Summer Tips and Tricks

As the summer rolls around, the southern heat becomes overwhelming and intolerable. We tend to cool off by having a relaxing day by the pool or visiting the beach with the family. These luxuries are a dream come true for the summer, but there are some other issues that we must handle. It could be an overwhelming amount of bugs investing both the inside and outside can ruin your summer holiday. Perhaps the cooler air doesn’t cover the entirety of the house and only a certain area. Let’s not forget about the kids being off of school and bracing yourself for the craziness in the household as well as the smells. For our fellow owners and tenants, here are some summer tips and tricks that will make your summer better in South Carolina.

Keep Summer Bugs Away

Bugs of any kind can distract you from enjoying any simple thing from drinking coffee to watching TV. Since it’s the warmest season, the insects come out from hibernation and seek any place to cool off. We cannot forget the irritating mosquitos and annoying gnats. Occasionally, we would use bug sprays and lights to keep them away. But, there are other methods available that you can try out yourself:

• Create a DIY Bug Trap
  • All you need is apple cider vinegar, plastic wrap, dish soap, a bowl, and a toothpick.
    • First: Pour about a cup of apple cider vinegar into the bowl
    • Second: Add about 1-2 drops of dish soap
    • Third: Stir
    • Fourth: Put plastic wrap on top
    • Fifth: Poke multiple holes on top with the toothpick
• Plant Some Plants
  • Planting some flowers or herbs is a great way to spend your summer. There are particular types of plants that will keep these pests away.
    • Lavender
    • Basil
    • Chrysanthemums
    • Marigolds
      • For more information, check out this website blog post: Plants to Repel Insects
• Use Essential Oils
  • You can try out essential oils on your wrists and other parts of the body to repel these summer bugs.
    • Lavender Oil for Mosquitos
    • Peppermint Oil for Gnats
• Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain
  • Just because you got rid of the bugs in your home, it doesn’t mean you eliminated future insects. You can prevent future infestations by doing this method because it kills the eggs.
• Try a Bug Bomb
  • Only use this method if everyone in your household will be out for the next eight hours.
• Bug Bite Remedies
  • Rub the designated area instead of scratching to cause fewer scabs and irritation.
  • Warm-up a spoon by placing it underneath hot water. Make sure you can handle the amount of heat before placing it on the irritated area.
  • Use an ice cube or aloe vera
• Purchase a Magnetic Screen Door
  • You will not regret this purchase as it keeps away the bugs while the door remains open. You can find plenty of them on Amazon.

Don’t Forget to Change the Fan’s Direction

If you have a ceiling fan in your home, please make sure to change the direction of the fan. The blade rotation does matter as it affects the airflow throughout each room of the home. Try it out for yourself and experience the difference.

How do you change the direction of the blades? There’s a switch on the ceiling fan itself. If you have a smart fan, you can simply use a voice command or use a remote control.

Just remember these rotations:

• Counterclockwise: Creates Cooling Airflow
• Clockwise: Circulate Warm Air For the summer, make sure the direction is counterclockwise which helps create a cooling breeze.

Reducing Sweat and Body Odor

As we all know, we are prone to sweating on a hot summer day. We get annoyed by the amount of sweat dripping from our bodies and it leaves behind a nasty odor. The number one solution is taking a shower to get rid of the smells, but there are some tricks other than taking a shower if you don’t have the time.

• Use an Antiperspirant
  • This is different from regular deodorant because antiperspirant is perfect for locking your body’s sweat glands.
  • Deodorant helps mask odor, but it doesn’t prevent them. There are some deodorants with antiperspirants that you can easily find in many convenient stores.
• Wear Loose Clothing
  • Tight clothing restricts the body, which makes the sweating visible. It’s best to wear loose clothing that won’t constrict your body.
• Deodorant Scents for Masking Scents and Cooling Sensation
  • Once you are shopping for a new deodorant, try to look for some that have these designated scents that are great for the underarms:
    • Peppermint
    • Tea Tree
    • Bergamot
    • Sage
    • Rosemary

HVAC System

It’s a necessity to have an HVAC working during the summer heat. For our tenants, we’ve been getting many maintenance requests to fix the HVAC units. Before you put in a request to have the system fixed, make sure you follow these methods first:

• Confirm that your thermostat is on
• Change/Check the air filter
• Reset/Turn off the AC
  • For this reason, the air conditioning must be running all day and trying to keep the house cool. Since it’s not working, it’ll just keep running. Trying giving it a break for about thirty minutes to an hour before turning it back on again.
• Check for possible air blockage
• Switch back to heat
  • It’s difficult to turn on the heat whenever it’s hot outside. So, try this method for about ten to fifteen minutes then switch it back to A/C.

If any of these steps don’t work, it’s best to put in a maintenance request to have an HVAC repair person take a look at it. We are more than happy to help out with any issue, including HVAC. We want to have our tenants comfortable in their homes.

Staying Cool at Bedtime

As the hot summer sun goes down, the heat continues even when it’s gone for the night. At bedtime, we often get hot and wake up sweating. Even when the A/C is turned on, you can’t help yourself from staying underneath the blanket. It’s a typical maneuver to take off the covers or expose your feet, but there are other methods where you don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night.

• Keep a Fan Turned On
  • Beneficial for cooling down fast and having white noise in the room.
• Drink an Ice Cold Glass of Water
  • A cold refreshment before bed can keep the body cool momentarily
• Switch out Cotton Pillows to Silky Material
  • Cotton locks in the warmth, while silk blocks it off.
• Switch out the Sheets
  • It’s recommended to use airy linen sheets to keep the body cool all night long.

If you are having trouble falling asleep, please check out our other blog post on Tips for Getting a Good Night Sleep. 

Written by: Marie Carlisle

Marie recently joined our team as an Office Manager to assist our realtors with administration, customer service, marketing, time management, and keeping up our social media. She graduated at Lander University with a bachelor’s degree in English in Professional Writing. In the past, she previously worked in various customer service roles for five years at different businesses. Currently, she wants to expand her knowledge in the Real Estate business with various marketing tactics and ideas to help our business evolve. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, creative writing, and spending time with her friends/family as well as her husband, Terry.