​How to stay at home in summer without AC?

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How to stay at home in summer without AC?

You may be spending your summer in a house where there is no AC. AC involves additional expenditure on electricity and maintenance. Let us look at some simple inexpensive ways of keeping your home cool.

Here are three tips to prevent heat seeping in through terrace:

1.      If your terrace is exposed to sun then you may think of painting the terrace floor with special cooling powder. It would cost around Rs 1000 for 1000 sq ft and effect will last through summer months.

2.      You may spread a number of coconut tree leaves one over the other covering areas directly above the rooms that you use most. The shade provided by the leaves, plus the air insulation between leaves and floor reduce impact of heat. You may use palmirah tree leaves as well.

3.      Third alternative is to cover the terrace with old gunny bags close to each other. Keep them wet by pouring water over the sheets or use a sprinkler or sprayer. A reaf four to five degrees drop may be seen.

Above suggestions will work if your terrace is directly affected; they are not needed if you are in ground floor of a multistoried apartment. To windows exposed to sun light you can use mats made of grass, green cloth, thin bamboo strips etc. Vetiver grass gives out pleasant aroma when water contained by it evaporates.

Inside the room:

·         Keep Air cooler on if you have one.

·         Keep floor wet by sprinkling water on it.

·         Keep humidity high by spraying water using water sprayers especially targeted at fan while it is on.

·         Spray water upon yourself to keep your body partly wet frequently.

·         Keeps shallow plates of water in different points in the floor say below tables or under chairs

Some More Tips:

Drink plenty of liquids to keep hydrated; Take water melon, lime juice and the like often;

Shower two or three times a day.

Remove yourself from the hotspot psychologically – listen to music; watch a funny tv show; solve some puzzle or quiz; do something absorbing and engaging say painting. Pursue any hobby that makes you forget about unpleasant environment.

If everything fails, like a true Hindu firmly believing in Karma, learn to love the difficult summer with a stoic stance.

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