Maintaining a comfortable atmosphere in your home when the climate shifts outside can be a challenge. However, an uncomfortable temperature can make your home feel less inviting. If you find yourself constantly shivering or wiping away sweat when you’re trying to relax at home, check out these clever ways to improve comfort that you may not have tried in the past.
Bucket Swamp Cooler
During the hot summer months, it’s tough to stay cool. Running your air conditioning system is one way to maintain a cooler atmosphere in your home, but this habit will quickly get expensive. You can create an eco-friendly swamp cooler that won’t add any extra cost to your monthly electricity bill. A swamp cooler works by cooling the air through the process of water evaporation.
To make your own swamp cooler, pick up a 5-gallon bucket from your local hardware or home improvement store, along with plastic tubing, a small fan, a pump, and a swamp cooler pad.
Drill holes all the way around the top of the bucket and roll the pad into a cylinder, so it fits neatly against the interior of the bucket. Use the tubing to create a ring and poke holes all the way around the ring. Add a pump to the bottom and connect the lasso from the tubing to the pump’s nozzle. Add a few inches of water to the bucket and install the fan on top of the bucket. You can also pick up a premade 5-gallon bucket swamp cooler if you don’t want to DIY.
Close the Blinds
When it’s hot outside, the thermal heat can come through your windows, raising the indoor temperature to an uncomfortable level. Make sure to keep your windows covered during the hottest part of the day. You may want to invest in UV-blocking window coverings to reduce how much heat can come through the glass during the summer months. This habit can also help reduce hot spots in your home that tend to heat up when the sun is shining.
In the winter, apply this idea in reverse by using the sun to heat up the home. Uncover all windows that face to the south when the sun is up. This can help warm up areas of your home without having to crank up the heat.
Put Off Your To-Do List
Procrastination is rarely encouraged, but when it comes to keeping your home cool during the summer months, it’s actually better to put off your tasks. Many of the appliances you use to tackle your chores produce a lot of heat, which will raise the indoor temperature of your home. Washing and drying your clothes, running the dishwasher, and cooking with the oven or the stove should all be put off until the sun goes down, if possible.
Keep your home comfortable throughout the changing seasons by implementing some unique ways to heat and cool the space. You don’t have to spend a fortune to maintain a pleasant indoor atmosphere, even if the weather is hot or cold outside.