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Considering, and deciding, what measures you can take that will help keep your home keep cool in Summer, will inevitably initially cost you some money, time and effort. There are many simple ways but firstly you need to look at your home to assess it's problem areas.

If your windows get full sun for most of the day, the heat streaming through could become unbearable. Look at appropriate window dressings. Many blinds, such as the vertical ones, will allow light in but stop the suns strong rays penetrating into your home. This has the added bonus of reducing fading of furniture and carpets, which can occur in strong sunlight. Some neighbours of mine have had a light filter covering stuck to the inside of their windows recently. These diffuse the light and also keep temperatures down.

Next, onto the flooring. What you lay as a floor covering may affect the temperature of your home. Thick fluffy carpets are wonderful in winter and cold climates, as they keep a home warm and cosy. In Summer though they can retain far too much heat. Better still lay linoleum, marble or plain wooden floors. You can always have a very large thick shaggy carpet which you can remove and store during the Summer months and put down again in Winter.

Shading from the garden can offer welcome, free assistance in keeping your home cool. Whether it is a sun awning or from a natural source such as the trees and shrubs in the garden. Strategically planted trees can offer great shade for a home. Be careful, however, how near to the house you plant them and what type of plants or trees they are. You do not want something which has long roots which will grow under your home and cause problems, do you?.

When tackling chores such as cooking, baking or ironing try to do so at the coolest time of the day and open some windows if possible. Cooking in a kitchen which is already warm will only make the heat unbearable.

Open as many doors as possible, especially if you have fitted door curtains which will keep flies out. Sometimes however you will need to keep the shades drawn and the doors closed in order maintain a lovely cool temperature and not let the heat in.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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