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Did you know pigs don't sweat? To prevent overheating, pigs seek shade, water, and cool mud.
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This is the time of year in Texas where staying cool is always uppermost in my mind. If you've seen this article before, I had it first published with the Survival Mom. I'm reposting here as I've added more updates.
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It was a record breaking 114 degrees in West Texas and as luck would have it, our air conditioner broke! 7 months pregnant and living paycheck to paycheck, I had to find ways to cool down and QUICK!
What I remember the most about that time is how my family
managed to stay comfortable at night. With the fan blowing on high, we'd cover ourselves in our beds with wet bath towels. Unbelievably, we'd wake up cold.
Fast forward 10 years later, and my family is handling another heatwave, this time in central Texas. With more than 3 months in a row of nonstop 100 degree weather, we were sapped of energy. I call that the period in time, "the year I didn't garden!"
It was the year I also took a good look around me and realized that I did NOT want to be caught unprepared during a heatwave with no power.
It was the year I also took a good look around me and realized that I did NOT want to be caught unprepared during a heatwave with no power.
We naturally have an air conditioner, and plenty of fans, but I wanted to make sure my family would be able to keep our cool, even if we didn't have electricity.
While my kids and I were working as volunteers at an 1800 living history museum, we'd get asked lots of questions from the public on sweltering days!
"Aren't you hot in that long dress?" people would ask as they stood around in their tee shirts and shorts.
"How do you stay cool when there's no air conditioner?" another asked.
"Where do you get ice?" a child piped.
Those were the types of questions I enjoyed answering the most, as I wasn't just repeating what our ancestors did, I was actually living through the experience!
I explained that believe it or not, the long cotton dress I wore, actually kept me more comfortable and cool, than if I were wearing shorts. Not to mention, the full skirt and sleeves protected me from sunburn, and bug bites.
Light and loose flowing clothes, in natural fibers like cotton, or linen, will actually draw moisture from the skin, evaporate, and cool a person down.
During extreme hot weather, we'd water the garden, and save the hard work for early in the mornings or late evenings when things cooled down. We also made sure to check on animals to see if they had plenty of water.
As for ice, there was no refrigeration. A respite from hot weather would be to walk inside the underground root cellar where temperatures could be 40 degrees or cooler than what is outside.
This is how our ancestors stored and preserved food. Kept in darkness, the root cellar felt like a cave year round.
At first, I couldn't imagine drinking room temperature water when my family first started volunteering. I had thought that in order to "cool down" my beverage needed to be cold. I have since learned that staying hydrated with lukewarm water is actually preferable. Not that I don't enjoy a glass of ice cold tea on a hot sizzling day, but it is nice to know that we can survive without ice.
I also find it interesting that some studies have shown athletes that drink cold water show a decrease in performance in comparison to those who consume room temperature.
Years ago, homes were built with no artificial air conditioning. Back then, people gravitated to their front porch to stay cool, or to enjoy the breezeway -- called a dogtrot, there would be two cabins built side by side, and the connecting hallway between would pull in their air currents, causing a cooler breeze.
Today, as I look at homes, I wonder about the lack of front porches and how families would stay cooler during a heatwave with no air conditioning. Here are a few ideas for keeping your cool when there's no air conditioning.
My first priority for preparing for hot weather without power, was to purchase plenty of battery operated fans. Just like my experience in West Texas, I wanted to make sure I had moving air to circulate around wet clothes or towels. |
| My local weather report |
What I learned from the Past
While my kids and I were working as volunteers at an 1800 living history museum, we'd get asked lots of questions from the public on sweltering days!
"Aren't you hot in that long dress?" people would ask as they stood around in their tee shirts and shorts.
"How do you stay cool when there's no air conditioner?" another asked.
"Where do you get ice?" a child piped.
Those were the types of questions I enjoyed answering the most, as I wasn't just repeating what our ancestors did, I was actually living through the experience!
I explained that believe it or not, the long cotton dress I wore, actually kept me more comfortable and cool, than if I were wearing shorts. Not to mention, the full skirt and sleeves protected me from sunburn, and bug bites.
Light and loose flowing clothes, in natural fibers like cotton, or linen, will actually draw moisture from the skin, evaporate, and cool a person down.
During extreme hot weather, we'd water the garden, and save the hard work for early in the mornings or late evenings when things cooled down. We also made sure to check on animals to see if they had plenty of water.
Cold or Room Temperature?
