Ways of cooling down an apartment without AC.

[Outdated]

I grew up in a hot climate before we all had airconditioning, even though my country invented it.

Blinds closed but windows open a small amount. The trick if you can, is to get air flowing through your house or flat from one side to another. From your description you only have one window, that makes it more difficult, perhaps propping your front door slightly open as well to allow that flow through.

If your window faces the sun get some proper thick curtains with the white backing on them, they stop most of the heat coming in.

Ceiling fans suck, take it from someone that lived in the full tropics for 20 years, the old pedestal fans are far better. Hot air rises to the ceiling and ceiling fans just push all of that heat back down on to you again.

A pedestal fan blowing gently across your bed at night will help you sleep better, but don't let it blow on your face, if you do then when you wake up in the morning your eyes will be crusted shut and they'll be sore all day from being dried out during the night.

And if it's a really hot night cool showers are great. Have that fan set up near your bed, don't dry yourself when you get out of the shower, just go straight from the shower to bed, you'll be asleep in no time.

 

[Tired]

I have a trick I use, first close your eyes. Then imagine it's early January. You're outside and it's -19°C. It's a little dark and windy, which makes it feel even colder. You have been shoveling snow for one and a half hour. Your nose is cold, your fingers are cold and you haven't had feeling in your toes for the past 30 minutes. And you still have a solid 30-40 minutes of shoveling ahead of you.

Now, open your eyes and embrace the wonderful heat.
I don't know if it works for everyone, but it works for me.

Haha this trick works until 30c, after that i can't concentrate much on thinking instead of dying from heat

 

[Tired]

Me: okay guys, how to not die from heat?
Judge:

It's those few summer nights when the temperature doesn't drop that will be ugly- even painful to deal with.

Hahaha sorry it just made me chuckle

 

[Tired]

I am also always naked at home.

So time to make my new neighbors across the street very happy

 

[Tired]

I have little ice packs that you use to keep food cool. I can put these on my body. Also increase your levels of potassium by avocados, black beans, and bananas. This will significantly help with your energy levels. I also change out what l eat. Like only one or two meals, and a smoothie as a meal. Right now, l really enjoy a protein ice coffee which gives me a energy shot. Throw it in a blender with a carmel protein yogurt and a coffee smoothie is just happiness. You can also use instant coffee, sugar free carmel flavoring, a banana, protein powder in blender for energy, potassium and protein for your day.

Hmmm that sounds yummy, I'll try the coffee smoothie thing, thanks!

 

[Tired]

The old law deemed the aesthetics of a trailer park as more important than people's lives.

Ah yes, I know that this happens in some counties wirh actual houses, like you're not allowed to have AC in your own house, cause it's an old house in the center of the city which is like a part of cultural city archive and stuff like that.

 

[Tired]

If you live in an area with mosquitoes, you need screens on your windows or a mosquito net over your bed if you leave the windows open. Mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile, Dengue, Zika, etc. are on the rise with climate change/global warming.

I'll see soon enough do I have mosquitoes in my area. I know where to buy that mosquito net, but I'm not sure how to put it on my windows without falling out.

 

[Tired]

Thank you everyone so much for your answers

 

[Gerontius]

Old-fashioned trick: hang heavy curtains over the window to keep the house cooler in the day, but open the window at night, even if it's raining, to take advantage of cool night air. Rise before sunup & close the window.

Also: Table fan, the bigger, the better. The absolute Cadillac of fans is the Freshn'd-Aire Circulator, a 16" beast of a fan out of the nineteen forties. I have one that I paid $10 for and it's almost inaudible on the low setting, but on high it sounds like a Cessna running up the motor to take off and it will blow the sheet-music off the organ across the room. Freshn'd-Aire fans are collectors' items at this point but they can usually run again with a simple replacement of the power cord (cheap electric flex & an 89-cent plug) and then a few drops of SAE 20 motor oil. I use the 3-in-One blue bottle "Electric Motor Oil." If you can get one of these fans they're worth the having, but then again, nothing wrong with a good box fan, or multiple fans. Just don't waste your electricity buying tiny fans.

Wear cotton shirts, like a farmer--there's a reason they dress like that. It helps in the heat.

 

[Judge]

Me: okay guys, how to not die from heat?
Judge:

Hahaha sorry it just made me chuckle.

Let's just say that I recall those times quite profoundly. With little to chuckle about. Kind of like earthquakes as well.

How not to die? That's easy. To at times as we say in the states, "Get out of Dodge!" Mainly meaning seek anywhere it's air conditioned...even if you have to loiter in a mall after hours. Even your car if you have plenty of gas. Whatever it takes, without limiting such things to remaining within your home under the most dire of circumstances.

