If you don't have an air conditioner and can't take the heat (or you just don't feel like running yours), here are five DIY ideas to stay cool this summer. If you don't have an air conditioner, hopefully you have a fan. On its own, however, a fan isn't always sufficiently cooling. If your home is a hot air trap, blowing that hot air around isn't going to help much. Instead of just running the fan and hoping for the best, take a shallow bowl and fill it with ice. Place the bowl in front of the fan and as the ice evaporates, it will cool the air.If it isn't hotter outside than it is in your home, you've probably cracked a window already to at least cool things down a little bit. If you're finding an open window isn't sufficient, spray a sheet with cold water and use it to cover the window's opening. As the breeze passes through, the cold and damp sheet will cool it bringing in chilled air and further helping to reduce the temperature in your home.If all you have are windows to work with, you can still use them to your advantage.

While the difference is more significant in arid environments, the temperature outdoors cools at night, and that's the air you want to let into your home. If you keep your windows closed while the sun is up and open them while the sun is down, you can trap the cooler air in your home and keep the temperature a few degrees lower. Even better: Set up a couple of inexpensive box fans in windows on opposite sides of a room to create a nice through-breeze.Much of the heat in your home comes from heat-generating sources within it. If you avoid generating large amounts of heat you won't have as much of a need to cool. Things like air drying your clothes, skipping the dry cycle on your dishwasher and turning off your computer(s) when they aren't in use are all good ways to keep the temperature down. Sometimes the best alternative to an air conditioner is an air conditioner, especially when you can make it yourself on the cheap. Even better, make it portable. Check out our tips from last year's Beat the Heat and build this portable air conditioner, or try this easy and cheap dorm-legal one.

Want more tips for staying cool this summer? Here are more easy ways, reader tips on non-AC cooling and the overall best tips from Lifehacker readers. Have some of your own tips for keeping cool in the summer? Let's hear them in the comments. Title photo courtesy of Becca Schall. Dog photo via MeeksAir. Go to product compare bar Danby Window Air Conditioners Beat the heat this summer with a Danby® window air conditioners. cost to install an ac unitThey are built to cool down your room and remove the humidity. portable ac unit dealsWindow air conditioners are easy to use and some include electronic temperature control with sleep modes to ensure the optimal temperature when you are sleeping. central air conditioner repair service

Install one in any room of your house, apartment or condo. We offer a variety of capacities and sizes to ensure our air conditioners can cool down any room. Keep your space cool all summer long with a Danby® window air conditioner. Geizeer Ice Cube Air Conditioner ADDITIONAL IMAGES & VIDEOS RELATED PRODUCTSHoneywell Indoor Portable Evaporative Air Cooler - $154.98SPT 8,000BTU Single Hose Portable AC - $240.99Cool on the Go Clip Fan - $39.99Koldfront Through the Wall Heat/Cool Air Conditioner - $538.00 Make that "Geizeer Super Cheap and Eco-Friendly Ice Cube Air Conditioner." (And it's actually pronounced "Guy-zer," not "Gee-zer," even though in my head it will always be the latter.) At an operational cost of less than 1 cent per day, and powered entirely by a rechargeable battery and a witch's brew ice pack, the Geizeer air conditioner says it can blow a straight shot of cool and refreshing at your hot, sticky self while nestled in style on top of your desk, table, or nightstand.

Geizeer points out that traditional air conditioning is expensive to run, and can have health side effects ranging from headaches and back pain to respiratory issues due to its ultra cold and drying nature. The cooling cube takes a more subtle, natural approach, incorporating a thermal insulating wood shell and a re-freezeable internal ice pack into its battery-operated, fan-based system. The wood lower and upper halves of the Geizeer body align to form a metal-framed cube. Installed on two of its four wooden legs are electrical contacts that, when touching, signal operation of the unit's bladeless fan. The bottom half of the Geizeer cube holds its battery and a PCB with micro USB, and above it sits the housing for the air conditioner's cooling elements, a volcano-looking pack o' gel-based ice. The fan is tucked into the lid, where it can suck in air for the ice to cool, and then blow back out through the slots that divide the cube in half for 360 degrees of chill. They say Geizeer's cooling capacity is 3 degrees Celsius for an insulated room of 12 square meters, which is incredibly annoying because I speak in Fahrenheit and feet.

(And while 12 square meters easily converts to about 130 square feet for those of you who are like me, a 3-degree change in Celsius doesn't really have an easily Googled Fahrenheit counterpart, but it's probably around 5 to 7 degrees.) If you like the Geizeer, and would like to have one, head over to Kickstarter to pledge for yours through June 14, 2016.Try going back to the homepagea vector illustration of a window air conditioner with ice on it.... ice can easily be removed.. Available in high-resolution and several sizes to fit the needs of your project. Get Started for Free I agree to Shutterstock's Website Terms, Privacy Policy, Licensing Terms and to receive emails that I can opt out of at any time. Do more with Shutterstock Over 60 million photos, vectors, illustrations, and more. Simple and flat pricing by image or by month. Edit images for free with Shutterstock Editor Do I have to pay more to get access to the full Shutterstock Collection?

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