Dress Smart, Stay Cool

Your clothing choices can make or break your comfort in the heat. Opting for lightweight fabrics like cotton and linen that allow air circulation and wick away moisture is key. Light-colored clothing also reflects sun rays while dark colors absorb them, leading to heat accumulation and making you sweatier than necessary. And if working from home is something that matters to you, why limit yourself from staying in comfortable attire such as pajamas while doing your work? Comfort is of utmost importance after all.

Master the Art of Shade

Shade can be an essential element in surviving the heat. Outdoors, a wide-brimmed hat or umbrella is an easy and portable solution. At home, invest in blackout curtains or blinds to block out direct sunlight rays. Alternatively consider planting trees or installing awnings, both solutions offer shade while increasing curb appeal.

Cooling Gadgets and Gizmos 

Technology offers numerous gadgets designed to keep you cool. Portable fans, cooling towels, personal air conditioners and personal air conditioners can make a significant difference. Not to mention how effective an ice pack can be at rapidly lowering body temperatures. You may be amazed how effective these small devices can be at providing relief from heat waves.

Cold Showers 

Nothing beats the rejuvenating feel of a cool shower when temperatures soar, instantly lowering body temperature and washing away sweat from your pores to leave you feeling revived and rejuvenated. If you aren’t quite up for an icy bath yet, start slowly by switching over from lukewarm water to gradually colder waters.

AC Repair

Sometimes the heat becomes unbearable, necessitating an efficient air conditioning unit to stay comfortable. If your AC is underperforming, it may be the time to consider repairs. As a starting point, start by checking basic components such as air filter clogs (these can reduce efficiency drastically) as well as thermostat settings to make sure everything is operating normally. If these steps don’t resolve your AC repair needs, it is advisable to seek professional assistance for service repair. Experienced AC technicians can identify more complex problems like refrigerant leaks, compressor faults or electrical issues. Regular maintenance (including annual check-ups) can prevent many common problems and increase its lifespan to keep you cool and comfortable through all of summer.

Siesta: An Ultimate Power Nap

Siestas have long been a tradition in many hot countries, and for good reason. By taking a midday nap or siesta, people can avoid peak afternoon heat while catching some Zs. A short slumber in a cool and dark room will rejuvenate you, helping make you more productive when you awake. Plus it provides an excuse for relaxation.

Conclusion

With these helpful yet professional tips in your arsenal, you are now prepared with strategies for staying cool this summer. To beat the heat effectively, dress smartly, find shade when necessary, and indulge in cooling showers when desired. Whether it involves technology or tried-and-tested methods, simply find what works for you best and relax and enjoy your summer.

The post Beat the Heat with Tips to Keep Cool This Summer appeared first on InstantELLA.

Here are some simple ways to ensure that your home stays cool this summer. These easy steps will allow you to retreat to the comfort of your carefully cooled home. There are many ways that you can keep your home cool, and many of the methods vary depending on location and type of home.

Curtains

5 Ways to Get Your Home Sold Today

While opening windows can be good, it needs to be done wisely. Opening a window that is facing the sun is just going to make your home super hot. You need to be careful to open windows that face away from the sun’s current position.

Equipping your windows with heavy curtains can be a great solution. These curtains prevent the sun from coming into the home, therefore keeping it much cooler. You can buy thick, dark curtains known as “black-out” curtains that do this quite nicely. Sometimes though, you need custom Window Treatments to get the right look. This can mean using a combination of curtains and bespoke blinds or shutters in order to get the right fit for your window with an aesthetic that matches the décor of the rest of the room.

Service AC

How To Improve Air Quality At Your Workplace?

This is the easiest, most effective, but most expensive suggestion on the list. Getting your AC tuned up will help keep your home cool all summer. It could potentially cost you a lot of money.

Check out local businesses that offer air conditioning services to find a good deal. Even if it is expensive, it is worth it.

Fire Up The Grill

How Technology Can Turn a Geek into a Good Home Chef

One of the easiest ways to heat your home up is to turn on the oven and cook. Now, this can’t be avoided the entire summer, so it is good to find the ideal times to cook. The ideal parts of the day to cook, morning and evening, are good times as your home will be cooler during those times.

