the Heat without A/C in Tight Spaces

Why Not Just Buy an AC?

Any Alternatives to AC and Fans?

Purchase Evapolar for Better Summers Ahead!

12 Tips to Overcome the Heat in the Room without AC

12 tips to cool down small room without A/C

Close the Curtains During the Day, and Use Dark Ones

You might be wondering why you have to close the curtains when you’re trying to cool your room down. During the summer, leaving your curtains open will mean giving the sun access to your room. Thus, it’s important to leave the curtains or blinds closed during the day to block the sun. This will help you cool down your room without AC.

If your window catches a lot of direct sunlight, using dark or blackout curtains will prevent the rays from overheating your room during the hours when the sun is most active. Otherwise, your room might turn into an impromptu greenhouse.

Read Also: The Best Portable Air Cooler in 2022

Open Windows and Interior Doors at Night

Apart from closing the curtains during the day, you can open it at night. At night, the sun is gone and you can enjoy the cool night breeze, but not if the curtains are closed. So, you should always open the windows and interior doors in your home at night. By opening the windows, you can also create a cross breeze that will fill your room with cool air.

There’s a benefit to closing off the doors connecting your kitchen to the rest of the house during the day, since the hot air from cooking a meal will carry throughout your home. You should also open the door or window connecting the kitchen to the outside to get rid of the hot air. You can open the doors and windows at night to allow the cooler air to flow freely from room to room.

Place Ice or Cool Water in Front of a Fan

Another helpful tip is to put cold water or ice in front of the fan while it’s on. This will cause the fan to blow the coolness of the water or ice around, thus making your room cooler. It’s best to close the door and windows when you do this, to keep the air trapped inside.

The idea is that ice generates cold air around it, and the fan will blow this air around. This is an ideal alternative to an air conditioner. Just maybe don’t sit right in front of the stream so it doesn't irritate your eyes. Read also: 10 Best Gadgets for Couples with Different Body Temperatures

Adjust Your Ceiling Fan According to the Season

You can also change the settings of your ceiling fan according to the season. Did you know ceiling fans have two modes? Depending on the way the blades turn, they can either create a breeze or force the warm air down (hot air always travels up).

So, you can make it create a breeze during the summer and force warm air down during the winter. It should spin counter-clockwise during the summer and clockwise during winter. Make sure you have the right setting on so you’re cooling a room instead of warming it up.

For your bathroom and especially your kitchen, which releases a lot of heat, you can use an exhaust fan. The fan will pull the steam out of the room while you cook, so it’s a good way to cool down a room.

Sleep Low

Due to the principle of warm air rising, the air at your feet is less hot than at the ceiling. You can disassemble your bed and put the mattress on the floor or try a night without a mattress, if you don’t mind hard surfaces, and see if it makes a difference.

During hotter days, you can also sleep on the floor if your ground is made up of tiles. This is a good way to beat the heat. Tiles usually feel cool and will make sleeping more comfortable, again if you can manage with hard surfaces.

Let the Night Air in

There’s nothing more natural and cool than night air. You can take advantage of the night air and open the windows or a door. If it’s raining, you can open the windows enough to let the cool air in but not to let the rain in. The air will make your room colder during the rainy season.

Open your window as soon as the temperature outside drops. In fact, open all the windows in your home to cool it down during the night and allow for a cross breeze, and close them the next morning when the air heats back up again.

Read also: 6 Best Advice for How to Stay Cool at Night

Upgrade All of Your Incandescent, Fluorescent, and Other Light Bulbs to LED

All electronic equipment emanates heat, including light bulbs. With these lights on, it might be hard to keep a room cool during the day. This contributes to the temperature of your room. LED lights, on the other hand, stay cool. As a bonus, they are more energy-efficient, so you’ll save on your utility bills.

If you can’t change all your light bulbs, for now you can keep your lights off and use the natural daylight around your home. This will go a long way to keep you cool. Then, you can turn the lights on at night. This will also reduce the amount of energy you consume.

