Mausam
Tape the window gap with foam
Self-adhesive foam strip along the window frame gap stops the cold draught that no amount of blankets fixes. Same strip keeps dust out in summer, so leave it on year round.
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9 resultsSuraksha
Neem oil on the window mesh
Wipe diluted neem oil on the window mesh at dusk. Mosquitoes avoid the smell and it does not fill the room with vaporiser fumes. Redo it after rain.
MausamNewspaper on the west-facing window
Tape a double layer of newspaper on the outside of whichever window catches the 3pm sun. The room stays noticeably cooler till evening and it costs nothing. Comes off in two seconds when the season changes.
Mausam
Khus mat on the window in May
Hang a khus or bamboo chik outside the window and wet it at noon. The room gets cooler air and the smell of wet khus, which is half the point. Dry heat only — in coastal humidity it does nothing.
Ghar
Wet cloth on the mosquito net frame
Wipe a window mesh with a barely damp cloth wrapped around a butter knife. It gets into the frame corner where dust cakes and the mesh does not stretch out of shape.
Mausam
Cross-ventilation beats one big fan
Open a window on the shaded side and one on the opposite wall, and put the fan facing out of the hot-side window rather than into the room. You are pushing hot air out instead of stirring it around.
Gaadi
Wet cloth over the AC vent on a hot start
Before switching the car AC on, drive with all four windows down for thirty seconds to push out the trapped hot air. The AC then cools a much smaller problem, and it gets cold faster.
GharCandle wax on a sticky drawer
Rub a plain candle along the wooden runners of a jammed drawer or window. The wax fills the rough grain and the drawer glides. Better than oil, which just collects dust and turns into paste.
SurakshaNeem leaf smoke for mosquitoes
Dry neem leaves smouldered in a steel plate for five minutes clear a room of mosquitoes without a coil. Do it with the windows open and step out while it burns — smoke in a shut room is not the goal.
That is all 9 of them. बस, इतना ही।