I wrote about this two years ago here. From that time, life changed a lot for us. We now have more people in the home and a slightly bigger home.

Do you feel the summer heat making some slight appearances the past few days? I’m pretty sure a lot of people noticed sudden temperature changes. It could be the start of summer for Manila and yes a lot of people prefer summer season to the rainy season. It means beach time! I’m not a beach person and but yes the beach is really wonderful. Summer season also means heat in the home and everyday around us.

Can you imagine extreme heat plus Manila traffic? I hope a lot of drivers out there will add more patience to everyday driving or else road rage will definitely a problem.

Anyway, we got a few tips to beat the heat this summer especially for those who have small kids at home. Hope you find these helpful as summer progresses.

• Keep your windows open if your air coolers and fans are turned on. It will allow the air to keep flowing to avoid a suffocating environment of heat. Just make sure there’s good ventilation in your home and rooms.
• Wear decent summer clothes at home like shorts, sleeveless shirts, cotton shirts, dresses, and other clothes you are most comfortable wearing. Don’t wear just an underwear and a top. Decent house clothes is just but right so that if you have surprise visitors or you have some people coming over for repairs or house service or delivery, you don’t need to rush and change to better looking clothes. Just dress like your on a vacation.
• Get those air conditioners ready and have them cleaned. Don’t forget that they need to be cleaned every 6 months. Clean and maintained air conditioners will stay in shape throughout the summer season. It will lessen risks of overheat. Make sure you’re getting expert and authorized cleaners of your air conditioner’s brand.
• Use of air conditoners. If you are conserving energy and you really feel so hot already during the day, open the air conditioner for an hour or 2 to keep the room cold and turn it off after. The cool air will stay for quite some time together with an electric fan on when you turn the air con off. You don’t have to open the coolers the entire day. Just a few hours is enough. If you’re using air conditioner with inverter or a split type which is becoming common now, it is more economical to keep it open for long hours than putting them on and off during the day.
• Have curtains to cover your windows so that it blocks the sun’s rays. It adds heat they go in.

• Delay some heat-generating activities during the hottest time of the day like ironing and using the oven. It adds heat to the home. You can strategies the use of heat-generating appliances to manage the temperature in the home.
• For safety purposes, always unplug all appliances when not in use. Be cautious on appliance overuse like electric fans and aircons. They can cause or start a fire.
• In the afternoon, pouring water on the floors of your porch or garage or surround the home can help cool the surroundings. Notice how they’ll dry up fast but at least it helped cool the surroundings down.
• Keep your beddings not thick and choose cotton.
• If you feel hot during the day or night, wet a towel and cool it in the refrigerator or freezer and wipe your face and arms and legs with it once cool.
• Get low and stay in the ground floor of your home. Hot air usually rises during summertime.
• Turn off lights that are too bright or give off  a lot of heat. Yes, bulbs and lights gives off heat too.
• Unplug all gadgets and chargers at night. Better safe than sorry.
• Hydrate. Always drink lots of water to keep your body cool and relaxed.
• Put sunscreen. It’s not about being afraid of getting dark but there are harmful effects of the sun’s rays too.
• Try as much to stay indoors during the peak hot hours from around 10am to 3pm.
• Wear a hat, shades, or use an umbrella if you have medium to long hair, tie your hair in a bun or ponytail. It will keep your neck and nape sweat-free. Putting your hair down adds to the head especially if you have long hair. Better yet, have a summer look and get a haircut!
• Of course, get a good bath to start your day and get another bath at the end of the day. It will help keep you body cool and relaxed for and after the tasks for the day. Give the little kids regular twice a day bath to keep them cool and refreshed too.
• Avoid hot drinks and alcohol. It generates more body heat. Best to drink cold beverages or popsicles to cool your body during the day.
• Keep a small spray bottle with clean water in the refrigerator so you can spray on your face and body when you come from the heat outdoors. Somewhat just like spraying Evian.
• Go swimming or visit the beach with the family to cool down and relax.

• Make some ice popsicles with fruits like mango, melon, watermelon. It’s healthy and the kids will enjoy it too (even adults). It’s as simple as blundered fruits with a little sugar or milk, freeze, and enjoy!

Summer seems to get more humid and hotter every year. Could be climate change or a result of how we abuse the environment. Let’s always keep our cool this summer time despite heavy traffic around Metro Manila and the fatigue of everyday life and things to do.

Try to stay cool and make it a summer to remember!