It could be the heat or a temporary lack of ventilation, but whatever the case is, sometimes you don’t have an air conditioner to escape the hot weather. If you’re looking for how to cool down a room without AC, we will coach you through a few tried, tested, and trusted methods.
We have considered all possibilities while making this list, so whatever condition your room is in, there is a perfect solution for you. So whether your room has a window or not, if you have a fan or not, just read through and find the best option.
10 simple hacks to cool down a room without AC
Place ice in front of a fan
For this method, you’ll need a fan and a refrigerator. If you have those, let’s begin.
There are two ways you could prepare your ice. First is to place a bunch of ice cubes in a bowl and then place the bowl directly in front of your fan and then turn off fan oscillation so the fan blows in one direction towards the bowl. So you don’t make a mess, place a tray under the bowl so it collects water residue from the bowl.
The second is frozen water bottles. Plastic water bottles are the best option for this method. Fill at least three plastic bottles with water and freeze them. Now, place them a few inches away from your fan, and turn off fan oscillation. You can choose to freeze multiple bottles, so when the three in front of the fan melt, you immediately have a replacement; also, adding salt to the water helps the ice to last longer.
Use fans more effectively
Placing a standing fan in the corners of the room is the best option
Fans generally come in handy when the room is excessively hot. However, knowing how to effectively use your fan would make the difference in cooling the room better. For example, you probably didn’t know that setting your ceiling fan to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction would help the blades push more air down to you. Also, leaving your ceiling fan on even when you leave the room is not very productive as fans cool people and rooms, and doing that also consumes way too much power.
For a table-top or standing fan, place the fan to blow in the right direction whether the oscillation is on or not. Placing a standing fan in the corners of the room is the best option as it can spread air all across the room; choose a corner that faces a large open area of the room with no large furniture that could stand as a blockade. For larger rooms, it is advisable to use tower fans rather than rotary ones.
Another way to keep the air fresh is to create a cross-breeze effect. If you have two windows in your room, place your standing fan directly in front of one window while the other is open to allow the fresh breeze in; if you have only one window in the room, keep the door open to allow cross-breeze from another part of the house. Fans with air purifying features are the best for this method, especially if you have any lung/breathing ailments.
When purchasing a fan, it is necessary to opt for one that can oscillate in all directions, not just horizontally. Also, you might want to consider one that can be used both as a standing and table-top fan. This gives you better flexibility when setting the fan to give you the best effect.
Open the windows
For folks who don’t have an AC and a fan, open up opposite windows to let in more air and create a cross-breeze effect. If you have just one window in your room, then you can open windows in adjacent rooms and leave the doors open to allow the free flow of air around your home.
Free air flow around the house is a major factor in keeping your home cool, so open up as many windows and doors as possible.
Hot air tends to move up, so if you have an attic, open up the hatch to give it room to escape. For story buildings, it is advisable to prioritize opening windows on upper floors for this same reason. This would allow the hot air to find a way out of the house and also drop the room temperature so it can be cool enough for you to sleep.
Keep curtains and blinds shut
Curtains and blinds block the sun’s rays from entering the room
Harsh rays of sunlight could rapidly increase the temperature of a room, so keeping curtains and blinds shut would help to block the sun rays from entering the room, thereby maintaining the coolness of the room.
How this works is, during the day, leave your window glass open while the curtain or blind is closed to allow air to pass through the corners while also shutting out sunlight. Then when the sun is out, you can open up the curtains and blinds to allow the cool evening breeze to flow freely into the house.
When purchasing a curtain or blind, opt for a solid shutter or blackout blind, and generally thicker curtains that can double as sun ray blockers during the summer and cold insulators during the winter.
Create exterior shade around windows
Need a different method for how to cool down a room without AC? Just like we mentioned earlier, curtains help to block harsh sun rays from entering the window; another method to block sun rays is to build shades at the exterior side of your windows.
This is the perfect option for rooms you’re likely to sit in and relax in during the day. To achieve this, you can easily move your garden gazebo or parasol and place it directly over your room’s window. This would serve as a shelter to shade away the sun beams that should directly come into the room. We know curtains and blinds would do the job. However, to get the best effect, you could add shelter to your window.
Hang damp sheets in front of windows
Here’s another quick and simple trick to get your room cool in no time. Take a damp sheet and place them on your curtain railings over your window and open your window. This works best at night as the breeze is heavier and cool, so the damp sheet doesn’t dry out so quickly.
The moisture from the sheet would cool the air coming in from the window, allowing only cool breeze in. You can also use a spray bottle to spray water on the sheet to keep it damp and for a better effect, put the spray bottle in the fridge so you can spray cold water.
Close doors to keep out the heat
This method is straightforward. You shut the door to block the hot air from coming in while shutting the cool air in. If you leave the door to your already cool room open, the hotter air from other rooms would come in and compromise the room’s temperature.
Inspect for gaps and holes around the door, especially doors that directly lead to the outside; if there are any, use a towel to block them, this is a rather simple form of insulation.
Switch off electronics
When I say switch off electronics, the first thought to your head are the usual heat generators: ovens, air fryers, microwaves, and so on. However, the truth is every electrical appliance emits heat at one level or another. Although in small quantities, they all add up to affect the overall temperature of a room. So the wise thing to do is to switch off every appliance when not in use.
If you’re used to having electronics like laptops and phones on your bed when you sleep, you should stop. This doesn’t only increase the temperature around you but can also cause some nasty health hazards.
Wall sockets and switches are not left out. They also emit a reasonably large amount of heat, so switch them off as well when not in use. Being deliberate about switching off your electronics will reduce the temperature and save you a lot in power consumption.
Change light bulbs to LED
Still looking for how to cool down a room without AC? This is usually overlooked, but your common incandescent bulb contributes largely to the rise in temperature of your room. These bulbs emit so much heat, and you can tell by touching them after they’ve been on for a while. The better option when purchasing bulbs is LED bulbs.
LED bulbs emit very little to no heat compared to incandescent bulbs. They also save a lot of power as they are energy-saving bulbs. So head to any hardware store around you and find LED replacements for all the bulbs in your home.
Bring in plants
Plants don’t just cool down your room, they also act as air purifiers
Plants play a huge role in beautifying your home. But, did you know they’re also very good at keeping a room cool? They serve as air purifiers and help to circulate clean air around.
Snake plants, weeping figs, rubber plants. These plants and so many others are great at collecting hot air and giving out clean oxygen and cool fluid through their transpiration process. This process keeps the room cool and clean. They are also very beautiful, so it’s a win-win for you.
Conclusion
You might think nothing beats an AC during summer or during a heat wave. However, that might not be the case. You can easily cool your room now that you know how to cool down a room without AC.
You may also like: Best Portable Fans to Beat the Heat This Summer
