The Best Tech to Battle a Hot Summer – Review Geek

There are always quite a few days in the summer where it seems like you can’t walk out the door without instantly sweating. Some years have more scorching days than others, but luckily, there’s some awesome tech that’ll make your home even more of a cool haven.

Most of these items are intended for use in your home, like a portable air conditioner or cooling mattress topper. But it’s impossible to stay indoors all summer, so we’ve also included some nifty items to keep with you when you go out to keep you cool, like a water bottle that’ll both hydrate you and spray a fine mist on your face.

For Rooms That Just Don’t Seem to Get Cool: Portable AC

Unless you’re super unlucky, most people in the U.S. have a functioning air conditioning unit in their homes. Sometimes trying to cool off a large home or an apartment with a poor system is futile and ends up being incredibly expensive. If you have a small apartment or spend most of your time in a single room in your home, consider splurging on a portable air conditioner.

This sturdy unit from Black+Decker is one of the best portable air conditioners because it’s reliable, easy to use, and can keep your room as cool as 64 degrees Fahrenheit. This particular model is rated at 12000 BTU ASHRAE (or 5950 BTU DOE), but Black+Decker has other options with different energy ratings as well as options for heating included with cooling.

It can cool a space up to 300 square feet, so if you’re in a dorm room, small apartment, camping cabin, or an individual bedroom within a home, Black+Decker’s portable AC unit will get the job done. The unit functions as an AC, fan, and dehumidifier, so your space will be cool and clean. And although you can use the touch controls and LED display on its top, there’s also a remote control, so you can stay on the bed or couch while you turn the temperature down.

In addition to being easy to use, it’s also easy to install (and move around) because it has wheels. It’s 60 pounds, but you’ll be able to wheel it around from room to room once you set it up. You just need to find a place next to an outlet to plug it in and a double-hung or sliding window to attach the included hose and window adapter. Maintenance is super easy, too. Simply slide the filter out twice a month, rinse it under running water, and put it back.

Have a Cold Drink at All Times: Rapid Drink Chiller

Going into your fridge for a nice chilled soda only to realize there aren’t any in there is the worst. But it’s even worse when it happens in the summer when you really wanted that icy drink to cool you down.

This rapid drink chiller from HyperChiller is the solution you’ve been looking for. Whereas other drink chillers use artificial gels with chemicals, this one works with only water, which means it’s entirely dishwasher safe. Fill it up with water, stick it in the freezer, and then take it out to use when you need a cold drink.

You can use this for iced tea, wine, alcohol, juice, or a fan favorite for summer: iced coffee. Brew your coffee like you usually do, and then you can pour it in while it’s still steaming hot, swirl it around for one minute, and then pour the chilled coffee over ice for the perfect drink.

Or, if beer is your drink of choice in the summer, check out Corkcicle’s Chilsner, a beer chiller stick. Freeze the Chilsner for 45 minutes before using, take a swig of beer to make room for it, and then press it down completely to create a tight seal. Then, you can drink through it and enjoy an instantly chilled beer.

Don’t Wake Up Sweaty: Mattress Cooling Pad

If you’re a hot sleeper on a typical night throughout the year, then I’m sure it’s even more of a struggle in the summer. Blasting the AC all night is not affordable just so you can get a comfortable night’s rest, so try investing in a cooling mattress pad instead.

This mattress pad is made of 100% organic cotton on the outside, with a medical-grade soft silicone tube system inside. No wires are inside, so you don’t have to worry about shocks or potential fires while sleeping.

Instead, it uses chilled water circulation to cool you off. The water can reach 7 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit below room temperature. There’s even a removable filter on the back of the machine the mattress topper connects to, which will help purify your room for a better night’s sleep.

For Travel or When the Power Goes Out: Mini Handheld Fan

Staying cool in your home is typically much easier than when you’re out and about. You’re more active, and even if you’re eventually in places with AC, like the grocery store or your car, you still feel the heat at some point. So carry around a mini handheld fan with you.

This little fan is slightly larger than popular smartphones at three inches wide, about one inch thick, and a little under seven inches tall. You can easily pop it in your purse, backpack, or even a pocket if it’s deep enough. Or, you can also hang it around your neck with the included lanyard.

There are two wind speeds: high and low. And it’s built with a copper-made motor that can support many rotations per second and produce enough wind to cool you down. Plus, it’s rechargeable via the micro-USB to USB-A cable included with your purchase. So if you have it charged and your power goes out in the summer, you’ve at least got some reprieve with this little fan.

You Don’t Even Have to Move to Turn It On: Smart Tower Fan

This smart tower fan from Govee might be my favorite item on this list. A fan you can turn on while you’re dying of heat on the bed or the floor? Yes, please! You can use voice commands with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa or download the Govee Home app (Android/iOS) and control it from there.

There are eight speeds to choose from and three preset modes: Normal, Sleep, and Nature. In Normal mode, you’ll get the most powerful cooling. In Sleep mode, the fan is much quieter (as low as 38dB) but still provides enough air circulation to keep you cool at night. And Nature mode mimics natural wind to help you feel relaxed. Or, you can create your own custom mode within the app.

The fan has an oscillation angle of 75 degrees and a maximum wind speed of 20 feet per second. Using the app, you can set timers, create a custom schedule for the fan, and even connect it to a Govee Thermo-Hygrometer (purchased separately) to enable Auto Mode, where the fan will automatically adjust the speed based on the detected temperature of the room.

Stay Hydrated All Day: Misting Water Bottle

Staying hydrated is important year-round, but especially in the summer. It’s so easy to get dehydrated and only realize you need water when you have a pounding headache. If you keep one of O2COOL’s water bottles with you, though, you’ll have a constant reminder to drink more water.

O2COOL has several water bottle designs to choose from, and they’re all built with the same awesome features. Every bottle’s mouthpiece has a silicone cap cover to prevent leaks and keep it clean and protected, which is especially useful for hiking or exercising. Then, each bottle has a double-wall insulation design to help keep your drink colder for longer and prevent it from condensing on the outside.

However, the coolest feature of O2COOL’s water bottles is the misting feature. At the top of every bottle, an easily squeezable trigger uses the water inside your bottle to produce a fine mist. If you’re exercising or going to a concert on a hot day, being able to mist yourself with cool water is a lifesaver. Plus, a built-in lock prevents you from accidentally triggering the misting feature.

Cool Down With a Sweet Treat: Ice Cream Maker

Most people crave cold foods and drinks when it’s insanely hot outside. A refreshing smoothie, a big bowl of frozen yogurt, or an ice cream cone piled high with different flavors are things that make more sense in summer.

Instead of going out every time you have a craving, you can make cold treats at home with Cuisinart’s Ice Cream Maker. If you love having people over in the summer or have kids, this device will be a hit. It’s an entire self-serve ice cream station packed into one device.

There’s a 1.5-quart freezer bowl with a cooling liquid within its double-insulated walls for faster freezing. This bowl goes into the freezer for 16 to 24 hours before making a frozen treat. When you’re ready, dump your mix in and wait for it to get to the right consistency. You can even watch the process through a little window on the side.

Then, you can store ice cream cones (flat-bottomed or pointed) on the front, next to where the ice cream dispenses. And the coolest feature? A condiment chute. There are three condiment containers, one that holds smaller mix-ins, like sprinkles, and two that hold larger mix-ins, like mini chocolate chips or M&Ms. These containers correspond with three dispensing levers. You can mix in your condiments at any point in the process.