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When personalizing your home, you may not think about how your upgrades and decor will impact you later in the year. When summer rolls around, all of your cozy rugs and fluffy pillows become pretty pointless, and if you and your family struggle to stay cool, it can feel like you’ve made a terrible interior design mistake.
Staying cool in your home during summer can be tricky. There are only so many ice creams and glasses of ice water you can consume before they feel like they are not making a difference. But what if you could keep your home cool without relying on fancy tricks. You’ve come to the right place because here are the ten top ways to make your home more livable this summer.
Fix Your AC
Your AC unit is often a lifesaver during the summer. Without it, you feel you could quite easily melt into the sofa. This is why it can be so exhausting if your AC unit is broken, especially as many other people will experience the same issues, so you may not be able to get it repaired immediately.
Rather than relying on a handyman, knowing how to troubleshoot your AC unit can save you and your family a lot of discomfort and grief. While these units can be complicated, approaching them carefully and taking your time could get them fully operational again, and you’ll finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Upgrade Your Windows
If you haven’t upgraded your windows since you moved in, now could be the perfect time to do so. New windows make your home more livable as they provide better ventilation options depending on the design. They can also boost the value and style of your home.
Some new casement windows are a popular choice for many homeowners who want to upgrade their existing windows for something more functional, easy to clean, and stylish. When it comes to making your home as livable as possible, these windows are also more efficient and provide faster results, so you can enjoy some respite immediately.
Create Shady Spots
If you’ve got kids, you need to keep them as comfortable as possible during the summer, but they will also want to spend plenty of time outside. Kids often don’t know their limits, so they might get sick from too much sun exposure, whether this is sunburn or even sunstroke.
Creating a shady spot in your garden or on your porch helps them get out of the sun while still enjoying the heat. As they’ll need a rest after running around the garden, set up a bed sheet over a spot on the grass where they can get a much-needed break. If you want to take this further, creating a canopy area with comfortable cushions and blankets makes a fantastic place for them to have lunch.
Install Fans
Ceiling and standalone fans are two great ways to keep you moderately cool during the summer, especially if you are still waiting on your AC repair. Although they don’t provide the cold blast of air you enjoy from your air conditioning, they can still make your home more livable, especially if you don’t want to run the AC all night.
High-quality fans will help circulate the air in your home to make it feel less stuffy and suffocating. They are also great for putting at the foot of the bed during the night, which makes it easier for you and your partner to get to sleep.
Clean Your Air Ducts
If you’ve not cleaned your air ducts since, well, you’re not sure, you risk overworking your appliances, which will prevent your unit from working as exceptionally as it could. Throughout the years, dust and debris have collected inside the ducts, which could affect how easily air can pass through.
As the units need to work harder to push the same amount of air through, the components could become damaged. This also means you consume more electricity because everything needs to work twice as hard to give you suitable results.
Invest In a Portable AC Unit
While you’re waiting for someone to clean your ducts or fix your air conditioning, a portable AC unit could be one of the best purchases you ever make. These units will use the outside air along with coolant to produce blissful cold air. As it’s portable, you can take it anywhere in the house and set it up in seconds, since all you need to do is plug it in.
A portable AC unit is great for people who work from home but it’s also good for keeping your kids cool and comfortable when they are inside watching a movie before going to bed.
Use Plants
You’ve probably already got plenty of houseplants decorating the home and making it feel more exotic. But, did you know that the right plants can also make your home cooler and more livable? This list of the perfect plants for a heatwave is something everyone should look at if they want to cool their house down.
The plants will draw in moisture from the air, which is exactly what you need if you live in a humid environment. In doing so, they cool the air around them, which will directly impact your comfort. You’ll need a few plants to see a difference, but it’s something that everyone should consider if they want to enjoy a cooler home that also looks beautiful.
Get Out the Grill
The grill is a staple of any summer in any household, but it can also produce comfort benefits. Most people still use their oven during the summer, and as this produces plenty of heat, it’s no wonder that your home starts feeling unbearably hot.
Using your grill for your nightly meals changes all of this. As the grill is outside, you don’t need to worry about the home getting too warm. Plus, it’s always fun to throw some meat on the barbecue, so you and your family can make an evening out of it whenever you like.
Keep the Windows and Doors Open
Many people struggle with the heat during summer because they underestimate how much air needs to circulate to make it comfortable. If you keep your windows and doors closed all summer, you create a sweaty and stuffy atmosphere. This means the warm arm hangs in place and produces some pretty unpleasant odors.
Keeping your windows and doors open at all times could be the perfect solution. They can create tunnels that encourage a breeze even on the warmest days, which can help cool your home down ready for the evening. If you have screens on the windows, you don’t need to worry about bugs, either.
Set Up Sprinklers
Sprinklers are an effective way to cool down your garden and keep everyone feeling fresh during the hottest days of the year. Even if you don’t want to invest in an official sprinkler system, you can still use homemade sprinklers that provide the same benefits.
Not only will this cool your garden down, but your kids (and their friends) will love it. It’s especially useful for households that don’t have the space for a pool, and you can activate it whenever you need to cool down.
Fun in the Sun
Everyone wants to enjoy their home as much as possible during the summer. Whether you’re chilling inside or outside, these tips will do wonders for you and your family and ensure you can relax during the day and get to sleep at night without feeling like you’re sweating out your entire body weight onto the blankets.
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