Summer heat is a blessing after you’ve spent months freezing your tail off through the dark, cold months of winter. Even so, you’re probably going to reach a point this summer where you just can’t take the heat anymore! Some people are lucky enough to have air conditioning, but just in case you don’t, there are plenty of DIY solutions for cooling down in the height of summer.
Here’s a list of or 15 favourite ways to use your crafting skills to keep yourself cool this season!
1. Outdoor upcycled wood beverage stand
Infarrantly Creative suggests gathering stylishly weathered, reclaimed wood and building yourself an outdoor drinks station, complete with shelves, a recipe board, and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It’s the perfect DIY station for hosting summer barbecues!
2. Homemade “after sun” spray
Are you the kind of person who, no matter how much sun screen you wear, ends up sun burned every single year? Then this cooling “after sun spray” recipe from The Dabbist might be the perfect summer necessity for you! It contains aloe vera, which is one of the best ingredients for soothing sun irritated skin.
3. Easy folding pop-up tent
This DIY pop up kids tent idea from My Cakies makes a great hideout for inside a playroom, but we especially like it because when the summer heat starts to beat down, you can grab it and take it outside to shield your little ones from the sun! Versatile DIY projects are the best kind.
4. Naturally flavoured water
The Yummy Life reminds you how good infused waters can be, particularly on hot days when all you’ve drank for hours is water and you need a little bit of flavour. The delicious combinations you can make are practically endless!
5. Pop bottle sprinkler
Is it one of those desperately hot days where you need to be in the water and you need it right now? Sure, you could just douse yourself with the hose, but we’re pretty sure that a quick emergency sprinkler made out of a 2 litre pop bottle is a lot more fun an experience for the whole family! Check out how it’s done on Clever, Crafty, Cookin’ Mama.
6. Aloe vera ice cubes
The Chic Site teaches you possibly one of the most useful summer hacks you’ll ever learn! Dedicate one of the ice cube trays in your freezer to making soothing aloe vera ice cubes instead of regular ice cubes. Next time you’re over heated or have a terrible sun burn, grab an aloe vera cube and run it along your burned areas. It’ll soothe the skin with both the cold temperature and the aloe vera as it melts. Just make sure you label them so people don’t put them in their drinks! These ice cubes won’t hurt you if you accidentally drink them, but why waste your precious aloe vera?
7. Lavender cooling spray
Are you more concerned about keeping cool and avoiding heat stroke than you are about avoiding sun burns? Sometimes you just need a relaxing moment at the end of the day to breath and cool down. This soothing, refreshing lavender cooling spray is the perfect concoction to help you out with that. Get the recipe from Lightly Crunchy.
8. Old fashioned DIY paddle fans
Sometimes old fashioned is the way to go! If the fancy natural cooling sprays and luxury fruit style fruit infused waters just don’t appeal to you, keep things simple and make yourself a paddle fan that you can use at your own convenience. There’s nothing quite as nice as a breeze on a hot day, even if you have to make that breeze yourself! Factory Direct Crafts shows you how to make them.
9. Backyard ice cream station
Are you having the kind of hot day where all you can think about is devouring a cold treat because you’re so heated up? Follow in the footsteps of The Inspired Room and built you and your family an awesome DIY ice cream station that will make everyone feel at least more satisfied and happy, if not completely cooled.
10. Heat wave peppermint spray
Have you ever felt peppermint oil products on your skin and realized how cooling the sensation is? That’s the property that this aptly named “heat wave spray” or “air conditioning in a bottle” spray made by Humblebee and Me is harnessing when it refreshes and cools you down each time you mist it over yourself!
11. Reversible bucket hats
If you’re comfortable following a simple sewing pattern then these adorable reversible hats won’t even be a challenge for you! Besides the fact that your kids can where them two different ways, they’ll also be well protected from the sun in these because of the wide brim. Get the pattern from The Village Haberdashery.
12. DIY air conditioner
Are you open to a much more hands on cooling project that might prove to be a bit of a challenge for those who aren’t quite tech oriented? Gajitz guides you through the process of building your own air conditioning system using a tabletop fan, some flexible plastic tubing, some copper coils, and a water reservoire.
13. Apron bottle cover
Sometimes all you need to keep cool is a nice cold drink, but it can be hard keeping your drinks temperature controlled when you’re sitting in the sun. Instead of just letting things get hot, try sewing these adorable bottle aprons by Bee in My Bonnet Co.! They’ll shield the liquid in your bottle from the sun at least a little, keeping things cooler longer than it would be otherwise.
Do you have a friend without air conditioning who you know are looking for any way they can to keep cool? Share these DIY solutions with them to give them some refreshing inspiration!
