11 Easy Ways to Cool Your Home if You Don’t Have Central Air Conditioning

If you happen to live in a home with one tiny window AC or a portable AC unit — or no air conditioning at all — battling against 90-degree-plus days can make spending time at home during the summer feel pretty darn miserable. 

In some cities, like Chicago, large apartment buildings are required to have AC in common areas, but that’s not the case in other places; for example, cities like New York have no such cooling ordinances. 

And as dangerous summer heat waves become more common, it’s critical to know how to stay cool even without the arctic blast of AC. Luckily, there are creative ways to get cool and keep safe without central air conditioning. For many, solace from oppressive heat may not be as as easy as flipping a switch, but luckily these easy tips for cooling down a room can bring you relief, even if you don’t have central air.

Some smart tricks can help your apartment stay cool — or at least, less hot. Here are some things to consider before you begin:

• Your rental agreement: Can you make changes, like screwing curtain rods into walls, as long as they’re reversible? Take note and plan accordingly.
• Which direction your windows face: West-facing windows get sun in the afternoon, which is the hottest time of day. Consider addressing those areas first.
• Your home’s humidity levels: High humidity can make your home feel hotter. In some cases, you might be able to increase your comfort at home by buying a dehumidifier.
• Whether you live with pets, kids, or the elderly: Those groups are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, and you’ll have to take extra precautions.

In your bathroom — or even in a bedroom or kitchen, you can hang a damp beach or bath towel over an open window (as long as you are getting a breeze) to provide a little bit of mist every time the wind blows.

If there’s not a cool breeze coming in your windows, it’s best for them to be closed and covered. Block sunny heat rays by keeping blinds or shades shut, or by using blackout curtains.

Entek, a heating and cooling company, has several great solutions for cooling off your home, some of which don’t require any installation. One smart suggestion: heat-blocking shades.

A blog post from the brand says that reducing the sunlight coming into your home is the most important by the afternoon, so be sure to close up your blinds by lunchtime to help prevent your home from heating up.

If you don’t want to invest in heat-blocking shades or need relief ASAP, you can also try car shades in a pinch on the windows.

If you want the cooling power of mist but don’t want to try the towel method (or don’t have a cool breeze to work with), here’s a tip for quickly cooling down that you can borrow from an ER doctor.

“Take advantage of evaporative cooling,”  Megan Healy, MD, of Temple University Hospital, says. “Folks cool off more quickly when you combine misting with cool water and a fan. So set yourself up with a cheap spray bottle in front of your fan, and spray away!”

In addition to creating a table fan and spray bottle setup, you’ll want to place box fans in just the right spots in your home.

You can set a fan by the window and change its blade direction to blow hot air out during the day and cool air in at night if the nighttime temps are cooler outside than inside.

One of the simplest ways to cool things down is by taking advantage of the fans in your bathroom and kitchen, especially if you can’t live without hot showers and meals. Utilizing both types will zap up any hot air subsiding in these spaces so that your home doesn’t get any warmer, which will also help lower energy and utility bills.

While those flannel sheets may work great for staying cozy in the wintertime, it can be useful to have a few seasonal sheet sets. Lean into light and breezy options like linen, buckwheat, or percale sheets to help you stay cool and catch some Zzzs, no matter the weather. Check out the Apartment Therapy editors’ favorite cooling sheets here.

Another great suggestion from Entek is to power down your appliances — laundry machines, dishwashers, and even limit use of hair appliances and irons — when you want to cool down the home. This means that it’s best to save those to-do list items for early morning or nighttime when it’s cooler.

Similarly, if it’s hot outside, try making a dinner that doesn’t require turning on the oven. (What better time to craft a perfect salad?)

No matter how much (or little) square footage you’re working with, investing in an inflatable pool can make a huge difference in keeping cool during the hottest days of summer. If you have a little more square footage to work with, you could even try a stock tank pool.

Cool air can rapidly escape through gaps in doors, meaning that even if your fans are on, you might not be feeling the benefit. Weatherstripping can help prevent that, just as it prevents hot air from escaping in winter.

You can create a seal around your windows, too, by using a weatherstrip seal. A roll-on window insulation kit will create a barrier between the outdoor air and your interiors and can also be effective.

Ranging in size, capacity, and price, portable air conditioners can be moved from room to room and don’t require permanent installation, making them a great fix for many apartments, according to New York-based AC experts Neptune Air Conditioning, Inc.

Ready to buy a portable AC but don’t know where to begin your search? Check out this handy portable air conditioners guide, with prices starting at $41.

Remember, these fixes alone might not be enough to stay cool when the temperature is dangerously high outside or the temperatures in your home are affecting your ability to be comfortable.

It’s recommended that you seek air conditioning at a cooling center or a friend or family member’s place if the temperature is 90 degrees or higher.