Keep Your Apartment Cool This Summer

Now that Summer is definitely in the city, you will want to do all you can to keep your apartment cool and comfortable.  There is no better feeling than stepping from the hot and busy streets of one of the greatest cities on the planet into your cool, shaded oasis in the jungle.

In order to achieve that cool apartment status at any time of day in the Summer heat, we’ve put together a short list of ideas, suggestions, and shortcuts to both save energy and hopefully offer better solutions to what you already have going on.

Now, let’s go over some familiar and not-so-familiar tips that help keep the cool in and the heat out!

1.  COVER YOUR WINDOWS!

Aluminum blinds are a great option to keep out the sunlight.  The aluminum reflects the sunlight and creates a cushion of air between the blinds and the window.  This cushion of air acts as insulation between the two extremes in temperature, the heat of outside and the cool of inside.

photo courtest of www.wisegeek.com

 

Another option is drapery, preferably lined drapery that blocks light from shining through. A great benefit with the drapery option is that you can choose a color or fabric that compliments your existing decor!  Again, drapery also adds an insulating effect between the heat of the outdoors and the cool air inside your apartment.

photo courtesy of www.amazon.com

2.  AIR CONDITIONING!

Air condition is almost a must-have for Summer in the city.  It is one thing to keep your apartment dark and cool with shielding from the unforgiving sun, but it is quite another to achieve that coolness without the help of chilled air.  If your apartment does not have central air already configured in your unit, there are really only two other viable options, keep reading.

Window-mounted air conditioning (commonly referred to as “AC”)  units are, hands-down, the most popular option to keeping a city apartment cool.  Window AC units come in a variety of sizes dependent upon the size of space you are hoping to cool.  Window AC units are typically not a permanent part of your window and are designed to be removed and installed with relative ease between seasons.

photo courtesy of www.ehow.com

Wall mounted air conditioners are very similar to window units, but are generally fixed permanently into your apartment exterior walls.  This can be a costly option, but the benefits are that you don’t lose window coverage!

Portable air conditioning units are also a great option for apartment owners.  Portable AC units offer the convenience of portability to anywhere in your living space, but can be bulky and more expensive than other options.

photo courtesy of www.sylvane.com

3.  MOVE THAT AIR!

Moving air is the most natural way of keeping a space or area cool, and often the most pleasant.  The easiest and least expensive way to move the air through your apartment is with the use of electric fans.  Electric fans come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Fans can be portable or more stationary, mounted on your ceiling or fixed in your window.  Fans can have a vintage look, a retro look, or a modern look that suits your existing taste or decor.

photo courtesy of www.lasko.com

4.  TIPS AND TRICKS

Now comes the fun part of our story!  We’ve compiled a list of easy fun things you can do to augment or enhance your existing cooling methods, and keep with the spirit of Summer in the city.

-drink iced and frozen beverages and eat lots and lots of popsicles

-fill an empty plastic bottle or container with water and freeze.  then place the bottle on a towel and position in front of one of your fans.  as the ice melts, the air moving around the bottle with cool and make its way to your skin

-apply or use cooling or mentholated soaps, creams or ointments.  these types of products produce a naturally cooling effect when applied to the skin and can provide an overall feeling of coolness

-wear less clothing, strut your stuff

-choose cotton for EVERYTHING.  sheets, shorts, shirts, throw pillows, sofa and chair covers.  cotton is a naturally cooling fabric that allows whatever it is against to breathe

And there you have it.  A simple no-nonsense guide to keeping your cool through your Summer in the city!