How to Keep Your Apartment Cool
Summer is the best. Except when you don’t have air conditioning in your four story walk-up and you spend those hazy summer nights Googling, “What are the warning signs of heat stroke?” That fan propped up at the foot of your bed can only do so much, so here’s what to do if you’re seriously dying
Amanda Mears
2 min read
Summer is the best. Except when you don’t have air conditioning in your four story walk-up and you spend those hazy summer nights Googling, “What are the warning signs of heat stroke?” That fan propped up at the foot of your bed can only do so much, so here’s what to do if you’re seriously dying in the summer heat this year.
If you have a little cash to spend:
Please consider this window unit. The Aros is the pinnacle of window units. It’s beautiful and sleek and uses wi-fi to save you money on your power bill. I dream about this a/c unit and replacing the giant one currently sticking out of my window. It’s slim, so if you’re worried about installing it by yourself this is especially nice.
Plus, you can download an app to make sure your apartment is cool when you get home from work and turn it up from your bed if you wake up in a tangle of sweaty sheets.
If your room doesn’t have a standard window:
Cooling down a room without a window, or with an oddly shaped window, means you automatically have to resort to a freestanding fan. It’s not always a bad thing, though. This Vornado fan is pretty consistently ranked high on lists of the best fans for summer. I have it and I highly recommend it. It’s quiet and powerful and not a complete eyesore.
The only drawback is that it doesn’t rotate. However, because of it’s “cyclone action” I don’t really notice a difference in the amount of varied breeze it produces. I use it to circulate air from a window unit around the corner and into my bedroom where it gets hottest.
If you need a cheap, creative solution:
Gather some buckets, buy a few feet of copper tubing, and make this DIY air conditioner for $40 (Bonus: it’s legal for most dorm rooms that don’t allow a/c units). I can’t personally speak for this method, but I have friends who have tried it and said it makes sleeping bearable in the middle of summer. There are other versions of this a/c floating around on the web, some cost under $10 to make.
Top photo via Flickr CC
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