Thursday, July 23, 2009

Beating the Heat: Simple (and Green) Solutions

If you're like me...(without an airconditioned house) the last few days have been pretty warm. And while, playing outside is absolutely delightful, when we move indoors it can be stifling! I have been trying to get outside in the morning and later afternoon to avoid the midday sun. And don't forget to cover up with a hat, sundlasses and sunscreen! However, we can't usually stay outside all day long, so what are some ways we can maintain the "cool" when we get out of the kiddie "pool"?

One way is to turn off our "hot" appliances! It sounds simple, but it's easy to forget that many household appliances create heat. Make sure you've unplugged all of your appliances that you aren't actually using. This can both save on your electric bill but also reduce the amount of heat generated inside the house.

Also, avoid using heat producers such as the oven and the dryer. Let the sun work for you--dry your clothes outside on the line. Ditch the blow dryer--find a simple hairstyle that'll look great without the hot air blast. With this warm weather, hair drys very quickly once you step out of the shower.

Place the oven on summer vacation--opt for raw foods or downsize to a toaster oven, or do your cooking outside on the grill.

Need to use a hot appliance? Close the door and switch the window fan to reverse mode to draw the hot air outside.

Hopefully these tips help to keep you cool...sounds like this "heat wave" is not going anywhere anytime soon! Have a great week!

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