Cooling down during the hot summer months can be especially challenging while cooking meals in the kitchen.
Luckily, there are simple ways you can escape the summer heat with some creative hacks. Zero-waste-chef Anne-Marie Bonneau (@zerowastechef) offers an easy solution for beating the heat this summer.
The scoop
If you don't have AC, don't fret. There are still ways you can manage the heat indoors and stay cool.
When it gets unbearably hot outside, Bonneau places two frozen jars in front of her fan. By placing the jars of frozen food in front of the fan, Bonneau creates her own AC unit.
As the fan blows into the frozen jars, cold air spreads into the room.
"It's 99 degrees outside and too hot inside to cook," Bonneau says. "Frozen food to the rescue. In the meantime, the ice cold jars sitting in front of my fan are cooling the air."
How it's working
Bonneau's frozen jar hack is an easy, cost-effective way to cool down your house. Air conditioning is not only expensive but also harmful to the environment. AC uses electricity and refrigerants that release pollutants into the atmosphere, according to an article published in All Air Systems.
Cooling your house down with AC alternatives is a great way to save money on utility bills and reduce your total environmental footprint.
Freezing leftovers in jars and storing them long-term also helps to reduce your environmental impact by decreasing food waste. Simple food hacks, like freezing leftovers, are an easy way to keep food products out of landfills where they release planet-warming gases into the atmosphere.
Other ways you can save money and reduce waste are supporting organizations that offer solutions for leftover food products, such as TooGoodToGo and FlashFood.
What people are saying
Instagrammers were grateful to discover the hack and excited to try it at home.
"Nice one!" wrote one user. "Noted for the next heat wave."
"What a wonderful idea!" commented another Instagrammer.
"What an amazing idea!" responded one user. "I reuse jars all the time, for various things, but never thought of them as an AC alternative."
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