It’s heating up Chicago! You don’t have to suffer in your apartment immobilized by heat and humidity. Follow these tips to keep your apartment cool from the summertime sun.
Keep your apartment shaded during the daytime hours in an effort to prevent direct sunlight from heating up your residence. Thermal curtains are a great solution! They help prevent heat from invading your apartment the best, but if you still enjoy some natural light during the day, you may want to hang curtains made of a thinner material.
Plants are not only decorative, certain indoor plants are also able to keep the air around them cool. Let’s think back to middle school science class: plants rely on photosynthesis, a method during which plants consume water and daylight to create their own food. This process also causes plants to absorb energy, or in this case, heat—plants must absorb energy in order to function, in doing so they remove heat from the air.
The sun and humidity cause enough heat as it is, why add more heat to the air by running appliances? Your stove, oven, and dishwasher generate heat when in use. Try to avoid using these appliances during the day. Wait until nightfall to cook, do dishes, or wash laundry. During daytime hours, opt for a cold meal, presoak dishes, hunt and gather the dirty laundry, or complete other prep work so that you are ready to complete your chores come sundown.
Size matters! Many people buy air conditioning units that are too big in hopes it will cool their apartment better, however, oversized air conditioners are actually less efficient. While a large unit may cool down your apartment fast, there is not enough time to dehumidify indoor air. Make sure to provide the square footage of your apartment to the store clerk when you purchase an air conditioning unit. They will be better able to recommend the right size for your space. Don’t forget, to ensure the safety of the building and others, all window air conditioning units must be installed by one of the preferred vendors. Contact a member of your management team for additional information.
