Maybe there’s no central air conditioning in your apartment complex, or maybe you’re just trying to lower your house’s energy bill by keeping it off. Either way, without the magic of air conditioning, the summer months ahead have the potential to get pretty sweaty and miserable. As temperatures rise, you might feel yourself slowing down due to dehydration, exhaustion, dizziness and even heat stroke – and a cold shower can only do so much.
But don’t despair! Your friends here at your favorite Chicago furniture stores have a few simple tricks that will help you keep the heat in your home at bay, without any help from that costly A/C.
- Sleep cooler: put a small pillow in the freezer a couple of hours before bedtime, and then nestle it under the covers at the foot of your bed or mattress before you go to sleep. You can also try outfitting your bedroom furniture with silk or satin pillowcases, rather than cotton or flannel.
- Lighten up: take note of furniture in any room that is currently dressed with darker, heavier fabrics, and exchange them for lighter, brighter materials. Darker colors absorb the heat of the sun, so it might be time to invest in a bright white slipcover for that chocolate leather sofa.
- Hide out: between the hours of 10am and 3pm, the afternoon sun is more sweltering than any other time of day. Before heading off to work, school or errands, make sure the blinds are closed in your Chicago or Indianapolis home. Furniture in rooms facing the afternoon sun will absorb less heat as a result, and your house or apartment will stay cooler in the process.
- Refresh: open your windows at night, when temperatures tend to drop. Your home has been shut up all day, so letting in some fresh air will help circulate a nice refreshing breeze throughout your rooms.
- Unplug: replace incandescent lightbulbs with cooler fluorescent bulbs, turn off all lights when you’re not using them, and keep your main electronics on a power strip so you have a quick and convenient way to power down before leaving the house for the day.
Here at The RoomPlace, we’re no strangers to the often suffocating summers of the Midwest. So we hope these simple tricks will help our Indianapolis and Chicago furniture customers stay a little cooler throughout the months ahead!
And when all else fails, just remember: all 21 of The RoomPlace furniture stores are air conditioned.