Living a minimalist life usually means only using what you need and keeping your home and life pretty simple. In many instances, this might mean going without something that other people might consider to be a necessity, like air conditioning.
Whether you have an air conditioner at home or not, here are other ways you can keep your home and family cool while still maintaining your minimalistic lifestyle that you love.
Start From The Outside
One thing that you may be hesitant to do is bringing anything into your home that could throw off the minimalism you have going. Because of this, you may want to start from the outside of your home to find ways to keep things cool on the inside.
Some great options for this, according to David Dobbs, a contributor to This Old House, is to install awnings on your windows or to plant trees around your home. With both of these options, you’ll be giving your home shade that it needs to keep cool. And since you won’t have to bring anything into your home in order to get these cooling options, you can definitely still maintain a minimalist home simultaneously.
Set Your Air Conditioning At The Right Temperature
If you do happen to have an air conditioner in your home and are open to using it, you should be careful about how you use this system so that you’re able to keep your home as minimalistic as you want it to be.
Sometimes, if your home gets too cold, you might find that you’re breaking out too many blankets to counterbalance the temperature. And with this extra clutter around, you may not be able to keep your home as minimalist as you’d like. But if you’re able to set your air conditioning at the right temperature for your home, you won’t find that you’re needing to bring out any additional blankets or wanting to bring a fan into the room to further cool off the space.
Continue To Keep Your Rooms Sparse
In your minimalist home, you likely already have your rooms pretty sparse as it is. And while this can sometimes make your space feel extra cold in the winter, in the heat of the summer, you’re going to want this sparse feeling to help you better maintain a cooler temperature inside. Knowing this, Katie Holdefehr, a contributor to Apartment Therapy, recommends that you try to keep your home filled with the least amount of items possible so that this cool, sparse feeling can really emanate throughout your entire space.
If you want to keep your minimalist home cool this summer but don’t want to bring in any additional items to help you get to this point, consider using the tips mentioned above to find ways to stay cool that also fit with your lifestyle and aesthetic.
