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Carver Communications - Index

Carver Communications - 6.15.08 - Index

Vol.XXVI, No.12 © Carver Communications, Inc. June 15, 2008
Keeping Cool During Summer - Try Some Of These Tips
By Halley Jones
Anyone who has lived in south
Texas during the summer knows how
brutal it can be. Temperatures running
in the high 90s or even above 100 on
most days, not to mention the nearly
constant 100 percent humidity, can make
going outside almost unbearable.
However, being inside a house with no
air conditioning can also be close to
unbearable.
For real estate agents, summer
heat definitely has an impact. This can
be especially true if the agent is showing
a house without air conditioning. Using
a few simple tricks can help keep an
agent safely cooled and a house more
comfortable this summer.
Tips to stay cool
Wear light colored clothing.
White and pale colors reflect not only
the suns light but also its heat. On the
other hand, dark colored clothing
absorbs heat and causes your body temperature
rise.
Wear loose fitting, short sleeve
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shirts. Tight fitting items don’t allow
for heat to be moved away from the
body. The same problem happens with
long sleeves because the heat from the
body gets trapped in the sleeves. Loose
fitting clothes with short sleeves will
definitely help keep the heat in check.
If you still want more relief
from your clothing, there are undershirts
designed to pull sweat away from the
body. Most athletic
stores carry Under
Armour brand and
the stores brand.
These shirts are
very effective in
pulling prespiration
off the skin to cool
it down, but also can
be very expensive.
Drink lots of water, preferably
iced. Being in the heat makes people
sweat to try to cool the skin down. If
that happens too much, you will get
dehydrated which can lead to heat stroke
or worse. Drinking water keeps you
hydrated. Because iced water is cold, it
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is absorbed into your body faster. As an
added bonus, just holding a glass of iced
water will help cool you off. Avoid caffeinated
drinks like sodas, coffee and tea
because these drinks dehydrate your
body.
Eat light meals. Heavy foods
take more energy to digest, which slows
your body’s ability to cool you off.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition
to being tasty, are
light on the stomach.
Carrying around a
couple of apples or a
salad and eating it
throughout the day is
ideal.
Carry a handheld
portable fan. It
may not be stylish,
but a portable fan will help create a
breeze against your skin that will help
keep the temperature low.
Try to stay indoors during the
hottest time of the day. While not
always possible, avoid being outside
from about 1pm to 6pm. Try to do home
showings early in the day or in the
evening. If at all possible, be inside during
the hottest time.
Park in the shade if you can.
The temperature inside a car can be up to
twenty degrees higher than outside, and
that twenty degrees will take a toll. If
there is no shade, crack windows in the
car to help relieve some of the heat.
Tips to keep houses cool
Keep the blinds and drapes
closed during the day. This will keep the
sun from warming the room. Plus,
drapes and blinds reflect light away from
the house, keeping the entire house cool-
er as well.
Turn unneeded lights off.
Lights generate heat. The longer a light
is on, the more heat it will generate.
Keeping lights off as often as possible,
turning them on when showing.
Open windows early in the day.
Before the heat of the day sets in, utilize
the airflow from outside. Any form of
airflow will help cool an area. But,
remember, when the day gets hot to
close the window or it will heat up the
house.
Turn on the ceiling fans. If the
day is not humid, turn them on high in
order to get the breeziest feeling you
can. If the day is really humid, set the
fans on a low setting to help get the
moisture in the air moving. The more
airflow through the house, the cooler the
house feels. Make sure that the fan is
turned for summer. You should feel air
blowing downward.
Try to keep unneeded electronics
unplugged. Almost anything plugged
in will generate heat.
Encourage the homeowner to do
heat and humidity generating activities
early in the day or in the evening.
Showering and washing laundry causes
the humidity inside the home to
increase, and using the oven or stove
causes the temperature to increase. By
having the homeowner limit these activities
during the day, it will help make the
house feel cooler.
With just a few simple tricks,
the heat of summer can be reduced.
These tricks can help get these houses
sold. So be cool and enjoy summer’s hot
deals.