Buy a Cooling Mattress, Pillows, and Sheets

Mattress technology has been developed to help you stay cool at night. Whether they have moisture-wicking covers or breathable foam cores, there are many varieties of cooling mattresses to get you through summer sweat-free.

Apart from mattresses, you can also go for cooling sheets and pillows for a more comfortable time. Even if you’re not laying on the bed, you can use the sheets to cover up when on the couch to stay cool. If you can’t afford cooling mattresses, pillows, and sheets, you can use cotton sheets on your bed and make sure you use nothing else. Cotton is more breathable than other materials, so it will make your nights feel cooler.

Use the Egyptian Method

It’s a method where you use a damp sheet as a cover to stay cool — basically a DIY swamp cooler. If you try it, set your fan on low, since cooling down your muscles too much might make you feel uncomfortable.

When creating the wet sheet, don’t add too much water to the sheet or else it will be soaked, and you might catch a cold while trying to stay cool.

Drink More Cool Water

Our bodies are mostly made of water, so staying hydrated is a sure way to stay healthy and comfortable. If you’re dehydrated or drinking warm water, you will feel more affected by the heat.

Chilled water (not iced) can also help cool down your body from the inside, providing relief. To make it work better, you can drink a lot of water before you go to bed to keep you cool and hydrated.

Take a Cool or Contrast Shower

Taking contrast showers — alternating between hot and cold water during one shower — on the regular can help your body become more adaptable to temperature changes. If contrast showers don’t sound appealing, a lukewarm shower to cool down your body can still help you beat the heat.

When taking a cold shower, don’t do so when coming right out of a hot environment or high temperature. If you are, you can spend some time cooling off in front of the fan before you enter the shower.

Cool Off Your Pulse Points

If you’re really hot, you could place an ice pack or a cool, wet towel on your pulse points: your wrists, ankles, the crooks of your elbows, and the backs of your knees. Just be sure to cover your skin with a towel to protect it from getting too cold.

By applying something cold to your pulse points, you can cause your body temperature to reduce very quickly and feel cooler. This is an old-school method, but it’s still very effective.

Most of the tips above are for nighttime because you feel hot the most when you’re sleeping. So, apply some of them before you go to bed. Surely we can all agree that these tricks have both pros and cons. On the one hand, spraying a sheet with water and using it to cool yourself down doesn’t cost much. On the other hand, most of them won’t work for a long period of time.

Why Not Just Buy an AC for Cooling a Room?

Why Not Just Buy an AC to Make a Room Colder?

For some people it’s obvious — duh, why would I splurge on air conditioning for a tiny room I don’t even own?

Read also: Safe Air Conditioner Alternatives for Cooling a Small Room

Consider Your Electricity Tariff

It’s true: even the cheapest AC unit is costly and will spike your electric bill. Also, so many of us rent that you might simply run into the issue of your landlord not allowing it. Or it may be your tiny office at work we’re talking about, and then the decision is out of your hands.

Or maybe you live in a country where there’s just a couple of decently warm weeks in a year — if you’re lucky — and AC is not common or easily available. You’re not alone! People in many countries don’t use air conditioning in households or offices.

What About Environment Impact?

You might also be avoiding using an AC because of its impact on the environment. Air conditioners do impact the environment, like any other machine burning fossil fuels, which is why you might be trying to cool your house down the old-school way. Of course, you can purchase an eco-friendly AC, but that sounds quite expensive for a tiny room, doesn’t it?

Your Personal Health Care

If you dive deeper into what AC units entail, you’ll find plenty of drawbacks. For instance, did you know that having a runny nose all throughout the summer is often caused by air conditioning and the stark difference of temperatures it creates compared to the outdoors? It also dries out the air, which is not good for your health. And if you don’t have the AC filters cleaned regularly, it can aggravate other respiratory problems, such as allergies.

