A Few Ways to Stay Cool

One of my great big pet peeves is T-shirts in the summer. I know I might sound like a bit of a snob, but when I see people sweltering in the heat, pulling their T-shirt away from their body, I just want to go over to them and give them a bit of help. T-shirts are knits. Sweaters are knits, as are socks and mittens. One yarn is twisted around itself in such a way as to create a fabric that is several yarn depths thick. This is one of the reasons sweaters, socks and mitts are so warm. There are thick sweaters that are really warm, and thinner sweaters that are not as warm, and T-shirts are really thin sweaters.  A woven fabric, on the other hand, has - in the simplest form -  one thread going one direction, another going the other direction, and there are spaces between the threads. Sometimes you can see through the spaces and air will move between the spaces. A  shirt made of a  woven natural fiber will be much, much, cooler than one made of a man-made fiber, like polyester, and will be a bajilliion times cooler than a poly-cotton T-shirt.

100% cotton sheets will feel cooler through a hot night than poly-cotton woven or jersey knit sheets. 

Install solar film to the outside of your windows to eliminate up to 90 percent of the UV rays entering through the glass. The UV rays are heat-producing and will also bleach your floors and fabrics. 

Line all your fabric window coverings with blackout fabric. Add a ready-made blackout lining to existing window coverings by attaching it to the existing drapery. Alternatively, place it on a separate rod situated between the drape and the window.

Close your drapes or blinds before the sun hits the window. Open doors not on the sun side to create a cross-breeze.  Movement is the key, keep the air moving with stand-alone fans, if necessary.

Paint your rooms a cool color to make the perceived temperature of the room up to 10 degrees lower than a warm-colored room. Think of a south-facing room, with yellows walls, at sunset. Now think of the same room at sunset with blue walls.