Looking for tips on how to keep upstairs cool in summer? As warmer weather starts to take over, people are beginning to experience extreme heat indoors (especially upstairs).
An air conditioner is a quick solution to cool your entire apartment or house. However, not everyone has the luxury of an AC. If you have one, you’ll also know how running one can be costly. To keep the electricity down, I’ve gathered the best inexpensive ways to cool upstairs.
If you don’t have an AC or just want to reduce your electricity bill, don’t worry! I’ve listed 11 tips on how to make upstairs cooler in summer!
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How To Keep Upstairs Cool In Summer
- Unplug electronics upstairs
- Prevent sunlight from going indoors
- Let cool air inside
- Dehumidify
- Shut off unused computers upstairs
- Avoid using appliances upstairs
- Use ceiling fans cleverly
- Close the upstair doors
- Cook outdoors
- DIY an air conditioner
- Turn off the lights upstairs
Do you have an echo in your home? I wrote a post on how to eliminate it here.
1. Reduce Upstairs Heat By Unplugging Electronics
All electronic devices produce heat when they are plugged in. Here’s quick tip on how to cool upstairs of a 2-story home. To reduce heat indoors, unplug unused electronics on the second floor. This can be a quick method to save electricity as well as prevent heat production from electronics.
2. Reduce Heat By Preventing Sunlight From Going Indoors
Not sure how to keep upstairs cool in summer? I love sunlight, but unfortunately it makes any room heat up fast. To reduce natural light from entering your home, close your blinds and draw your curtains (you might need blackout curtains if your curtains let a lot of light in).
The less sunlight, the better. I find this solution to be highly effective at reducing extra heat indoors and upstairs. I recommend covering your windows during the early morning before sunlight enters your home. This is because the house cools down at night. When you close your blinds, you trap the cool night air inside and prevent heat from entering the second floor during the hottest part of the day.
In my own home, I angle the blinds to allow only diffused light inside. This works perfectly for me because I enjoy natural light and can’t stand a dark room. I work right by the window so I have enough light to work while staying cool upstairs
Blackout curtains are a great idea to prevent sunlight from entering and heating up your home.
3. Cool Down The Second Floor By Letting Cool Air Inside
Compare the temperature of your home to the temperature outside. Is it cooler outside? If it is, take advantage of the cool air by allowing it to flow indoors. This will help reduce the temperature of your house upstairs.
One of the best inexpensive ways to cool upstairs is to open up a window. You’ll want to create air flow to encourage the cool air inside. If you own a portable fan, try facing the back of the fan towards an open window. If you own a box fan, place it in your window. The air coming from the fan should feel refreshing and cool. It might take some time, but the rooms should start cooling down.
I recommend trying out this method during warm nights. This is a great way to cool down the second story while you sleep. You could then prevent cool air from escaping during the hottest part of the day using methods from this list.
A window fan is a wonderful solution to allow cool air enter your home.
4. Dehumidify The Rooms
Do you hate the dreadfully hot, sticky days? Moisture and heat are an intolerable combo. To make life more comfortable indoors and upstairs, consider using a dehumidifier to reduce the hot, wet air. This is a great tip on how to keep upstairs cool in summer for areas with high humidity.
Dehumidifiers will not bring the temperature of a room down, but will create a “cooling” effect by reducing the humidity. Heavy moisture in the air makes it more difficult for the sweat on our bodies to evaporate. This means that hot sweat stays on our bodies keeping us uncomfortably warm and wet. Therefore, a dehumidifier will help cool down your body better on hot and moist days.
Be careful not to overuse your dehumidifier. You don’t want to reduce all the moisture from the air completely. If you do, the dry air can dry out your skin. This can cause your skin to flake and crack, and cause chapped lips. I don’t recommend running a dehumidify all night for this reason.
Use a dehumidifier for those hot and sticky days. It’ll reduce the moisture in the air, making the room feel “cooler”.
5. Reduce Heat Production Upstairs By Shutting Off Unused Computers
If you have to work upstairs on your computer, you’re out of luck for this hack. Computers can generate a lot of heat because they contain components that require a high amount of electricity to function (which produces heat!).
If you are overworking your computer by playing video games or watching a movie, this can be causing the second story to heat up. Try a different activity instead if your room is unbearably hot. You could also add in a cooling system to your computer if it constantly overheats.
Looking for a hack on how to cool upstairs of a 2-story home? If you aren’t using your computer upstairs, shut it off. This is also a good way to save power in your home.
6. Reduce Heat By Avoiding Appliance Use During The Hottest Time Of The day
When appliances are running, they can produce a lot of heat. These appliances can be dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers, ovens, and stovetops. Unless you absolutely have to, I recommend avoiding appliance use during the hottest time of the day (especially if they are upstairs).
For example, if you have an in-unit washer and dryer on the second floor, consider doing your laundry at night when your place is cooler. This is a great tip on how to keep upstairs cool in summer and prevent your home from heating up during the day.
7. Use Ceiling Fans Cleverly To Cool Yourself Down
Did you know that depending on how you use a ceiling fan, you could make yourself feel warmer or cooler? I was surprised when I first learned about this hack!
For hot days, run the ceiling fan counterclockwise. This helps cool you down because the slant of the fan blades pushes the air down towards you. You’ll want the fans to run at a medium to high speed to get the most breeze. This is one of the best inexpensive ways to cool upstairs!
Unfortunately, this trick won’t lower the temperature of the room. It’ll just cool the people in the room down. To save electricity, I don’t recommend running the fan in an empty room since it won’t cool down the room itself. Otherwise, this is an excellent hack on how to make upstairs cooler in summer.