Air conditioners also contribute to noise pollution, as do other electrical appliances. It’s not the loud sounds that cause tinnitus, yet the constant buzzing can affect your mental health.

Any Alternatives?

Any Alternatives to Cool a Room without AC and Fans?

So, if installing an AC is out of the question because it’s expensive or you rent your apartment or you’re on the fence while considering the drawbacks, are there any other effective ways to cool down a small space? Ones that won't make you put a bucket of ice near your office chair or sleep under a wet towel?

And what if mosquitoes come in while you open the windows at night or you don’t have enough windows to create a cross breeze? After all, you can’t keep on struggling to keep cool through old-fashioned methods.

The good news is that air conditioning is not the only alternative to using electric fans or DIY-ing other tricks. There is one room cooling solution you can try that won’t affect your health, energy bills, or the environment at the same time.

Even with this, it will still cool yourself or your personal space more cost-effectively than an air conditioner would.

Evapolar is a personal evaporative cooler that is:

Also, many people consider Evapolar the best solution for the problem of cooling a room without AC, as it cools a person in a natural way and prevents exhaustion and dehydration.

It solves the problems of affordability, physical and mental health, environmental friendliness, and even dealing with your landlord.

Using an evaporative air cooler is natural and effective in cooling you and your personal space, and it’s ideal for you because of your small space.

Purchase Evapolar for Better Summers Ahead!

There are lots of ways to keep a room cool in summer without ac, from taking advantage of pressure points to opening and closing your windows and doors strategically. Even with this, some methods just don’t work as well as having an AC, especially when the summer heat strikes. It all depends on personal preferences and, of course, one’s budget.

Since you’d prefer living without an AC, we have the ideal solution that works for you. The best solution is to cool down your own self and stay hydrated. Evapolar is a great fit for the job, as it evaporates cool air while humidifying the space. You can protect yourself, your money, and the environment at the same time with Evapolar.

30 Tricks to Cool Down a Room and Sleep in the Heat

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We’ve all been there: You’re tossing and turning in bed, struggling because your sweat has you practically glued to the sheets. It. Is. Awful. And not good for that ideal sleep temperature.

The obvious solution for cool, calm, and REM-ful sleep is an air conditioner. But AC uses tons of energy and jacks up your monthly electric bill. So what’s an environmentally responsible, budget-conscious sleeper to do?

Here are some tried-and-true DIY strategies to cool a room and avoid sleeping in the heat on those sticky summer nights.

1. Be creative with fans

If you thought fans were just for blowing hot air around, think again! Point box fans out the windows so they push hot air out. Adjust ceiling fan settings so the blades run counterclockwise, pulling hot air up and out instead of just twirling it around the room.

2. Create a cross-breeze

Even more box fan pro tips: Position a fan across from a window so the wind from outside combines with the fan to make a cooling cross-breeze. Set up multiple fans around the room to make the airflow even more boisterous.

If the noise from open windows keeps you up and the fan noise isn’t enough to cover it, try a sound machine (maybe with forest noises!).

3. Go old-school

Remember when refrigerators were iceboxes that contained actual blocks of ice? Probably not. But this stay-cool trick is straight out of the icebox era.

Make a DIY air conditioner by placing 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.

4. Say no to running electronics

We know that ideal sleep requires cooler temps. Those ever-running computers, the TV you left on, all the gadgets you used just before bed — those electronics generate heat.

If you don’t need it on overnight, unplug it. Just make sure to keep your surge protectors plugged in for storm protection.

5. Release your inner Tarzan

Feeling ambitious (or just really, really hot)? Rig up a hammock or set up a simple cot. Both types of bed are suspended on all sides, which increases airflow.

6. Get low

Hot air rises, so set up your bed as close to the ground as possible to beat the heat.

In a one-story home, haul the mattress down from a sleeping loft or high bed and put it on the floor. In a multifloor house or apartment, sleep on the ground floor or in the cool basement instead of on an upper story.

