15 Ways to Cool Down a Room Without A/C

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Summertime comes with a lot of exciting activities for outdoorsy people. You can swim at the beach, hike up a hill, or spend time with your loved ones in parks and gardens.

On the flip side, this hot season poses a more significant challenge to people that spend most of their time indoors.

If you’re one of those people, you know how hot your room can be in the summer, especially without an A/C.

But no matter your reason for not living with A/C, you can still sleep comfortably without drenching in sweat. Here are 15 alternative ways to cool down a room without A/C.

young woman lying in bed switching off lamp preparing to sleep

Table of Contents

1. Turn Off the Lights

All sources of light produce heat, no matter how small the bulbs are. So, the more lights you have in your room, the hotter your living space will be.

Be sure to turn off the lights and only switch them on at night or in windowless rooms. If you have a few lights in the room, use one and switch off the rest.

couple closing the curtain in their room

2. Keep the Curtains Closed

The easiest way for heat to enter your room is from the windows. And if you have glass windows, they can quickly turn hot and radiate heat into your room.

Close the curtains and blinds to prevent direct sunlight from entering.

3. Close the Doors

Vacant rooms can trap heat and circulate it to other spaces. So, be sure to close off any unused rooms during the day.

Keeping the doors shut, including your room, will make it easier for any cooling method to work. Cool air from inside your room can’t escape easily through open doors.

4. Open the Windows and Doors at Night

When the sun goes down, you can open the windows and let the cool night air in. This method improves air circulation inside your room.

Thus, hot air can easily escape, allowing the cool breeze to enter. Create more spaces for cool air to flow by opening doors you shut during the day.

Get up early the following day and close everything back. Repeat this step until summer is over.

luxurious upstairs bedroom with ample windows and leather furniture and ceiling fan

5. Spin the Ceiling Fan Counter-clockwise

Ceiling fans are great additions to a small room. However, their spinning direction matters in cooling down any living space.

In the summer, you should set the fans to spin counterclockwise so that they can push cool air down from the ceiling to the floor. Increase their spinning speed if the days are scorching.

Meanwhile, the fans should spin clockwise in cold months to distribute warm air in your room. You needn’t set it to the highest speed to feel the warmth.

Different manufacturers have different switches or settings to change the fans’ spinning motion. So, check the manual instructions to find out.

electric fan with red ribbon near potted tree on windowsill

6. Maximize the Use of Standing Fans

Placing standing fans at random spots isn’t adequate to cool down the room. Instead, you must set them near open windows to create a cross-breeze.

This method will suck cool air from outside and channel it to warm spaces. You can also adjust the angle and face the fans toward the hottest area in the room.

Use them only in the evening when the outside temperature has dropped.

7. Use Ice Packs

Ice packs can create a cooling sensation when you use them with standing fans. This is the cheapest yet easiest method you can do, anytime and anywhere.

To do this, put a few ice packs in a bowl. Place them in front of your fans. Turn the fans to medium speed and face them only in one direction.

If you let the fans oscillate, you must have two or three bowls of ice packs. You must also use a chair or support for the bowls if your fans are tall.

Round ventilation duct on the ceiling. Modern ventilation built into the ceiling

8. Install Exhaust and Ventilation Fans

Exhaust fans are generally used to draw out heat when cooking. But you can also install them in other rooms for the same purpose.

These appliances draw out hot air from the inside and push it out of your house. But unfortunately, they don’t suck in any cool breeze from the outside.

Meanwhile, ventilation fans pull outside air into your room, promoting better indoor air. To have a complete cooling system, you need to install both.

man preparing dinner, cooking dinner with his family in modern kitchen at home

9. Cook and Clean at Night

Believe it or not, stoves, dryers, and other large appliances release heat when you use them. So, the best time to do your laundry and cook is at night.

If you still need to cook during the day, consider moving the stoves outdoors on your porch or backyard.

Although you might be sweating, it is much better than having the heat trap inside your house for the whole day.

woman controlling light bulb temperature and intensity via smartphone

10. Switch to Low-Heat Light Bulbs

Most electrical appliances produce heat. The longer you use them, the hotter they get.

If you have a few incandescent bulbs in your room, they can make your summer hotter than it should be.

The best way to combat this issue is to change to low-heat bulbs such as fluorescent or LED bulbs.

Both of these bulbs produce less heat and use less electricity. In addition, they last longer with brighter illumination that can cover a larger surface area.

So, you only need one or two of these bulbs to light up the whole room.

11. Tint Your Windows

Tinted windows aren’t just for cars. You can also tint your home windows to prevent excessive sunlight and UV rays from entering.

Different types of tints possess different visible light levels that allow partial to complete blockage of sun rays.

For instance, one-way mirror tint blocks 99% of UV rays with 79% heat reduction. Meanwhile, ceramic tint blocks 99% of UV and 80% of infrared light with 59% heat reduction.

These two tints also reduce glare and provide better privacy for your home. In addition, window tinting can prevent sunburn that fades the color of your furniture.

12. Use Thermal Curtains

Having curtains on your windows is better than having none at all. Yet, the best covers that prevent heat and sunlight from entering are thermal curtains.

Thermal curtains can prevent visible lights and UV rays from entering your room. But, on the downside, it also traps cold or hot air, thus reducing indoor ventilation.

To use these curtains effectively, open the windows at night to let cold air in. Then, during the day, pull the curtains and close the windows.

13. Weatherstrip Your Room

Weatherstripping helps reduce air leaks by sealing gaps in door frames, windows, and other structures. Filling these gaps can prevent outside heat from entering while retaining cooler air inside your room.

The seals are made from foam, wood, metal, rubber, and vinyl materials. Each material works differently based on your room’s doors, windows, and structures.

If you can’t do it yourself, seek professional help when installing.

modern window with pillows, trees and sky behind

14. Plant Trees Near Windows

Planting trees near windows can provide extra shade for your room. The bigger they are, the larger the surface area they can cover.

Planting large trees that mature longer is a good idea if you own a house. On the other hand, if you rent and are constantly moving, consider growing vines or cultivating potted plants with large leaves near the windows.

In addition, you must choose species that can tolerate full sun and aren’t sensitive to UV rays and heat.

Bedroom interior mockup in Scandinavian style

15. Switch to Light-Colored Bedding

Napping during the day is challenging, especially when lying on a hot bed. And it can happen if you use dark-colored bed sheets.

When sunlight enters the room, dark materials absorb heat much more quickly and easily than light-colored materials. Hence, it would be best to switch to light-colored bed sheets to reduce the heat trapped inside your room.

But in the winter, dark bedding can help retain heat to warm your room.

In addition, bed sheets made from cotton or linens regulate and release heat better than microfiber sheets. So, you should change to these types of fabrics in the summer.

Final Thoughts

Living without an A/C comes with a lot of benefits. You can reduce your electricity bills by learning how to adapt to your surrounding climates.

It is also true that A/C is a luxury. But it is a need if you have infants, older people, and sick people that can’t withstand heat and hot summer days.