As for ice, there was no refrigeration. A respite from hot weather would be to walk inside the underground root cellar where temperatures could be 40 degrees or cooler than what is outside.
This is how our ancestors stored and preserved food. Kept in darkness, the root cellar felt like a cave year round.
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| On the far left of this photo, you can see the root cellar and how close it was to the house. This was our form of refrigeration and our ancestors used these cellars to store produce and canned goods. |
At first, I couldn't imagine drinking room temperature water when my family first started volunteering. I had thought that in order to "cool down" my beverage needed to be cold. I have since learned that staying hydrated with lukewarm water is actually preferable. Not that I don't enjoy a glass of ice cold tea on a hot sizzling day, but it is nice to know that we can survive without ice.
I also find it interesting that some studies have shown athletes that drink cold water show a decrease in performance in comparison to those who consume room temperature.
Years ago, homes were built with no artificial air conditioning. Back then, people gravitated to their front porch to stay cool, or to enjoy the breezeway -- called a dogtrot, there would be two cabins built side by side, and the connecting hallway between would pull in their air currents, causing a cooler breeze.
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| This house was called the Homestead, and we would sit between these two buildings to stay cool on those hot days. The rooms on the left were the parlor and kitchen. On the right were the bedrooms. A ladder from the dogtrot would lead to a loft that connected both buildings with the roof. Children usually slept in this loft. |
Today, as I look at homes, I wonder about the lack of front porches and how families would stay cooler during a heatwave with no air conditioning. Here are a few ideas for keeping your cool when there's no air conditioning.
Keeping Cool without Electricity
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I absolutely love this 02COOL fan! Not only does it use batteries, but it also runs by USB, so I have a back-up method to keep this running.
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I also make it a priority to have plenty of spare batteries, including batteries that can be recharged by solar power.
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| This PANASONIC eneloop Power Pack is a MUST-HAVE for emergencies. I keep two of these stored as back-up batteries that can be recharged. |
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| This is one of my favorite battery banks - the ALLSOLAR 24000mAh I use this to keep my hungry gadgets fed - fans, cellphones, tablets, laptops, Kindle reader, etc. |
Thare are solar powered battery chargers that you can purchase online, as well as pocket sized mini solar panels that you can hook up to these battery chargers or cellphones.
I have found the portable power banks and USB battery packs to be the most invaluable for keeping my fans powered.
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| These univeral USB car chargers can be found in most truck stops and convenience stores. I always keep my gadgets charging while I'm driving as a back-up |
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I keep this exact fan SkyGenius in my vehicle to stay powered by the USB car charger (cigarette lighter) and when unplugged this fan will continue to operate for up to 30 hours with its internal battery.
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I absolutely love the USB powered fans that come with their own battery chargers. My motto is to never keep all of your eggs in one basket - in other words, ALWAYS have a back-up plan if power is out, or batteries are drained, etc.
Another benefit to moving air is discouraging mosquitoes and flies! These flying pests find it hard to zero in for the landing when air is blowing.
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| A variety of cooling towels can be found in the camping section of Walmart, sport stores, or online with Amazon. |
Cooling towels are a wonderful invention! Initially they feel like cardboard, but once wet, they stay cool and rubbery until they dry again. These towels are perfect for those times when you don’t have moving air.
I keep these in my car for road trips where I could potentially break down during hot weather. Just pour bottled water over the towel, and presto! Instant coolness. We make it mandatory to store a case of bottled water in each car for such emergencies.
Essential oils like mint cool the skin on contact, and I like to spritz lightly but not too much as you can potentially over cool your skin.
Another reason I love spray bottles and essential oils is for those high humidity days. Imagine your house baking in extreme heat, with people and pet odors. My favorite spray is lavender and water. I add about 20 drops to a small spray bottle and spritz the house. This not only makes your home smell wonderful, but the calming blend soothes the nerves and it's healthy to breathe!
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| I'm usually camping without electricity, but with all of these handy gadgets, I don't miss it! |
How do you keep your cool?
Again, these are ideas for keeping your cool without air conditioning. During power outages in extreme heat, it is extremely important to remember that both the elderly and the young are more susceptible to heat injuries and need to be looked after.
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| Sports drinks like Gatorade are perfect for the food storage as these drinks are an excellent source of sodium and potassium when dealing with dehydration. |
Stay hydrated everyone, drink lots of water, wear natural fiber clothes, don't overwork when it's hot outside, wear a hat, and if you have any additional COOL ideas, please share here for everyone!
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| My duck Daffy staying cool |
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