7. Turn off the lights

This tip is pretty self-explanatory. Light bulbs (even environmentally friendly CFLs and LEDs) give off heat. Fortunately, in summer it stays light until 8:00 or 9:00 at night.

Take advantage of natural light as much as possible. Keep rooms cool after dark by using lights minimally or not at all (romantic candlelit dinner, anyone?).

8. Keep the light out during the day

If the daytime sun is turning your home into a toaster oven, that heat will linger at night. Keeping your drapes and blinds closed during the day will keep your room cooler and allow it to cool down more quickly when you hit the hay.

9. Hang out

Cool 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.

10. Keep the stove off

Summer is not the time to whip up a piping hot casserole or roast chicken. Instead, chow down on cool, room-temperature dishes (salads are clutch) to avoid generating any more heat in the house. If hot food is in order, fire up the grill instead of turning on the oven.

11. Camp at home

Got access to a safe outdoor space like a deck, courtyard, or backyard? Practice those camping skills (and stay cooler) by pitching a tent and sleeping al fresco.

12. Choose cotton

Save the ooh-la-la satin, silk, or polyester sheets for cooler nights. Light-colored bed linens made of lightweight cotton (Egyptian or otherwise) or linen are breathable and excellent for promoting ventilation and airflow.

In the heat, cotton jammies will help you fall asleep faster. And according to research, they’ll soothe you into the deepest, most restorative sleep stage better than bulkier fabrics like wool. Shin M, et al. (2016). The effects of fabric for sleepwear and bedding on sleep at ambient temperatures of 17°C and 22°C. https://www.dovepress.com/the-effects-of-fabric-for-sleepwear-and-bedding-on-sleep-at-ambient-te-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-NSS

13. Feel the (freezer) burn

Stick your sheets in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before bed. (Place them in a plastic bag first — unless eau de frozen pizza is your fave aromatherapy scent.)

Granted, this won’t keep you cool all night, but it will provide a brief respite from heat and humidity.

Pro tip: Freezing your socks is another good cool-inducing trick.

14. Get cold comfort

Here’s a year-round tip for keeping utility costs down: Buy a hot water bottle. In the winter, fill it with boiling water for toasty toes without cranking up the thermostat. During the summer, stick it in the freezer to create a bed-friendly ice pack.

15. Sleep like an Egyptian

Those Nile-dwellers knew how to do it right. The “Egyptian method” involves dampening a sheet or towel in cool water and using it as a blanket. Place a dry towel under your body to avoid soaking the mattress.

16. Get loose

Less is definitely more when it comes to summertime jammies. Pick a loose, soft cotton shirt and shorts or underwear.

Going full nude during a heat wave is (unsurprisingly) controversial. Some people believe it helps keep them cool. Others claim going au naturel means sweat stays on your body instead of being wicked away by fabric.

17. Tie up your hair if it’s long

If your hair is long, you’ve probably felt the warm scarf it can create while you’re sleeping. Tie it back with a hair-friendly scrunchie that won’t cause breakage while you sleep. Your now-cooler neck will thank you.

18. Pamper your pulses

Need to cool down stat? Apply ice packs or cold compresses to pulse points at your wrists, neck, elbows, groin, and ankles and behind your knees.

Keeping a spray bottle of water nearby can soothe your balmy skin when you get up to pee too.

19. Chill in bed

Try a cool pad pillow topper. It’s energy-efficient and adds an extra-plush, super cushy layer to your bed. Research has shown that these toppers have enough of a cooling effect to put a damper on hot flashes, so it makes sense that they’d do the same for ambient heat.

20. Take down the pillow fluff

If you usually smoosh your head onto a big, fluffy pillow, consider swapping that pillow for a lighter, less dense version. Your head tends to retain heat, and surrounding it with fluff can keep heat from escaping.

21. Turn that unfluffy pillow

Wake up soaked? Get in the habit of turning your pillow to that sweet, sweet cool side when you feel it’s gotten too toasty.

