NPR Readers Share Inventive Ways to Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning

In a summer of extreme heat, we asked our NPR readers to share the ways they keep cool without relying on air conditioning. The responses were practical, personal and inventive — shaped by childhoods without AC, long workdays outdoors and family traditions passed down through generations. From rural Minnesota porches to Syrian balconies, here are some of the strategies they swear by.

Cooling with water

Bridgit Jordan of Minneapolis says she goes swimming in the afternoon and stays in her wet swimsuit for the rest of the evening. "Combined with a fan, this keeps me cool," she writes.

Olivier El Mekki, of Dijon, France, treats his bathtub as a personal plunge pool, filling it with fresh water for a day or two. "When I feel hot, I bathe in it for one or two minutes," he says. "When I get out of the bathtub, I can feel the air is hot, but not me." The inspiration? Cows. "In summer, if there is a tree and some water in their field, you will find them in the shadow of that tree, frequently going to bathe in that water," he says.

Growing up in Syria, Amber Thompson remembers cooling off with well-timed showers. "In extreme heat, I used to take a cool shower in the middle of the night before going back to sleep," she says.

Elizabeth Tillinghast, who grew up in Vermont, writes: "Our mother always told us to hold our wrists under cold running water. The many arteries and veins there would rapidly transport the cooled blood throughout our bodies."

Playing with water

Ezra Musselman, who grew up with no plumbing in southeast Minnesota, recalls cold well water that "would take your breath away" as he and his brothers sprayed each other with squirt bottles and water pistols.

Dayton Bradford reports "no shortage of swimming holes" near his childhood home in southeast Tennessee.

And Barbara Wunder McAslan of Florida found her own solution while mowing her grandmother's yard: "I brought a pink, inflatable kiddie pool, filled it up and plopped down in it like a whale in a bathtub."

Fans and airflow

Diane Hinkle of Tennessee grew up before air conditioning was common. Her family used a box fan in an upstairs window to pull in cool night air. "About 7 a.m. we would close all windows to keep the cool air inside for as long as possible."

Chaudhry Awais Ahmed of Rawalpindi in Punjab, Pakistan, uses a damp towel to turn a pedestal fan into an evaporative cooler. "As the fan pulls air from behind, a good portion of that air passes through the wet towel," he explains. "The evaporation cools the air and adds a bit of humidity."

Cool fashion tricks

Mary Richardson of Los Angeles suggests wearing a headband filled with ice cubes. And it's a two-for-one: "This also helps with migraines," she says.

"We have gel scarves that tie around the neck," says Amy Barlow Liberatore of Platteville, Wis. "Cotton scarf encasing a tiny bundle of beads. I soak it overnight until the bundle puffs up, then I tie it around my neck. It keeps me cool all day."

May Bolden of Tallahassee, Fla., says her husband, who owns a landscaping business, cools off by using ice vests she found on Amazon. "They have insertable ice packs that he changes throughout the day as they melt. He freezes the packs the night before and keeps the replacements in a cooler in his truck."

Kimberly Wasylina of Texas says she cools her face and neck on sweltering days by rolling up a wet washcloth with ice cubes and slipping it into a baggie. "It's best if you have a fanny pack strapped to you so you can pack it," she writes.

And Pat Manly, who worked in construction during Arizona summers, learned from co-workers to dunk his shirt in a 5‑gallon bucket of water. "In 120‑degree heat and direct sun, you'll stay nice and cool for about 30 minutes," he writes. But he notes it didn't work in humid New Hampshire, where he resorted to tucking frozen water bottles under his armpits.

Don't forget your furry friends

Joan Sheehan of Sacramento, Calif., uses cold packs to cool her pets. "My cat would sit by the freezer and meow for me to get it out," she writes.

Shade, structures and the outdoors

Jim Gillen of Portland, Ore., recommends minimizing hardscapes — replacing concrete with trees, garden beds and gravel. He recalls families once sleeping in a city park to escape the heat and suggests sleeping on a deck or in the yard as a good (and possibly fun) alternative.

Gina L. Freeman found relief through awnings. Her 1939 home's bedroom stayed cooler because of an overhang, then she added a canvas awning and blackout curtains to the living room.

Amber Thompson's childhood in Syria also involved structural cooling: removing carpets for the season, sleeping on balconies and tile floors. "My little brother slept on the marble floor!" she writes.

And Musselman, from Minnesota, even shares some fond memories of sweltering summers:

"The nights were spent sleeping outside on the porch. As we got older and more brave, we moved from the porch to a yellow-and-green tent that was roomy enough for three brothers (plus a cousin on occasion). With the crickets, owls, coyote and whippoorwill, the nights were alive. Watching the moon and stars on a hot summer evening is something that has never been forgotten."