8. Close Your Doors To Trap Cold Air Upstairs
If you have multiple rooms on the second story, use these closed-off spaces to your advantage! Heat can easily travel from room to room. For spaces you don’t use, I recommend closing the room’s doors (important: cover windows too!). This is a clever tip on how to keep upstairs cool in summer and help rooms stay nice and chill.
During the hottest part of the day, you can retreat into these cooler rooms or open them up to allow cool air to enter warmer sections of your home.
To keep cool upstairs, I recommend staying in a cooler room and shutting the door to prevent the cool air from escaping. Cold air sinks to the ground. To reduce the cold air from traveling through the cracks, stuff a towel under the door. It won’t completely seal the room but it’ll help.
A door draft stopper is a clever way to seal the door. It’ll prevent cool air from escaping your room.
9. Cook Outdoors To Reduce Heat Indoors
Remember how I said earlier that appliances can produce a lot of heat in your home? Cooking appliances, like stovetops and ovens, give off a LOT of heat and can warm up a small room quickly. If you can, I would avoid cooking indoors during the hottest part of the day (especially if your kitchen is upstairs!). Make your meals the night before!
If you have to cook, consider cooking outdoors! If you have a grill, fire it up! I understand that not everyone has a grill, but if you do, consider using it instead of the stovetop. This will help prevent you from adding more heat inside when you cook indoors.
10. DIY An Air Conditioner To Cool Your Home
Don’t have an air conditioner? Make a budget one instead! All you need is a fan and a bowl of ice! Place the bowl directly behind the fan. The fan will blow the cool air produced from the ice into the room.
I’ve seen a tutorial where someone froze water in plastic bottles and taped the bottles to the back of a fan. With a bit of creativity, you can make money-saving alternatives to an air conditioner! DIY-ing an air conditioner is a creative tip on how to cool upstairs of a 2-story home.
11. Reduce Heat Upstairs By Turning Off The Lights
Light contains energy and warms up anything that absorbs it. Your light bulbs can heat up a room a lot when turned on. Here’s a tip on how to keep upstairs cool in summer: turn off lights upstairs.
If you need to have a lamp on, make sure the light bulbs are LED bulbs. LED bulbs produce less heat than other bulbs do. By turning off unnecessary lights, you can make a significant difference to the temperature of any room.
If Nothing Works, Keep Yourself Cool!
In this post, I’ve listed several methods on how to cool upstairs of a 2-story home. Hopefully, you were able to keep the upstairs of your house cool. If you were unsuccessful, try to keep yourself cool to avoid overheating. Here are some quick ways to cool down.
Hydrate Your Body
You can reduce your body heat by drinking cold drinks. In hot days, our bodies can easily get dehydrated. Remember to drink water often!
Use Ice Packs
Ice packs are a quick way to cool down parts of your body. If you already have some in your freezer, pull them out for a quick cool down!
As a reminder, you should never put ice packs directly onto your skin. You can accidentally give yourself an ice burn! Wrap your ice pack with a towel before you use it!
Take A Cold Shower
Cold showers can be a torment for people on normal days. On sweaty, scorching days, cold showers are delightful. If you feel sweaty and clammy from the heat, I recommend trying out a cold shower.
Did you know that cold showers can help increase circulation and help you achieve glowing hair and skin? It definitely adds more reasons to try out a cold shower!
Eat A Popsicle Or Something Cold
If you need a quick relieve after a hot day, eat a popsicle! Eating something cold will help cool your internal body temperature for a short period of time.
Wear Lighter Clothing
Some clothes are more breathable than others and allow body heat to pass through. If you feel hot in your clothes, you might need to change into lighter clothing to help cool down.
Wear clothes that are made of light fabrics such as cotton or linen. These fabrics have better air flow. Avoid wearing pieces that are made of fabrics like polyester and fleece.
Allow your body to cool down by wearing less. Some clothes can trap your body heat inside, making you feel hot.
Avoid Physical Activity
When you move, your body releases heat. Avoid activities that require a lot of physical movement.
Limiting your body movements can help your body to cool down naturally and produces less heat. Instead of exercising, consider reading a book instead.
Go Downstairs (Or Somewhere Else With Cooler Air)
If your second story is too hot to handle, go downstairs. If your entire home is hot, go to place you know has AC. This can be a friend’s house or a local library. It can be extremely uncomfortable to stay in hot place, so go somewhere cooler!
Did you know that heat waves can kill people who are young, elder, or sick? People who are overheated sleep worse and have reduced cognitive functions. You wouldn’t want to leave a child or pet in a hot car, so don’t leave yourself in a hot home!
Conclusion: How To Keep Upstairs Cool In Summer
Hot days are uncomfortable and unbearable for some. I recommend trying out some of the tips above to keep your home cool.
The most inexpensive ways to cool upstairs are to keep the blinds closed slightly to prevent direct sunlight from entering and leaving a window ajar. To allow air flow, a fan is effective at pulling the cold air outside inside. I also recommended turning off all lights to reduce heat.
If you can’t seem to cool your home, remember to drink water to avoid dehydration. If your home is unsafely hot, go to a cooler place instead. High temperatures can have a detrimental impact on your body. Heatstroke is serious and may require medical attention. If you have difficulty staying conscious or are feel dizzy, you might need to get some help.
Overall, I hope that this post gave you some helpful tips on how to cool upstairs of a 2-story home. Let me know how some of the tips worked for you!