How To Survive Without Air Conditioning

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No AC? Before you die of heatstroke, try these cool tricks.

Step 1: Make a half-assed air-conditioner
Mimic the cooling effects of AC by putting a heaping bowl of ice in front of a fan. Hey, a half-assed air-conditioner is better than no air-conditioner.

Step 2: Use linen sheets
Use linen sheets, which are twice as cool as cotton, the next best choice.

Tip
Leave the bed unmade in the summer. Putting a heavy spread on it will only trap heat and prevent the sheets from airing out.

Step 3: Eat spicy food
Eat spicy foods. They will make you sweat, which is your body’s way of cooling you down.

Step 4: Take warm baths or shower
Take warm baths or showers, which will trigger your body to cool off. If you take a cold one, the opposite will happen, and you’ll end up hotter than before you bathed.

Step 5: Wear cold wet wristbands
Wear wristbands that have been dunked in ice water, and tie a cold, wet bandanna around your neck. Keeping those areas chilled will cool off your entire body.

Step 6: Stay hydrated
Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of cool water. Don’t drink the water too cold, or your body will go into overdrive trying to warm you up.

Step 7: Chill your bed linens
Stick your bed linens in the freezer for a few hours before bedtime. At the very least, chill your pillowcases.

Step 8: Suck hot air out, blow cold air in
Suck hot air out and blow cold air in by putting an exhaust fan in one window, facing out, and closing all the other windows except the ones in the room in which you’re sleeping.

Step 9: Wear a wet T-shirt to bed
Soak a T-shirt in ice water, wring it out, and wear it to bed. You can also wet your hair. Hey, you may be a little damp, but at least you’re cool.

Did You Know?
Four hundred Americans die every year as a direct result of the heat.