Cooling down your apartment during the summer is essential, especially in Arkansas. While it may be tempting to crank the air conditioner to as low of a temperature as the thermostat will allow, it isn’t realistic–and this might even cause your HVAC system to malfunction. Instead, be reasonable when setting your thermostat–and your expectations about the temperature you’ll be able to achieve in your apartment, given whatever the outdoor temperature is at the time. Most air conditioning systems can only go so far when it comes to cooling an apartment during days with highs of 100 degrees F and more. Luckily, there are several things you can do to help you cool down your apartment during the summer. 

Decrease your body temperature 

Cooling off yourself can help you sleep better in a warm apartment. Take a cold shower or bath before bed, and drink plenty of cold water during the day to help you beat the heat.

Make a cross breeze during evenings

Open windows on opposite sides of your apartment to help stale, hot air circulate and take advantage of evening breezes. Use fans strategically placed to force hot air outside and draw cooler air inwards.

Keep blinds and doors shut during the day

Keeping your blinds and any external-facing doors closed during the day will help you keep heat out of your apartment. Black out curtains and certain kinds of blinds can work even better than others in keeping heat out. When purchasing blinds, look for those that offer energy efficient ratings. 

Switch your bedding to summer fabrics

Be sure you aren’t using flannel, wool, down, or any other extra-warm bedding materials during the summer time. Instead, try bamboo or cotton sheets and thin linen or cotton blankets. 

Lower your mattress

Because heat rises, having a high-set bed can lead to warmer nights full of tossing and turning. Try lowering your mattress if possible to try to beat some of that rising heat.

Place a bucket of ice in front of a fan

Although this sounds silly, it actually works. Use a box fan on a chair or stool placed in front of a heaping bucket of ice, and reap the benefits of the cooled air in your apartment for the low cost of a simple bag of ice. 

Cook outside if you can

Try to use the grill as much as possible to enjoy the long evenings of summer and also keep some of that cooking heat out of your apartment. There are several inexpensive and easy to transport grills you can try, if you are unable to leave a grill standing permanently but must instead pull it out each time you use it (due to common area rules or risk of theft in your apartment area.

Cook lightly and not in the oven

If you can’t cook outside, at least try cooking foods lightly and choosing meals that require little stove time. 

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