Did your home’s air conditioner just break down on you?

If so, you’re probably seeing first-hand just how brutal it can be to live with no AC. It doesn’t take long for the temperature in a home to rise once the AC gives out, making it unbearably hot inside.

But don’t despair! Rather than moving out of your home until you can get your AC fixed, there are some things you can do to make your home more comfortable when the AC dies.

Here are 10 ways to make your home instantly cooler without the use of air conditioning.

1. Keep Your Windows Closed

When your AC conks out on you, the first thing you might be tempted to do is open the windows in your home. Resist the urge to do it.

It’s not a bad idea to open your windows at night when it’s cooler outside. But initially, your goal should be to conserve as much of the cool air that’s already in your home as possible.

Instead of opening your windows, make sure they’re all closed tightly. This will stop the cool air in your home from escaping and allow you to enjoy it even though you have no AC.

2. Cover Your Windows Up With Blinds and Curtains

In addition to making sure all the windows in your home are closed after your AC goes out, you should also make an effort to cover all of your windows up.

Ideally, you should already have blinds, curtains, or some other kinds of window treatments on your windows. Close them immediately to stop the sun from shining into your home and sending unwanted heat into it.

If you don’t have window treatments on your home’s windows right now, you can use something as simple as a bedsheet to serve as a makeshift curtain. Do whatever it takes to prevent the sun from making it ungodly hot in your home.

3. Turn Your Ceiling Fans On

Do you have ceiling fans in your home? If you do, turn them on as soon as you realize that you have no AC.

During the warmer months, your ceiling fans should be set to spin counter-clockwise. Outside of saving you money on your energy costs, this will also create a breeze that will make your home feel cooler in no time.

4. Turn Other Fans On, Too

Whether you have ceiling fans in your home or not, they aren’t the only fans that you can use to cool your home when you don’t have AC.

You can also strategically place other fans throughout your home to keep air circulating throughout it. Positioning yourself in front of a fan in your living room or bedroom can make you feel cooler in a matter of just a few seconds.

5. Use Ice to Your Advantage

As time goes on and your AC still isn’t working, fans might stop providing you with much relief. Before long, they’re just going to blow a bunch of hot air around and having little to no effect on your comfort.

So rather than relying on fans alone, fill up bowls with ice and place the bowls in front of your fans. The ice will allow your fans to blow cool air throughout your home.

Replace the ice every hour or two to keep the cool air coming. This is a trick that people with no AC have been using for years to cool down their homes.

6. Keep Exhaust Fans in Your Kitchen and Bathrooms Running

The exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms are usually used to remove humidity, odors, and more from your home. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use them to remove heat from it, too.

Turn your exhaust fans on and allow them to run when you realize you have no AC. The fans will work to take the hot air that rises in your home and move it outdoors so it can’t affect your home’s temperature.

7. Avoid Opening and Closing Exterior Doors

Opening and closing your home’s exterior doors can have a profound impact on the temperature in your house. It can let a lot of hot air from outside in and send cool air from inside out.

Try to limit how often you open and close your exterior doors when you have no AC. Additionally, place towels by the bottom of your exterior doors so that air can’t pass freely under your doors when they’re closed.

8. Shut Off Lights

If you still have older incandescent bulbs in the light fixtures in your home, they can generate and let off quite a bit of heat. Compact fluorescent lights are a much better option, both in terms of energy efficiency and the amount of heat they produce.

But regardless of which type of lights you have in your home, it’s best to shut your lights off when your AC goes out. By keeping your home on the darker side, it’ll make it feel cooler.

9. Power Down Most of Your Electronics

The average American home is filled with dozens of electronics. From smartphones and tablets to laptops and flatscreen TVs, you probably have all kinds of electronics scattered throughout your home.

If you can do without some of them, unplug them and power them down. Electronics generate heat that can make your home feel warmer even when you’re not using them.

10. Figure Out What’s Wrong With Your AC

While you’ll be able to survive with no AC for a few days, you’re not going to want to do it for very long. It’s important to figure out what’s wrong with your AC as soon as possible so that you can get it fixed.

Read more about some the most common AC problems to get a better sense of what could be wrong with your unit.

Stop Living With No AC

Believe it or not, not every American home has an air conditioner in it. About 25 percent of people have no AC, which proves that you can live without it if you have to.

But if you’re lucky enough to have AC in your home and it simply isn’t working, take the necessary steps to have it fixed. It’ll help you keep your home more comfortable when it gets hot out and prevent you from suffering needlessly due to the heat in your house.

Read our blog for more helpful tips that you can put to good use around your home.