We sweated out last summer without AC, and this summer we're hoping to do the same. It's not too bad here in Chicago, where temperatures rarely creep above 90 degrees, so we try to get by on hot days with old-fashioned methods for cooling down. (One lesson learned: hand fans don't work.) Surfing the web for a few ideas, we came across WikiHow's comprehensive list of tips...
Our favorite tip from the list is the gentle reminder that people lived for centuries without air conditioning. As long as we're not hindered by a health problem that requires AC, we can sweat it out, too.
A few other ideas:
• Open windows and use fans to create cross-circulation currents.
• Turn off electric appliances, like lamps and stoves, that are sources of heat.
• Eat small portions of food throughout the day and drink lots of water.
• Use mint (in a glass of water or in skin care products) to refresh yourself.
• Apply cold water to your pulse points.
For the entire list, click here.
Photo: Morguefile
Originally posted by Sarah on AT:Chicago.
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
In areas of high-humidity sweating will not cool you off. Sweat won't evaporate.
Hundreds of people die every year in this country because of the heat. A lot of them are poor and elderly and unable to afford to run their air conditioner.
Yes, people lived without a/c for aeons but how comfortable were they? My mother grew up in a poor rural area with no telephone, no indoor plumbing and no air conditioning. She survived. She also said summer was miserable. She slept as best she could wedged in the window sill.
We were invited over to someone's house for a Dorothy Parker birthday party (Aug. 22) in Houston once. Hosts weren't running the a/c. I nearly passed out (no alcohol involved) and was sick and feverish for days.
Sorry to go on like this, but I'm a Texas girl and we need the a/c to survive down here. And please do keep in mind that heat is dangerous.
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