22. Dress light

The right bedtime ensemble is key. Cooling PJs are made with moisture-wicking fabrics like cotton and bamboo or high-tech synthetics like CoolMax that prevent nighttime overheating.

23. 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 H2O in the tank beforehand. (Pro tip: Just 8 ounces will do — unless you’re really into those 3 a.m. bathroom runs.)

24. Soak in it

When you’re sweat-soaked, the last thing you might want to do is soak in a warm bath. But surprisingly, it works, according to a 2019 study.Haghayegh S, et al. (2019). Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.04.008

The warmth of the water sends a rush of blood to your hands and feet, where the veins are right under your skin. This lets off extra heat and cools your bloodstream. Ideally, hop in the tub 1 to 2 hours before bed to give your body time to cool off before you slip between the sheets.

Of course, if you’re too sticky to sleep, a cold shower could be more appealing. Standing under a stream of cool H2O brings down your core body temperature and rinses off sweat (ick) so you can hit the hay feeling cool and clean.

When you’re sweat-soaked, the last thing you might want to do is soak in a tub of warm water. But, surprisingly, it works.

25. Avoid the “meat sweats”

Instead of big, heavy meals, go for smaller, lighter dinners, which are easier to metabolize. It takes a lot more energy for your body to break down protein than fats or carbs. So swap that huge steak for a platter of fruits, veggies, and legumes.

Also avoid eating heavy meals and consuming alcohol for 2 to 3 hours before bedtime for optimal cool potential.

26. Move your workouts away from bedtime

Exercise has been shown to help you sleep better. But if you’re apt to get active late in the day or evening, consider moving your Jazzercise earlier in the day so you don’t bring that hot bod to bed before it cools down.

27. Hog the bed

Sleeping alone has its perks, including plenty of space to stretch out. Snoozing in spread-eagle position (with your arms and legs not touching each other) is best for reducing body heat and letting air circulate around your body.

Hit the hay in this sleep position to keep your limbs from getting super sweaty.

28. Keep the critters in their own beds

This one can be a challenge if you’ve got cuddly pets waiting to snuggle up with their big, hot bodies. If you can resist their puppy-dog eyes, try to have them sleep in their own separate beds (or at least at the bottom of yours).

29. Go rustic

When temperatures soar, trade in that extra-comfy mattress for a minimalist straw or bamboo mat. These all-natural sleeping surfaces are less comfortable, but they don’t retain heat like a puffy, cloth-covered mattress.

30. 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 on buckwheat pillows, which don’t absorb heat like cotton or down. 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.

Sleep is essential for your health. And higher temperatures can lead to insomnia.Bjorvatn B, et al. (2018). The association between insomnia and bedroom habits and bedroom characteristics: An exploratory cross-sectional study of a representative sample of adults. DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2017.12.002 If your nighttime routine starts to feel like Joe vs. the Volcano, it’s time to get your cool bedtime strategy in gear.

Here’s the lowdown on the best approach to sleeping in the heat:

How to keep a house cool without air conditioning

July 11, 2014 Tips

In this article, you will find some proven ways to keep cool even if it's really hot outside, and your air conditioner is broken or not available at all.

Summer finally remembered his duties and turned on the sun to the fullest. The streets are melting from the heat, and there is not the slightest breeze in the air that could somehow cool the hot streets of the city. It is especially hard for those who cannot afford to get out into nature, but are forced to spend the summer in our cramped and stuffy stone boxes. And if the room is also not equipped with air conditioning, then the matter is completely a pipe. nine0003

However, there are several proven ways to keep cool even in this case. In this article you will find instructions on how to survive in the city even in the most cruel hell.

Keep your blinds or curtains closed

Very simple advice, but in fact up to 30% of your heat comes from your windows. Close the shutters, blinds or blackout curtains and you will immediately feel that it has become much cooler. This is especially true for rooms with windows facing the sunny side. nine0003

Switch your ceiling fan to summer mode

Whether you know it or not, ceiling fans usually have two modes of operation: clockwise and counterclockwise. When it works counter-clockwise, the blades rotate faster and create a stronger airflow. The clockwise direction has a slightly lower speed and serves to circulate warm air in winter.

