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How to: Stay cool on hot days

By Cindy McNatt, The Orange County Register, Source: MCT News Service

18 WAYS TO BE COOL WITHOUT A/C

Running the air conditioner all day is all good if you've got it. But what if you don't have an air conditioner at all? You can keep your house cool with a few simple steps:

_Keep the heat OUT. 40 percent of the heat that gets in your house radiates in from your window glass. If you have drapes, vertical blinds, shutters or any type of window covering keep them closed during the day to prevent heat from radiating through the windows. Especially cover windows where the sun shines directly on them.

_Use blankets. If you don't have heavy window coverings, hang blankets over your windows to prevent heat from radiating inside. This works even better if you hang the covering outside to prevent heat from hitting the glass in the first place.

_Keep windows closed. Letting the breeze blow only heats up your house. Close your windows before it gets hot and keep them closed during the hottest part of the day.

_Set your ceiling fan to run counter-clockwise to pull hot air toward the ceiling.

_Create cool zones with floor fans and misters.

_Keep the lights off.

_Don't use the oven, stove or other heat-generating appliances such as the clothes dryer.

_In the evening open your windows and doors to bring cool air inside again.

_Do it again in the early morning to exchange the warm inside air for cool.

_Position fans to blow the hot air outside not pull hot air in. At night, reverse the process to pull cool air inside.

_Sleep downstairs, it's cooler there.

_Take your shoes off. Feet release body heat. Or put your feet in cool water

_Fill a hand-held spray bottle with half water and half rubbing alcohol and spritz yourself to keep cool

_Keep a bowl of cool, wet wash cloths in the refrigerator and use them to cool down.

_Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.

_Take frequent cool showers, jump in the pool, play with the hose. Keep your hair wet.

_Bring pets inside when temperatures top 90 degrees. Provide water and shade. If a pet must stay outside, hose it down a few times a day.

_Keep watch on elderly family members and neighbors.

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(c) 2009, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Visit the Register on the World Wide Web at http://www.ocregister.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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ARCHIVE ILLUSTRATIONS on MCT Direct (from MCT Illustration Bank, 202-383-6064): keepcool fan