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"  We&amp;#039;ve been rather lucky this summer. It hasn&amp;#039;t been as hot and humid in New York City as it usually is. But other parts of the country haven&amp;#039;t been so fortunate. If it&amp;#039;s sweltering where you live, here are some easy steps you can take to help keep your home cooler and more comfortable for the remaining days of summer. Adjust the Air Conditioning Whether your home has central air conditioning or window units, it&amp;#039;s important to adjust the settings or thermostat, as needed. When you&amp;#039;re home, the ideal temperature is between 70 and 75 degrees. Before you leave, instead of turning the unit off crank the temperature up to 80 degrees. The house won&amp;#039;t overheat while you&amp;#039;re away and it&amp;#039;ll take less time and energy to cool it back down when you return.  Manage Moisture When indoor air is dry you feel cool because your skin&amp;#039;s moisture evaporates quickly. If the indoor air is saturated, your sweat has nowhere to go, leaving you feeling clammy. To reduce indoor moisture to the EPA-recommended level of below 60%, invest in a dehumidifier, if necessary. Run bathroom exhaust fans while showering and for 20 minutes after to purge moisture from the air and remember to turn on the exhaust hood in your kitchen whenever you&amp;#039;re cooking. Even moving indoor plants (if you have a lot of them) outside can help as they produce moisture, too.  Keep the Heat Out As beautiful as it is when the sun beams through your windows, it heats up your   house and makes your air conditioner work harder. Draw drapes and close blinds and shades on southern and western facing windows when the sun is strongest. Better yet, install solar, insulating, or light-filtering window coverings, like those from our Good Housekeeping Custom Blinds and Shades collection (left, and all backed by our Good Housekeeping Seal), to shield your home and furnishings from the effects of the sun. Other easy, keep-cool fixes include:  Shading your windows from the outside with trees and awnings   Using a fan with your air conditioner to better circulate cool air    Opening opposing windows at night when the outdoor temperature is at least 3 degrees cooler than indoors to help create a cross breeze   Rolling up area rugs and covering furniture with cotton slipcovers to make these surfaces cooler to the touch  To see how we test dehumidifiers, fans, and all the cooling products we recommend, sign up for a Good Housekeeping Research Institute tour. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a24778/tips-to-keep-cool-indoors/>