The dog days of summer have arrived. You’ve got no air conditioning. You’re hot, tired and sweating like a freshman on finals week. But fear not! This easy, homemade tropical breeze cooler will help keep you from melting into that chair. In just a few minutes you can build this simple container that works on the principle of evaporative cooling. And best of all, you probably have everything you need already sitting around the house. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way from sweltering sands to shady oasis.

Step One:

Find a medium to large container that has a tight fitting lid. It must be sturdy enough to hold water, so cardboard is out. Old coffee cans or ice cream buckets (the big plastic kind) work well. One of the best things about this tropical breeze cooler is that your re-using something that you’d just be throwing away. Talk about earth friendly!

Also, once you’ve selected your container make sure to wash and dry it well. It may seem obvious to some, but it’s an easy step to forget. We don’t want our cool, refreshing breeze smelling like yesterday’s leftovers do we?

Step Two:

Take the lid off of your chosen container. Find a sharp kitchen or utility knife (kids, please ask an adult for help with this step). Now cut a cross shape into the center of the lid, making sure to puncture all the way through to the other side. Roughly an inch and a half or two inches long should be enough. If it looks like the top of a container of baby wipes you’re doing well.

Step Three:

Find two or three hand towels. Dish towel or bar towel size work just fine. A washcloth just isn’t going to cut it, but bath towels are way too large. Carefully pull the towels through the cross shaped opening you cut into the top of your lid. Make sure that about one third of each towel is on the “inside” of the lid (the side that faces the container) and the other two thirds are sticking out of the top.

Step Four:

Now take your container and fill it almost all the way with cold water. The colder the better. Adding ice will help but it isn’t required. If you do choose to add ice, make sure you have an equal mix of ice and water. We’ll need that water in the container for this to work. Once you’ve got your container filled place the lid on and seal it tightly, making sure the bottom of the towels are submerged in the cold water.

Step Five:

You’re done! Simply place your newly constructed swamp cooler in front of a fan and wait. As the cold water moves up the surface of the towels and evaporates it will generate a moist, cooling breeze. Point the fan right at you for the best effect. In order to work properly the fan must be blowing air directly across the wet towels, so you may need to place your cooler on top of a table or pedestal if you have a tall fan. Also, this tropical breeze cooler will work well for one room of the house, but if you need to cool off several rooms you may need to use more than one. I would recommend making one cooler for each fan you have running in your house.

Please note, if you plan to use this cooler for an extended period make sure to replace the towels and the water every day. I would also recommend re-washing the container each time. This will prevent the buildup of bacteria and mildew and keep your tropical breeze fresh. You might also notice some moisture around the bottom of the container from condensation. Placing the entire container on top of a dry towel or cloth should solve this problem.

Extra Tip:

If you like, you can also add scent enhancers to the water in your container to give your breeze a refreshing aroma. Mint leaves, lemon juice, or lavender buds all work well. Be warned that using these or any essential oils may stain your towels, so use some older rags if you’re worried. As long as you don’t go overboard though it shouldn’t be a problem. Now just sit back and enjoy. Stay cool everyone!

Apart from the aforementioned advice, you can also install air conditioners to cool things up during nighttime as the days are quite hot when you’re in office where ACs never work despite numerous complaints and the managers or supervisors never bother to call ac repair San Diego.