Summer is supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation, where you can spend more time with your family and friends, soaking up the sun and possibly even taking a little vacation. If you typically spend more time at home in the summer, here’s how you can make your home more comfortable and fun.
1. Get A Barbecue For Your Backyard
When the weather is warm but not scorching hot, hosting a backyard barbecue is a great way to spend time with friends and family, eat a tasty meal, and enjoy a nice day. If you’re used to using charcoal for fuel, getting a gas grill will make life easier. You can run it on propane tanks that you fill at the gas station or hook it up to an existing natural gas line.
Backyard barbecues are an essential ingredient for summer, so even if you’ve never owned a barbecue before, now is the perfect time to get started.
2. Keep Your Fridge Stocked With Cold Drinks
Cold drinks on hand will make hot summers better, even if it’s just a bottle of water. When you’ve been outside in the sun for a while, nothing beats feeling that cool liquid hit your throat.
However, be careful about drinking chilled beverages after spending significant time in the heat because you can actually put your body into shock. It doesn’t seem to impact most people, but for those who have experienced it, the impact is severe.
Try chilling room temperature drinks with a few ice cubes instead, because that way, you’ll be able to control the temperature better and it won’t be such a shock to your body.
3. Change Your A/C Air Filter
Summer days can get pretty hot, but when you have an air conditioner, it’s a lot easier to cope. However, if your air conditioner filter is dirty, it might not work correctly. Before summer hits, change your A/C filter and get your whole HVAC system inspected to make sure it’s working properly. You don’t want to wait until there’s a problem on a really hot day because you probably won’t be able to get it serviced for several days.
4. Purchase A Powerful Fan
Small household fans do wonders to keep spaces cool, but powerful fans are a game changer. Instead of relying on a traditional oscillating fan on a tall stand, try using the type of fan designed to sit low to the ground that you’d expect to find in a garage. They usually have three settings – low, medium, and high – and even the low setting will be more powerful than the highest setting on your typical fan.
These powerful fans will circulate air around a room extremely well, and they can be pointed low to the ground or up high if you want to avoid direct contact with the wind.
5. Organize Fun Days For The Kids
If you have school-aged kids, they’re probably going to have a summer break, which means you’ll be on the hook for providing entertainment. Even though they could stare at their screens for countless hours, kids will eventually get bored.
Try to find activities you can do with your kids at home. Consider setting up versatile swing sets in your backyard, which offer a variety of play options for kids of all ages. Talk to their friends’ parents to see if you can arrange something where you each entertain the kids for the day or trade off hosting sleepovers.
6. Get Cooling Mats For Your Pets
Don’t forget about your furry friends in the summer heat! Dogs, cats, rats, bunnies, and even guinea pigs all need to cool down in the heat. For dogs and cats, you can buy cooling mats that dissipate their body heat or mats that you can slide a frozen insert into that will stay cool for a couple of hours.
The best way to keep bunnies, rodents, and other small animals cool is by freezing bottles of water and putting them in areas where the animal can lie down next to the bottle. This can also work for small dogs and cats, too.
7. Get A Pool
One of the best ways to beat the heat is to jump into a cold pool. If you don’t have one, an inflatable above-ground pool is an excellent option. They take a while to fill up, but they’re relatively low-maintenance as long as you keep them covered when not in use.
Prepare Your Home To Beat The Summer Heat
Summer months can get extremely hot, but if you prepare ahead of time, you can beat the heat and enjoy yourself before winter arrives.
