How to Keep a Room Cool Without AC

While the modern convenience of AC has brought many of us joy, there are several reasons why you might be wondering how to keep a room cool without AC. Maybe you don’t have one, the price is too high, or you just want to keep your energy bill down!

Regardless of the reason, with the fiery sun of summer bearing down upon us, it’s important to stay cool & hydrated. 

Best Ways to Keep a Room Cool Without AC

If you’re looking for a few easy, cost-effective ways to keep a room cool without AC, check out our tips below!

Fans, Fans, Fans

Yep, you guessed it—fans are going to be your #1 fan during the summer. 

Strategically place fans (see more below) to draw hot air out during the day, bring cool air in during the night, and blow directly on you to stay cool.

YOu should also set fans up to create a cross-breeze as another effective way to create a nice, cooling airflow.

Keep Out The Sunny Side

Map out the way the sun moves through your house or apartment during the day. When you determine the areas where the sun will shine in most of the day, put up dark or blackout curtains to help block the sun out.

Preventing the sun from shining in is critical to reducing a build-up of heat in your room during the hottest parts of the day. Additionally, keeping the room dark will also have a cooling effect that can help you reduce the effects of the heat.

Create Air Circulation

As mentioned above, using fans to create air circulation is an excellent way to keep a room cool without AC.

At night and in the morning when it’s the coolest, you can also keep cool air circulating by opening opposite-facing windows and having a fan pull cool air into the room.

During the day when it’s hot, open a window that isn’t getting direct sunlight and set up the fan to draw hot air *out* of the window. You can then turn the fan around at night to pull cool air back into the room. 🙂

DIY Air Conditioner

An age-old cooling trick is to create a DIY air conditioner.

Essentially, you can make a homemade cooling unit by taking a container of frozen water (e.g., a gallon jug of water) and place it in front of a fan. The fan will blow the cool air coming off of the water jug at you and help keep you cool!

You can keep 2-3 gallon water jugs in your freezer and swap them out as they melt during the day so you always have a homemade AC on standby!

Turn Off Any Unused Electronics or Lights

If you’re not using it, turn it off! Electronics and lights can slowly build up heat throughout the day so try to keep your electricity usage to a minimum, especially during peak energy hours from 7 am – 8 pm.

Stay Hydrated

Keep plenty of ice water on hand. Whether you use ice cube trays or buy bags of ice, cold water can help you keep a room cool without an AC by keeping your entire body cool and hydrated.

There is nothing like an ice-cold glass of water to help you stay hydrated during a hot day!

Focus on One Room

Not to overstate the obvious, but to keep a room cool without AC—focus on one room! 

Pick a single room to focus on cooling down. You can concentrate on blocking off any incoming sunlight, setting up fans with a frozen jug of water, and creating a nice cool cross breeze.

Now, you have a nice little cool zone to retreat to if you don’t have access to AC! 

Stay Cool…And Hop in the Pool!

Blocking out the sun and using fans to circulate air are going to be your top tricks to keep a room cool without AC.

However, if all else fails, set up a little pool and jump in to stay cool during the summer!

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One Reply to “How to Keep a Room Cool Without AC”

  1. Great content! Keep up the good work!

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