How to Do Everything!
With hot summer temperatures come sleepless hot nights. Sometimes its just so hot, even without the covers that its impossible to fall asleep, let alone relax. Without air conditioning, your options are limited. Tossing and turning will only make you hotter, so here are some good tips for at least some sleep.
The first obvious choice would be to get a fan. Preferably something that isn’t too noisy, and can give good air flow. Sometimes a fan just isn’t enough; adding ice cubes to the mix can quickly change that, however. Buy a bag of ice from your local gas station or grocery store, and either buy or find a shallow container to hold the ice cubes (something wide so that the air can flow over a large area). A metal baking pan works great too. Place the ice in the container, and put the container right in front of your fan. Point the fan towards your bed, and there you have it… hot air passing over cold ice cubes to cool the air quickly, much lik e a swamp cooler. Another good method is taking a cool shower, and not completely drying off. Letting the air run over your body will keep you cool for a little while.
You could alternatively dampen your sheets and blanket, but not soaking wet, and sleep with these covering your body. It will keep your body cool, but may or may not be comfortable, depending on whether your bed is already wet from sweat! Also, keeping your feet cool is a great way to regulate your temperature. Try putting on cold wet socks, or, just keep your feet out from under the blankets.
Once you’ve decided to add custom made window blinds to your home decor, it’s extremely important to measure accurately to guarantee a perfect fit from your new window treatments. Using the four simple steps that follow, you will be able to take measurements for your new blinds and shades.
Step One: Decide where you want to hang your blinds. Do you prefer the basic, streamlined appearance of recessed blinds which are hung inside the window frame? Would a less traditional outside mount help to make your windows look bigger or mask unsightly trim? You can’t measure until you’ve made that important decision.
Step Two: Gather your tools. To measure for window blinds, you’ll need a metal tape measure (plastic and cloth can stretch, leading to inaccuracy). You will also need a pencil and paper on which to record your measurements. To make your task easier, sketch out the window on your paper so that you can record your measurements right there.
Step Three: Begin measuring. If you’re going to purchase inside mounting blinds, measure from the inside of the trim all the way across to the other side. Round your measurement down to the nearest 1/8 of an inch. Then measure from the top down to the sill, again taking your measurements from the inside of the trim. Finally, measure the depth of your window, from the window glass itself out to the end of the trim. This last measurement is important for soft fabric cellular shades and metallic mini blinds. Record these numbers on your paper.
If you have chosen outside mounting blinds or shades, you measure in the same way, but starting from the outside of the trim to the outside of the trim on the other side.
Step Four: Continue measuring until you have accurate numbers for each window in the room. Though they all look alike, they may not be exactly the same. Take each measurement twice to be sure.
Now you’re all ready to choose from a wide selection of fabrics, textured shades, and styles for your home. Thanks to your accurate measuring, your new blinds will be the perfect fit for each of your windows!
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