How to Beat The Heat in Central Texas, even when your AC breaks

It's expected to be over 100 degrees this weekend in the CTX and here's a few tricks I found on the world wide web that can help you keep cool during this hot Texas summer, especially if your AC stops working.

1. Keep the curtains or the shutters closed: Keeping the sun from streaming directly in helps keep your place a little cooler.
2. Hang a wet sheet in front of the window: when the air passes through the damp cloth, the moisture cools it off.
3. In the same vein, try a bowl of ice in front of a fan: Let the cool air blow over you.
4. Turn your fan around to face out: And blow the hot air out of the house. If you have a ceiling fan, turn it so it spins in the opposite direction and blows the hot air up and out.
5. Arm yourself with a spray bottle filled with chilled water: Douse yourself liberally. As the water evaporates, it cools you down. You can also try plunging your hands into a bowl of ice water.
6. Turn off (and maybe even unplug) your appliances: Your computer, your tv, your chargers -- all give off heat, as do your dishwasher and your clothes dryer. Try drying your dishes and clothes the old fashioned way (air drying and line drying). You'll save energy and keep the house cooler.
7. Switch to CFLs: not only are they good for the environment because they use less electricity than conventional bulbs but the bulbs don't get nearly as hot.
8. If you have a white noise machine, try rain or waves: The cool sounds will help you feel cooler.
9. Strip your house of its rugs, throws and knick-knacks: Try filling it with plants instead. It's a visual trick that, like the aural trick above, works to fool your mind; bare surfaces look cooler which in turn makes you feel cooler.

Do you have any tricks to add? List them in the comments section below.