Keep It Cool: How to Beat the Heat at Home This Summer

It feels like we wait all year for summer to arrive: the trips to the beach, the warm evenings outside, the backyard cookouts with friends and family. But while summer weather is enjoyable in certain situations, it can make the inside of our homes uncomfortable, especially if we don't take steps to beat the heat.

Thankfully, there are lots of ways you can cool down your home, whether you live in an area with hot summers or where it can be warm year-round. And if you don't have central air conditioning, don't worry—from using the best fans to circulate cool air, to using the right cooling material for your bed sheets, these tips will keep you comfortable all summer long.

10 Ways to Cool Down a Room Fast

When temperatures rise outside, home interiors get hotter too. Stifling-hot rooms are miserable and can mean sleepless nights. A whole-house air conditioning system may sound good. But you need faster, less expensive cooling solutions that help you cool down a room fast. Fortunately, there are a number of cooling methods that offer convenience and are easy to use, like using curtains during the day and reversing your ceiling fan. With any or all of these methods, soon you'll cool down a room fast to more manageable temperatures.

How to Keep Your House Cool Without AC

Air conditioners provide instant, cooling relief on hot days and let you sleep peacefully through the night. But with air conditioners' high cost and many environmental downsides, this is an appliance that many homeowners choose not to run. Fortunately, there are ways to cool a house without AC. Most methods are easy and inexpensive to implement, while a few long-term solutions require greater time and cost. Either way, with this guide you'll find out how to keep your house cool and pull the plug on your air conditioner (or help you stay cool if you don't have one).

How to Keep Your Bedroom Cool in the Summer

Summer is filled with memory-making pastimes like family vacations, outdoor activities, ice cream cones, and days spent frolicking at the beach. But the clear, sunny skies can lead to steamy hot nights when the sun goes down, making it hard to sleep. Instead of reaching for your thermostat, you can tweak your bedroom's furnishings to a summertime ensemble that will keep you cool and offer a better night's rest.

How to Clean a Window Air Conditioner

Cleaning your window air conditioner offers a surprising slew of advantages. Maintaining a window unit by keeping it clean helps keep it working well by prolonging its longevity, reducing the need for repairs, reducing your energy bill, preventing mold formation, and producing cleaner air for your room.

Unfortunately, this essential maintenance task is often neglected, leaving your unit vulnerable to premature failure or malfunctioning components. The good news? Cleaning your window air conditioner is quick and easy to do, and it requires a minimal amount of tools and materials.

The Best Air Conditioners to Keep Your Home Cool

A reliable air conditioner is a must-have if you live in a hot climate or need to keep your home cool during the summer months. We researched and tested dozens of air conditioners to find the best options on the market, evaluating them on efficiency, ease of installation, noise level, value, and range of settings. 

The Best Fans to Keep Your Home Cool and Comfortable, Tested by Us

A good fan circulates fresh air and can help you feel cool and comfortable in a hot or stuffy room. We purchased 31 fans in different shapes and styles and tested them in the Lab to see how they performed. We then spent hours evaluating their air speed, design, portability, effectiveness, and value. Backed by our testing, here are the best fans to keep you cool.