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Frugal Ways To Keep Cool


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
June 28, 2021

A woman fanning herself inside a house.The Pacific NW is experiencing a heat wave right now, with record breaking temperatures. Portland, Oregon broke a record on Friday (108° F) and another one on Saturday (112° F). Today is expected to break another record, with a forecast of 115° F! It was hotter here than in Las Vegas this weekend.

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As this area usually is temperate, most homes don't have central air built in and people are not prepared for this sort of heat. May businesses have closed or adjusted their hours to take advantage of the cooler hours. There are cooling and water stations everywhere.

People are getting creative in their ways to stay cool, especially as stores run out of A/C units, box fans and even ice. What are some frugal alternatives to staying cool during a heat wave? Please share your brainstorms with us.

Note: Your eligible answers will be counted toward our Answer Contest.


Answers


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 254 Posts
June 28, 20211 found this helpful

Only open windows early in the morning to let the cool air in. Check what the outside temperature is and make sure that it is cooler than what it is inside your house.

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Before it starts to warm up, close all doors and windows and close the blinds or cover windows with blankets.

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
June 28, 20210 found this helpful

Space blankets work well too. And if you have shady trees, that can help a lot but that is planning for a future heat wave. :)

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 196 Feedbacks
June 28, 20210 found this helpful

My go to was always taking an old fashioned box fan, putting it in the window of the room in my house that was the coolest, and setting it so that it did not push air into the room, but pulled air out...so backward of the way that would push air in. This way it pulled the warm air out of my space and moved it outside.

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It used to work for me. That was how we grew up--with fans to do this. When we were kids we would supplement that with slushy drinks (juice in a slush mug) or popsicles. Prayers for all experience this crisis! It is very scary!

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Silver Answer Medal for All Time! 320 Answers
June 28, 20211 found this helpful

Fill dollar-store spray bottles with cold water and frequently spritz the front and back of your neck, under your arms, behind your knees.

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 140 Posts
June 28, 20210 found this helpful

Blocking sun light can also keep your home cooler. Cooler meals ,drinks and desserts, will make your body feel cooler, during a heat wave.

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Also you could try closing off rooms , not often used.

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Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,298 Posts
June 28, 20211 found this helpful

Before covid when it was super hot, I would go window shopping (simple as near by Target) or the mall to enjoy the air conditioning and get some steps in.

Ways to stay cool now..

  • I always make sure I have ice made. Stay hydrated and drink cool iced water/beverages
  • Take a cold bath/shower
  • Close the windows, if you can use black out curtains
  • Use cooling towels (help)
  • Try not to bake or cook in the house (heats up)
  • Wear light clothing
  • Bowl of ice in front of your fan to blow some cool air
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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
June 29, 20212 found this helpful

How to Keep Cool without Air Conditioning

Step 1
Put a wet washcloth around your neck

Step 2
Place a bowl of ice in front of a fan

Step 3
Sit in front of that fan with your feet in a pail of cool water

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Step 4
Avoid drinks with caffeine

Step 5
Avoid strenuous work during the hottest parts of the day

Step 6
Take cool, not cold, showers

Step 7
Put your sheets in the freezer

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Bronze Answer Medal for All Time! 111 Answers
July 1, 20210 found this helpful

Staying cool.

  • Wet a towel with cold water.
  • Wring it out.
  • Open it up.
  • Drape it around your shoulders.
  • Within around ten minutes the towel will be warm from the transfer of heat out of your body and on to the towel.
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July 4, 20210 found this helpful

Great ideas Judy, also investing in an icebag - they are so blissful

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Silver Answer Medal for All Time! 425 Answers
July 4, 20211 found this helpful

For the house: After the day cools off into night and it's cooler outside than indoors, open two bigger windows. If you have two box fans or good size floor or table fans, place one in a window blowing outside and one in a window blowing inside. This will help remove the hot air from in the house by blowing it outside, while drawing cooler air indoors. Make sure to close windows before it gets hotter outside than indoors. Also close all curtains or hang blankets in front of windows to keep the sun from heating up any rooms. If you have or can buy a dehumidifier, run that to take moisture out of the air...it will help cool the house down -just remember to keep doors and windows closed when using the dehumidifier. It will have a collection tank that will need emptying, so if you are not going to be at home all day, place the unit on a counter and let it drain it into a sink.

