Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on 22nd April to boost efforts to conserve the environment. Making sustainable choices is the need of the hour to save our planet from climate change and its harmful consequences like global warming and make it habitable for our future generations.
India is witnessing excessive heat this year even in the onset of summer. As the mercury rises, raising our levels of discomfort, we are becoming all the more dependent on artificial cooling methods like air conditioners at home and workplace. On Earth Day 2024, we offer you some tips to keep your home naturally cool this summer.
Use bed linen made of cotton
Summer is the time when it is advisable to avoid materials like nylon, rayon, satin, silk or polyester when it comes to choosing bed linen. Light coloured cotton bedsheets and pillow covers are an ideal choice for the season. However, new bedsheets are often a little slippery. It’s always a good idea to wash new bed sheets before their first use. This helps remove any chemicals or residue from production and soften natural fabrics.
Cotton bedsheet and pillow covers are an ideal choice for summer
Cotton helps prevent heat rashes. Cotton provides good ventilation and prevents moisture accumulation. Hence, you are less prone to moisture-related rashes, eczema, itching if you are using cotton bedsheets and pillows. Cotton bedsheets, pillows, pillow and bloster covers have a cooling effect on the body, these regulate our body temperature thereby giving us a sound sleep.
Close the curtains during afternoon
While it is necessary to allow fresh air circulation inside your house especially in the early morning and morning, it is advisable to close the curtains (while keeping the windows open) during the late morning and afternoon. This will make the room appear darker but at the same time helps to reduce the temperature indoors. Also, it is advisable to use cotton curtains during summer.
Cotton curtains help to keep the indoors cooler in summer
Cross ventilation
Cross ventilation is necessary to allow proper air circulation inside your home. Open windows strategically enable cross ventilation. The ideal time to keep windows open is during early morning and late evenings and at night if you are not using air conditioners. This is because these are times of the day when the temperature is lower, air is cooler and the weather gets a little pleasant.
Wet the window curtains
Wet curtains are also a wonderful idea to keep the room cool, especially in areas with very less humidity. Spraying water on cotton curtains and dipping the bottom of the curtain in a bucket of water especially during afternoons can offer temporary relief from excess heat at least for a few hours, because this makes the hot air flowing in from the window moist and cool.
Keep planters on your windows
Keeping planters on your balcony and windows will not only enhance the beauty of your home but also purify the air flowing inside your home and make it humid and cooler. Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Mint, Basil and Jasmine are a nice choice for keeping on the window or balcony. Indoor plants like Aloe vera, Areca palm, Snake plant, Peace Lily, Fern, Ficus, Parlor, Jade, Spider and others help to purify the air indoor by reducing toxins. Indoor plants have cooling properties that can keep your house cool and fresh amid high temperatures.
Plant more trees
Finally, plant more trees because that is a major way to combat issues like amid climate change and global warming and save our planet. By making the planet greener, we will automatically play a role in making our environment cooler. Trees are crucial for our survival as they provide food in the form of fruits and leaves. Trees not only give us shade, but also purify the air around us. A tree has the ability to provide oxygen which is essential for life, for all living things on our planet. Trees also remove harmful gases like carbon dioxide making the air we breathe healthier.
It is not possible to arrange for large scale tree plantation drives at an individual level, so what we all can do is wash the seeds of the fruits we consume at home like mangoes, papaya, avocados, lemons, etc and store them at home. While travelling on roads and highways, we can scatter these seeds on empty lands which from which new saplings maybe born!
Taking care of your body: Stay hydrated
Not just keeping your home cool in summer, it is also important to take care of your body and prevent it from overheating or dehydration during the season.
It is important to stay hydrated during summer as the fluid from our body gets removed through sweating. We should drink water and liquids more in summer to replace the fluids which are lost with sweat. High consumption of alcoholic and caffeinated beverages can be harmful in summer because these tend to dehydrate the body with frequent urination. Instead, drinks like low sugar lassi, chaas, fresh fruit juice without additional sugar, fruits and salads can help us stay hydrated. Watermelons, muskmelons, pineapples, mosambi (sweet lemon), cucumber, bael, mango, papayas and peaches are fruits which help us stay hydrated during summer.
Wear light shade cotton clothes
Cotton clothes especially of lighter shades or pastel shades are a cool choice for summers. Cotton clothes have many health benefits. Cotton is a natural material. So, it is hypo-allergenic, which means it rarely causes any allergy. Hence, cotton clothes are suitable for all skin types. Cotton helps in moisture control. It acts as an absorbent, absorbing sweat from the skin, thereby keeping it dry. Also, cotton acts as a temperature regulator and insulation on the body. Cotton fabric traps air in between the fibres. Also, there is a layer of air found between the skin and the clothes which helps in insulation and comfort. So, cotton clothes protect us against heat in summer.
Cotton clothes are very comfortable to wear, they are soft and stretchable. They also have a very durable or long lasting. Cotton clothes are also recommended for children because of the above-mentioned health benefits. Cotton is an organic, natural fabric. It is gentle on the skin, very soft and free from chemicals. It absorbs moisture from the skin, so the child is dry and comfortable always.
