Kathrine Frich
It is a surprising solution.
When the calendar truly hits the summer months here at home, high temperatures often follow.
This is very much felt indoors, where many Danish homes can quickly end up feeling like pure ovens.
Few can afford expensive cooling systems at home, and it is often not even permitted to install them in typical apartment buildings.
Fortunately, there are a number of very simple steps one can take to make everyday life a little more bearable.
The answer might be found by looking towards more southern latitudes.
Energozrouti reports.
Block out the sun
Italians are masters at keeping their homes cool when the thermometer hits 30 degrees Celsius. Their secret lies in simple habits.
They close the shutters first thing in the morning to keep the sun’s rays out.
Here in Denmark, we are very fond of letting in a lot of light into our living rooms.
This is a major disadvantage on the hottest summer days, when windows should rather be covered with light-colored curtains.
Furthermore, one should only ventilate late in the evening or very early in the morning.
An open window in the middle of the day simply lets a lot of heavy, warm air directly into the living room.
Appliances like TVs and ovens emit a lot of heat.
Therefore, it pays to keep the stove off and instead eat cold dishes like salads until evening falls.
More creative solutions
If the air feels unbearably dry, one can hang wet sheets in front of windows to create some much-needed humidity.
Another method is to decorate with plenty of houseplants and small bowls of water.
Having some cooling readily available can also make a big difference.
With just a few adjustments, you avoid investing large sums in power-hungry machines.
The Southern European approach simply requires a small change to your regular routines to provide a significantly cooler home.