You can avoid cooking inside by firing up the grill and cooking out. This is a classic thing to do during the summer anyway and will allow you to avoid heating up the house. Making a picnic out of it is a great family activity too!

Patch Screens

Why Should You Choose Metal Roofing?

Patching screens by itself will do nothing to keep your home cool. What your screens do is allow you to open windows without letting the veritable army of summer bugs into your home. You can buy very cheap screen patches at Walmart that are easily applied to windows and prevent bugs from coming in.

By doing so, you are allowing yourself to better ventilate your home by opening windows. If you open a window at each end of your house, you are creating a perfect path for a cool breeze.

Conclusion

Your Next-Level Cookout Guide

Summer is a great time of year, but it is very hot. Make sure that you are taking all the necessary steps to allow your home to be cool all summer. Simple, easy fixes are readily available; get your home in summer shape and beat the heat this year!

The post 4 Simple Actions to Take to Prepare to Beat the Summer Heat appeared first on InstantELLA.

10 Ways to Be More Environmentally Friendly

To help us help you, our friends at BiologiQ, manufacturers of eco-friendly plastic resin pellets, have put together this list of tips for becoming more environmentally aware this fall.

Burning

Fall is the season for burning, whether it’s a bonfire, your wood stove, or burning your trash. Keep these two things in mind the next time you go to start that fire: only burn dry wood and never use burn barrels for trash or debris.

Never burn damp wood because it doesn’t burn completely and can release more pollutants in the air. These pollutants will settle around your home, or the site where you are burning, and have been known to cause asthma and other respiratory diseases. Burn wood that has been drying for at least 6 months to ensure that it is completely dry.

Don’t use burn barrels. They don’t burn efficiently and release a lot of smoke toxins, especially if you aren’t burning clean materials. Instead, try to recycle paper, plastic and glass materials; donate old clothing, and grind up old branches and leaves into a mulch or compost for your yard.

Always be aware of your state’s laws regarding burning and burn bans as well. These are set in place not only to prevent wildfires, but to help keep pollution down as well.

Donating Items

Does anyone use the fall as a time to clean out storage? Are you throwing out old toys, clothes, or other items you’ve replaced throughout the year?

Don’t just throw these items away. For one, they take up landfill space, and for two, valuable resources were used to produce those items, so by donating them to someone who needs them those resources are saved.

If you have clothing that your kids have grown out of, dishes you’ve replaced, old toys, find a place to donate them. Homeless shelters and rehabilitation centers are always looking for items to be donated. Search your community to see where that need lies and take in your donation.

If you have other items, like leftover building materials, paint, wood, pallets, nails, etc. there is a place to donate those things too. All it takes is a quick Google search to find where you can send the items that you want to get rid of. Not only will you help the environment, but you can feel good knowing you helped people in need too.

Conserving Energy

One of the leading causes of greenhouse gases that contributes to global climate change is energy production from coal, oil and natural gas. So, conserving and reducing energy usage will only help to lessen that pollution.

5 ways to become more environmentally-friendly for your New Year’s resolution

Some ways you can easily conserve energy in your home are through home heating, hot water, and lights and appliances.

When heating your home, reduce the temperature of the thermostat one degree at a time until you reach a temperature you and your family can be comfortable with – wearing sweaters or blankets to stay cozy. At times when you are away from your home, set the thermostat even lower – about 55 or lower.

Keeping hot water use limited. Take shorter showers, wash your clothes in cold water, and install low-flow showerheads and faucets. You can also turn the temperature on your water heater down or try a solar water heater system.

How To Be More Environmentally Conscious

Turn off the lights when you leave the room. This really does save energy. Use energy efficient light bulbs, turn off appliances and other electronics like computers and printers when they aren’t in use for a long time.

Keep these tips with you this fall as you go about preparing for holidays and family reunions. Help create a better world through these small and simple deeds.

The post 3 Environmentally Friendly Tips for the Fall appeared first on InstantELLA.