Use Kitchen Leftovers to Improve Your Garden

The summer heat might be starting to cool off, but this weather change is no comfort to you if your home's air conditioning is broken. The best solution for avoiding your home being hot and sticky is to contact an air conditioning repair company. Having a licensed and experienced technician visit your home to diagnose your problem and fix it will have you enjoying the cool once again. In the meantime, you'll have to make a few simple adjustments to how you live your life to help you beat the heat. Here are four worthwhile changes to adopt.

Eat Light Meals

While you might inherently be tempted to avoid hot, spicy meals when you're trying to stay cool, it's also important to skip foods that are heavy. Heavy foods such as complex carbohydrates make your body work harder to break down, which can elevate your body temperature slightly. Avoid complex carbs such as whole grains, rice, pasta and potatoes. Instead, light salads and fresh fruit provide your body with vital nutrients and hydration and are easy to digest.

Limit Your Use Of Lights

Incandescent light bulbs generate a significant amount of heat and can raise a room's temperature over the course of several hours. Wherever possible, avoid turning on more lights than you have to or switch your incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs, which don't generate the same amount of heat. If you have a multi-light fixture such as a stretch of track lighting, even removing one or two bulbs from the fixture can provide light without excessive heat.

Turn Your Fan Into An A/C Unit

A standard fan provides some relief from the heat, but you can boost this item's appeal with a simple change. Soak a towel in ice-cold water or fill a shallow pan with ice cubes and cold water and place either item in front of the fan. As the fan pushes the air through the towel or over the shallow pan, the air will cool and provide more refreshment when it hits your body. You'll have to re-soak the towel and refill the pan over time, as they'll eventually come up to room temperature.

Find The Coolest Room

Basements and insulated garages are typically cooler than the rest of your home. Don't be afraid to change up your habits by sleeping on the pull-out couch in your basement or spending time hanging out in the garage. Rooms with tile floors are also ideal to seek out, given that the floor is several degrees cooler than the room.