Take care of cooling the person, not the house

Our ancestors lived for thousands of years without any air conditioners and during this time developed many ways to survive in hot weather. We just need to take advantage of this and start cooling our body, and not the room around us. Cold drinks, special loose clothing, water-soaked bandages on the head and wrists are used. nine0003

Turn on the exhaust in the kitchen and bathroom

If you are taking a hot bath or cooking in the kitchen, be sure to turn on the exhausts in these areas. They will help you get rid of steam and hot air, and with it, additional degrees.

Open all windows at night

In the evening the temperature usually drops a little, and in some places the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures can reach ten degrees. Do not miss the opportunity to take advantage of this and try to accumulate night coolness for the entire first half of the day. To do this, open all the windows in the house with the onset of evening, you can even arrange a kind of wind tunnel with the help of a draft. Just be sure to close everything before sunrise, before the temperature starts to rise. nine0003

Turn off unnecessary lamps

If you want to know how much heat one ordinary light bulb generates, then just try it in your hand. To get rid of these heat sources in your apartment, turn off the lights you don't need, but rather switch to modern energy-saving lighting sources that radiate much less heat.

Make a long-term investment

If the heat in your area is a common seasonal phenomenon, but for some reason you are opposed to air conditioning, there are some steps you can take in advance. For example, planting trees in your house that will give you shade, equipping special canopies over the windows, or at least splurge on modern heat-reflecting films that serve to create an effective heat shield for your room. nine0003

How to keep the house cool in summer?

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Hot summer is just around the corner. Even with the onset of spring, the temperature in the house has noticeably changed towards the “+” sign, and for many, unfortunately, this is a problem. Constantly open windows, increased sweating during sleep, frequent change of clothes ... If you understand what we are talking about, it's time to think about how to keep the house cool.

Of course, the easiest way is to purchase an air conditioner or a fan. But besides this, there are several other ways to protect your home from the heat without increasing your electricity bill! nine0003

7 Ways to Keep Your Home Cool Without Air Conditioning

1. Keep the Curtains Closed

As simple as this tip may sound, the fact remains that up to 30 percent of unwanted heat comes from outside sunlight. The use of curtains or blinds can significantly reduce the temperature in the room. Closed curtains will prevent your home from being turned into a miniature greenhouse, which is especially true for windows facing south and west. nine0003

Purchase blackout curtains, preferably neutral or white . You can go to section "curtains" to see the collection from our Creative Workshop Linen . Due to their thermoregulatory properties, linen curtains keep cool well and promote comfortable sleep in hot weather.

2. Let the night air in

During the summer months, the temperature at night is much lower than during the day. nine0055 Try to catch this gap and ventilate the room well. Don't forget to open the windows before going to bed, but don't miss the morning when it gets too hot again.

3. Replace your incandescent bulbs

If you didn't have the motivation to switch to energy-saving fluorescent or LED bulbs before, now is the time! Incandescent lamps use about 90 percent of their energy as heat . By refusing them, you will not only significantly reduce your electricity bill, but also cool your house a little :)

4. Properly ventilate the room

in the bedroom and in the kitchen. Thus, the air will circulate throughout the house. You can also wet the curtains a little, thus creating the illusion of a cold breeze ...

5. Change your bed linen

Changing bed linen not only refreshes the room, but also cools it down! While flannel sheets and fleece blankets are good for keeping warm, cotton or linen bed sheets are a smarter choice during the hot season.

Buy a buckwheat pillow as an "extra bonus". Due to the fact that the buckwheat husk has a natural air space inside, the pillow will not accumulate heat, especially if it is stuffed into a pillowcase made of natural fabric. nine0003

6. Grill Dinner

Outdoor grilling can brighten up the hot days of home owners.

Learn more