How To Keep Cool This Summer While Still Enjoying Your Backyard

Summer is the best time to relax and enjoy the sun. Unfortunately, temperatures often don't agree. There are many days in the summer when the weather outside is too hot and unpleasant, and can even lead to heatstroke. When you get heatstroke, your body doesn't work as it should, negatively affecting your heart, brain, and your ability to cool down. In the summer, heatstroke is a common risk, especially for those outdoors during the hottest part of the day. 

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to help beat the heat so you can still enjoy your yard and keep cool this summer. These options are easy to use, set up, and take down as needed. All five ideas below are temporary and fairly small, so they're perfect for any renters or people with minimal outdoor space. From an inflatable pool to an ice pack for your neck, there is an option available for everyone to help them survive the hot summer days. 

No matter what idea or ideas you choose from below, remember that you need to be applying sunscreen while outside regularly. You might feel cooler lounging in a pool or getting misted but you're still just as likely to burn, which won't help you keep cool this summer.

Pools, whether above or in-ground, don't work for everyone. They're expensive and many people just don't have the space or time to care for them. You can't swim laps in Inflatable pools, but they are much easier to pull out when you need to keep cool during the summer. 

The best part about inflatable pools, besides them being fairly cheap, is that you don't have to worry so much about keeping the pool water clean and learning what pool cleaning hacks you should steer clear of. 

If you don't have the space for an inflatable pool, or filling one up just sounds like too much effort, another option is to get a floating pool lounger. You want one that is solid on the bottom and has a recess where you sit. You can take one of these, put it on your balcony or lawn, and fill up the recess with water This gives you a place to sit to keep you cool this summer, without you having to wait for a whole pool to fill up. It's perfect for sitting outside and reading without getting too hot. As a bonus, most of them come with cupholders so you can bring your drink along too. There are also slightly bigger options called tanning pools that let you stretch out in water while still not taking a long time to fill up, as sadiegriffithh on TikTok shows. 

While pergolas and extended roofs can add serious value to your home and provide shade, they're often pretty expensive. Sun shades are a cheap alternative, They help give you a cool area to relax outside that are easy to put up and take down as needed. 

There are plenty of different sizes and shapes to fit anyone's yard. And, if properly installed, most can handle wind and rain for a while without problems. 

Because they are cloth, they wear down a little every year, and have to be replaced sooner than a pergola or an extended roof. However, with the cost quite a bit lower, it can be worth it. These can also be placed and moved wherever you want them to help you keep cool this summer. So if you rearrange your backyard, you can move your sunshade to keep your patio furniture covered. They also work for a variety of other things, like protecting your vehicle from the sun in your front yard. 

If you have work to get done in your yard, you might need a cooling system that moves with you. Thankfully, there are a couple of options to try out to help to fight against the worst of the heat.

The first option to keep you cool this summer is a cooling towel. These towels are made from microfiber. All you need to do is soak them in cold water, wring out as much of the water as you can, and wrap it around your neck, head, or wrist. Or, for extra cooling power, you can freeze them. According to the company on Amazon, these soft towels stay cool for "several hours." 

Similarly, there are cooling tubes. These work the same way as gel ice packs, but are made in a shape to wrap around your neck. Per the sellers, there's no condensation and they freeze quickly, making them perfect for long and hot days. 

The last option is a neck fan. They're like mini handheld fans you'd buy to keep cool in the summer, but they sit on your neck and deliver air from every direction at once. Depending on how strong you make the airflow, these can easily last all day. 

Backyard misters help you keep cool this summer without costing you a lot of money in the long run. For most set ups, you just need a little misting tool and an outdoor fan. Because you're only getting misted, it doesn't use as much water as a pool or sprinkler system would use. 

There is the option to get a whole yard setup installed by professionals for a couple thousand dollars, but if you're only needing a small area misted, like a porch or a deck, on occasion, then a misting system that attaches to your hose is more than enough. 

If you've gone to big outdoor venues or parks, you've likely seen the benefits of misters yourself. The water particles feel cool on the skin and help lower body temperatures, as well as cool the ambient surrounding air. They work best in dry climates though, and not areas already humid. They also have another benefit, which is to fight against dirt, pollen, dust, and allergens in the area. 

While the middle of the day is not the best time of day to water your lawn, you can keep your kids cool and hydrate your plants and grass a the same time if you use your sprinklers right. 

There re so many different kinds you can choose from to keep your kids and your pets cool this summer. You can go with a simple one, like you would use to water your plants, or a whole jungle gym sprinkler set up. If you have multiple spigots, you could make a mini water park. And, even if you don't want to play in the sprinklers yourself, you can set up a chair near the system and stay cool thanks to the water mist spraying around. All-in-all a sprinkler set is the perfect way to stay outside even in the hottest parts of the day. 

Just try and move the sprinkler to a new spot in your yard when you go to use them again, as you don't necessarily want to be watering your lawn every day, especially in the same spot.