 

[Aspychata]

Your post reminds me of the trend of ice baths. I see tubs being sold online for the sole purpose of a ice bath. Some people feel it has totally changed their chemistry. Might try a ice bath once. @Judge , mall parking lots are not as safe as they use to be. Eating heavy meals increases your body temperature as your body heats up to metabolize the breakdown of nutrients from calories.

 

[Forest Cat]

Have you looked around for something like this? Portable air conditioner. Small and powerful. It costs 70 US dollars, I think that's an ok deal. And I think this would work well in a small apartment. But this one is made for the US market, pretty sure it won't work with the Serbian electrical outlets, so maybe look around and see if any local stores have something like this?

Portable Air Conditioner

 

[Jeff T]

Where you live makes a difference in what you can do to feel cooler.
If you live in a humid place, the choices are smaller.

If you live in a low humidity area such as where I'm at:
A fairly powerful fan, close to where you spend most of your time. Have it blow at your head/face.
The constant triggering of sensory neurons in the face seems to diminish the rest of the body's input.
Adding a small single nozzle mister in front of the fan will make it feel much cooler- but in very high temps it seems to be less effective.
Go naked.
If you can afford it- buy a swamp-cooler.
Some of the smallest a/c window units are pretty cheap. If you can arrange your high-use stuff to have it all in a smaller room that can be closed off by a door, using such a small unit can be effective in cooling down a fraction of your liveable space.
Buy some cooling towels, which you drench with water. They slowly cool by evaporation. Some are shaped to go over your shoulders, and some cover the head. I used these for the last 10 years I was working outdoors on the job in 100+ temps. They made a big difference.

If you live in a humid area (which most of the country is), my suggestions are narrowed down to:
A powerful fan, without the mister.
Going naked.
Very small A/C window unit in a small room.

 

[Tom]

I would do all possible to get an AC. Scrimp/Save/Borrow/Sell stuff. With one room it wouldn't have to be too big an AC to cool. They have floor models now where just the outlet hose and a small pannel fit in the window if that makes it easier. Thats what I use now. I hate mounting and unmounting the heavy things in the window.

But that is because I am not made for heat. I used to get heat exhaustion regularly in military. I must have too many vestigial neanderthal genes. No wonder my model was wiped out. Cheap thermostats is my guess.

 

[Judge]

Have you looked around for something like this? Portable air conditioner. Small and powerful. It costs 70 US dollars, I think that's an ok deal. And I think this would work well in a small apartment. But this one is made for the US market, pretty sure it won't work with the Serbian electrical outlets, so maybe look around and see if any local stores have something like this?

Portable Air Conditioner

Which reminds me of in those horrible situations in Walnut Creek Ca., how the electrical grid would go down (brownouts, blackouts) effectively stopping any and all electrical devices from functioning.

Using candles for light. So having an efficient electrical grid matters as well. A portable air conditioner is nice...as long as one has power to operate them without any brownouts.

Happens occasionally here in Nevada as well, when one too many people rely on air conditioning and continuing to use other major appliances when everyone else is doing the same.

 

[Jumpinbare]

Fans, I used to put a small rag with water on the fan because humidity with fan is a new tech and can be more effective or put a cup of water in front or a little lower than the fan to prevent the blocking of the air. The rag tended to dry too often.

Actually, water evaporation with a fan is one of the oldest forms of airconditioning. The concept is often called a swamp cooler since swamps tend to be wet.

 

[Misty Avich]

Come to the UK during a heatwave - we don't have AC in our homes. I don't know what we do really, just have a fan that starts to blow warm air around after a while.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

I spent a day or two in the Badlands of SD and it was hotter than I had ever experienced before. Camping, so no electric, no nothing.

Opened the tent as far as I could (for shade) and then lay down and put a wet bandana over my face. It would dry out quickly. Wet it and reapply. And wet it and reapply again. Dusk was quite welcome.

If you are really hot, put those wet cloths or ice packs in the axillae (underarms) and groin (between your legs.) These are the two spots with concentrated blood supply near the surface of the skin. Will cool you down quickly.

 

[Au Naturel]

If the humidity is low, a box fan with a wet towel draped over the front will cool things off. If there is any breeze, put a wet towel over the window. Take cool showers. Don't wear clothes. Drink LOTS of fuids.

You want to put something highly reflective over that window when the sun shines directly thru it. The best solution might be a portable AC unit.

 

[Aspychata]

Those plastic films that you put on windows to protect against getting hot. It's like a ultraviolet film of thin plastic that you rub on. They sell in rolls, and you cut it to fit. They also have black out curtains that absorb the sun. Those are about 22 dollars for two panels.