With summer just around the corner, here are the answers to five questions that will help you get prepped for your summer.
1. Do citronella candles keep mosquitoes away?
Dealing with mosquitoes can be one of the most irritating parts of summer. So what’s the trick to keeping them away?
Not citronella candles, according to The New York Times.
Citronella candles are made with essential oils infused from “natural” ingredients, and for years, people have used them as a means to guard against mosquitoes as a “natural” alternative to bug spray.
However, “there’s no indication that citronella candles provide more protection than any other candle-produced smoke,” per The New York Times.
Your best bet on keeping the mosquitoes at bay are EPA-approved repellents like DEET and picaridin, which can be found in many insect repellants on the market, The New York Times reports.
2. What level of SPF do I need to prevent a sunburn?
Experts recommend using sunscreen that contains a minimum of 30 sun protection factor (SPF) to block your skin from the sun’s radiation, according to Healthline.
The visible effects of the sun’s rays show up more quickly in lighter skin, but people with all skin types should apply sunscreen and avoid spending too much time in the sun. One American Academy of Dermatology study found that rates of deadly skin cancer turned up higher in Black participants compared to white participants in the study.
You should also avoid applying sunscreen to babies under six months old, and you should try to keep babies that young out of the sun as much as possible, per Healthline.
3. How do I stay cool during the summer?
There are a few tried and true ways to cool off during the summer months.
- Surprisingly, eating spicy foods is an effective way to cool down.
Scientific American explains that “spicy foods excite the receptors in the skin that normally respond to heat.” This produces sweat and helps you cool off.
- Another option is to apply a damp towel to your neck, wrist, groin or armpit areas.
“When these parts of the body with high concentration of blood vessels near the skin come in contact with the cold, it helps transferring heat out of the body to cool down faster,” Dr. Shubhayu Saha, a health scientist at the C.D.C.’s Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, told The New York Times.
- Avoid going out in the sun during the hottest hours of the day — typically from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“There are times you are going to be in the sun, but if you can avoid as much direct sunlight as possible, it is better,” Michael Schichtel, the lead forecaster at the Weather Prediction Center, told The New York Times.
- Be aware of what you are eating and drinking
Make sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and pay attention to foods with high counts of salt and protein, because those tend to produce more metabolic heat that causes water loss, per The New York Times.
4. How do I keep my electricity bill down?
Depending on where you live, running the air conditioner might feel like a necessity during the summer. According to Bustle, cutting back on other electricity uses like these can help:
- Doing less laundry.
- Swapping in energy efficient lightbulbs.
- Unplugging electronics you aren’t using.
Another thing that can help is bringing in some plants or greenery that can help keep your space a little cooler, per The New Yorker.
Opening your windows at night, and keeping windows and blinds shut during the day, is another simple solution. That allows you to run the air conditioning during the hottest parts of the day and turn it off at night.
“As it gets cooler in the evening, you don’t need your AC as much,” David Gomez, the CEO and Founder of Clean Energy Solutions, told Bustle. “And by the time you open your windows you’re not using AC anymore.”
5. How do I get sand off my feet and clothes?
Chances are you could be spending some time at a lake or a beach at some point this summer. Being near the water can provide incredible respite, but at the end of the day, sand can get everywhere.
One of the best tricks to get rid of all that sand is another simple solution that many parents might already have on hand: baby powder.
“Basically what happens is that the baby powder removes moisture from your skin and allows for the sand to easily come off,” the Daytripping Mom Blog writes. “It works on hair, feet, and legs. Once you try it, you won’t want to head to the beach without it.”