While braais and trips to the beach are great, sometimes it’s also nice to spend a hot summer’s day relaxing in the comfort of your own home. Especially on those break-the-thermometer days, we get here in South Africa, then home might just be the best place to keep cool!
Plus, with lockdown regulations still firmly in place, your home may also be the most comfortable place to be this summer. But, stating home doesn’t have to be boring. There’s plenty you can to ensure you and your family have the perfect summer at home these holidays. Here are simple tips for making the most of your summer ‘staycation.’
Stay Cool
We know summer in South African get smocking hot. So, it’s important to ensure you are able to maintain a comfortably cool indoor temperature when you are at home. Not sure how to keep it cool at home? Check out these smart suggestions to beat the heat:
Keep the Curtains Shut: Draw the curtains during the hottest part of the day to help prevent the summer sun from overheating your indoor retreat. Blackout curtains and shades can be useful allies in blocking out sunlight and keeping the temperature at a comfortable level. Of course, once the evening has rolled around, you can open the curtains and take in another spectacular summer sunset.
Also read: Buying an Airconditioner in SA – Everything You Need to Know
Circulate the Air: Circulating the air can make all the difference when it comes to maintaining a pleasant indoor atmosphere. While turning on the air conditioner may keep you cool for a while, it’s important to keep the chilled air flowing if you want to feel comfortable and refreshed at all times. Even if you have an air conditioner it may also be worth investing in a good-quality fan to keep the air in your home circulating.
Be Smart and Switch Off: Although it will stop the temperature from rising, running appliances non-stop will also land you with some unsightly electricity bills. So, once you’re cool and comfy, it’s definitely a good idea to switch off for a while. Paired with convenient mobile apps, today’s smart air conditioners, like LG Electronics’ LG ThinQ app-compatible models, can be ‘powered-off’ with just a few taps on your smartphone’s screen. They also let you monitor how much energy they’re consuming – helping you to keep those bills down and your energy footprint in check for an eco-friendly summer.
Find the best prices on air conditioners online with PriceCheck now:
Quality Entertainment at Home
Now that you’re fully relaxed, and the temperature is just right, make the most of your summer break with some fun indoor activities.
Tend a home garden: Bring nature inside with some gorgeous summer flower arrangements, or set up an indoor garden and try your hand at growing your own greens. Besides adding some colour to your indoor environment, having more plants inside the home helps to boost air quality and delivers a welcome cooling effect – it’s a win-win!
Take up a healthy hobby: Exercising outdoors during the height of summer may not be the best idea, so what better time to start training at home? Yoga and Pilates both provide a great work-out, and they don’t require a lot of equipment or space either. A daily 20-minute session will do wonders for your health and help you to feel relaxed and ready for all the summer has to offer.
Watch a great movie: Once the sun has gone down and the temperature has cooled off a little, it’s a great time to get comfy on the couch and put on a good movie. Invest in a smart TV or a media player and stream the latest movies straight to your home TV from Netflix, Showmax, and more.
Find the best prices on smart TVs and media players online with PriceCheck now:
Boost Your Energy
Eat well and hydrate to make sure you have enough energy this summer.
Drink plenty of water: Hydrating is always important, but even more so in summer due to the hot, sticky weather. Drink a cup of water each morning and after every meal, as well as periodically throughout the day, to help offset all the water lost through perspiration. While having a chilled soda or iced tea can be a nice way to cool down when it’s hot out, there’s still nothing quite as refreshing as an ice-cold glass of water.
Stay nourished: Summer fruit and vegetables are prime ingredients for making delicious and healthy homemade fare, such as a seasonal salad with lemon dressing, or a yoghurt bowl with berries and nuts.
By following these easy suggestions for staying cool, nourished, and entertained, you’ll likely find that spending time at home this summer is more rewarding than you ever thought possible. So, on those days when you just can’t face the beating sun – or the thought of holiday traffic – why not keep things simple, and book yourself in for a staycation to remember?
