How Houses Were kept cool before the age of AC
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☀️ No AC? No Problem. Here’s How Homesteaders Beat the Heat! 🧺💨
Long before air conditioning was invented in the 1920s, homesteaders had to get creative to survive the heat — especially during scorching summers when heat exhaustion could threaten both the health and productivity of the family. 😓
Back then, there were no thermostats to save the day. Instead, families relied on clever, low-tech cooling methods that actually worked — and many of them are still useful today if you’re living off-grid or trying to cut down on energy costs. 💡
🌿 How Did They Stay Cool Without AC?
In one family history journal, women were said to take flat sheets, soak them in water, wring them out, and hang them in doorways and windows. As air passed through, it was cooled by the evaporating moisture — essentially creating an early version of a swamp cooler! 🧺🌬️
Other time-tested methods included:
- Planting shade trees on the south and west sides of the home 🌳
- Using cross-ventilation with strategically placed windows and vents
- Building homes with thick stone or adobe walls to retain coolness
- Spending hot afternoons in root cellars or basements
- Keeping windows shut during the day and opening them at night 🌙
🏡 Whether you’re homesteading, prepping for power outages, or just want to live more naturally, these old-school tricks still hold up. They’re eco-friendly, cost-effective, and a great reminder that modern comfort wasn’t always a given.
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Click below to explore all the brilliant, practical ways our ancestors stayed cool — without flipping a switch!
How Houses Were kept cool before the age of AC