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OR place the unit in a bathtub or shower and let drain there while in use all day.
For people (and pets): Make sure to get plenty of fluids !!! You should wear light color and light weight cotton/cotton blend clothing, resist exercising during hottest part of the day, stay indoors as much as possible, wrap a cold damp cloth around your neck, use an ice bag on different parts of your body, lay a cool damp towel over you, sit in front of a fan as much as you can, place bowls of ice in front of fans, drink cool or cold water, avoid alcohol and sugary drinks, eat light meals/snacks, try to avoid cooking indoors if possible during hottest part of the day, take cool showers or tub soaks, sit in front of fan with your feet in cool water, place a fan blowing on you where you sleep.

There's probably lots more ideas, but these were the first to come to mind. Stay hydrated and safe

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Bronze Request Medal for All Time! 87 Requests
July 4, 20210 found this helpful

i have multiple battery operated fans. my area frequently loses power. so i have 6 battery fans. i can take them in a different room if needed.
i leave most of my cieling fans on all the time. it cuts down on humidty.
even air cleaners like hepa filters etc. they at least clean the air and they move it a bit. i feel they help keep the air dehumidified.

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Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
July 6, 20210 found this helpful

We survived the heat wave last week. The top temperature was My husband and I got a large wading pool and filled it with water. Every afternoon, we would refill it and push out any leaves, bugs or other debris that may have gotten into the pool. We would mostly just sit in the shade with our feet in the water but I got all the way in on the hottest day. It was surprisingly refreshing.

A lot of my friends turned their hot tubs down to the lowest setting. Even at 99 degrees F, the water felt cooler than the air, which hit a high of 114. It was great for cooling down the kids, as well as sprinklers which have the added benefit of cooling down the air.

We made sure that all the doors and windows were closed and we avoided going in and out of the house during the heat of the day. One morning, I forgot to close the kitchen window and it felt like an oven when I walked in about noon.

If possible, avoid doing laundry or using appliances that use a lot of power during a heat wave. The added power with everyone using their A/C can cause a burden on the power grid. This can result in brownouts or blackouts in certain areas. If you do experience a loss of power, do NOT open your fridge or freezer in order to keep it cold as long as possible.

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More Questions

Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.

May 7, 2022

How can I cool my bedroom at night without using central air or a window air conditioner? I think the cost is going to get really high this year for running the A/C. Thank you for any help.


Answers


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
May 7, 20220 found this helpful
Best Answer

You can put a bowl of ice in front of a tabletop fan and that should help cool the room.

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Bronze Tip Medal for All Time! 59 Tips
May 8, 20222 found this helpful
Best Answer

Fans are good friends. I use my ceiling fan...as well as a little personal fan that I have on my night stand. You could also put another personal fan on the opposite side of your bed, as well. I only paid around $5 each for them. You might also try putting an ice water soaked wash cloth on your face/neck right before you go to bed to cool off. Using cotton sheets help, as well.

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Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
May 8, 20220 found this helpful
Best Answer

Since we do not know if you live in a house or apartment it's kinda difficult to offer suggestions that will fit your situation.
I love the double fans that fit in windows as they can have one fan pulling air in and one pulling stale air out, or both one way.
The adjustable type is a little expensive but it really helps and you do not have to make any changes to the window. This means you can use it even if renting an apartment.
Here is an example of an adjustable fan:
Fans that do not work 2 ways are not as good for this type of use - but they are useful, and less money.
www.amazon.com/.../B00008XET9 (Affiliate Link)

Be sure your room has room darkening curtains if you have sun/heat coming in during the day because if your room is already hot at bedtime then you will probably not be able to cool it very much.
Hopefully, you have a ceiling fan that you can turn on high to get all of the circulation possible.
Always wear loose, thin, cotton sleepwear.

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May 24, 20220 found this helpful
Best Answer

One thing that helped me before I put in a window unit was to take a cool shower right before bed. I also put a pedestal fan at the foot of the bed towards me and ran it all night.

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May 31, 20220 found this helpful
Best Answer

Hello there... as for me, in order to feel cool inside our room without using electric fans or air conditioners, i put 4 pots of snake plants inside our room and open half the windows so that fresh air from outside will enter and turnoff lights during nighttime because i observed that when the lights are ON it is warm inside.

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