Very few things add to your enjoyment of your house as much as an outdoor patio. When the weather is nice, it can provide an entirely new living space offering fresh air, bright sunshine, star gazing on a clear night, and beautiful scenery.

Spring and fall often bring ideal weather to enjoy your patio, but the scorching summer heat can threaten to ruin your enjoyment of this space. When temperatures reach the 90s or higher, it can be downright miserable to sit outside. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to cool down your patio so that you can continue enjoying it even when the heat spikes mid-summer.

Patio Misting Systems

Misting systems can provide a refreshing feeling as you sit on your patio on a hot summer day. While the fine misting spray feels great on your skin, it also provides cooling benefits. As these water droplets evaporate, it will drop the air temperature on your skin and provide relief from the heat.

However, you’ll want to be careful about when you choose to use a mister. It may not be the ideal solution while you’re enjoying a meal since it can make your food and dishes a bit soggy. You’ll also want to be careful about how long you keep the mister on to avoid a significant spike in your water bill.

Install Shade

One of the easiest ways to get a break from the bruising sun is to sit in a shaded area. If your patio currently lacks access to shade, there are a variety of options that are easy to install and will provide the shade you need on a hot day:

• Patio umbrellas – Patio umbrellas are available at most hardware stores and are a relatively inexpensive purchase. This is one of the easiest ways to create shade on your patio. Get an umbrella that fits in the middle of your table to provide shade while you eat, or use a freestanding umbrella if you prefer a portable solution that can provide shade in different parts of your yard as the sun moves across the sky.
• Awnings – If you prefer a more permanent shade structure, you can install an awning off the side of your house. You can even consider retractable awnings if you’d rather not be forced to sit in the shade at all times.
• Pergolas – If you want your shade in the middle of the yard, a pergola may be the ideal solution. These freestanding structures are highly functional, providing shade on sunny days and shelter during stormy weather. They can also enhance the style of your patio.

Upgrade Your Patio Furniture

Certain patio furniture can be uncomfortably hot to sit on, worsening the conditions created by scorching summer temperatures. You can mitigate this issue by purchasing new cushions for your patio chairs.

For maximum comfort, choose light colored cushions made from natural canvas fibers since these will reflect the sun and provide natural moisture wicking. Steer clear of dark colors which retain heat and synthetic or plastic-coated fabrics which trap body heat and may stick to your body when you sweat.

If you like to walk around barefoot on your patio, you may also want to consider purchasing a rug. This will prevent your feet from getting burned on hot patio pavement. Choose an all-weather rug that will provide greater durability and pick a light color that will reflect the sun rather than absorb heat.

Outdoor Fans

Patio fans don’t actually cool the air, but they can help your body feel cooler and more comfortable. This is accomplished in the following ways:

• Wind chill effect – The breeze from a patio fan can often give off the impression that the air is cooler. However, this will only occur on moderately hot days. Once the temperature gets into the 90s, the fan will simply blow hot air onto you and your guests, and this may not feel comfortable at all.
• Facilitates evaporation – As the fan blows warm air over your body, it will facilitate the evaporation of sweat on your skin, which will help lower your body temperature and make you feel cooler.

Portable Evaporative Coolers

With the ability to drop the outside air temperature by as much as 30°F, very few cooling solutions match the effectiveness of portable evaporative coolers. In addition to providing dramatic cooling benefits to your outdoor patio, evaporative coolers are highly energy efficient, making them both affordable and eco-friendly.

Unlike fans which just blow hot air on you, evaporative coolers provide a blast of cool, refreshing air that will keep your patio comfortable even on the hottest days. Since they are portable, you can easily move them around your yard to experience these cooling benefits in the exact location you need them.

Stay Cool on Your Patio with a Portacool

Portacool has been the industry leader in evaporative cooling technology since 1990. All of our patio evaporative coolers are produced in the USA at our Center, Texas manufacturing facility. In addition, the evaporative media for every Portacool is made for us, ensuring they are made from the highest quality materials to the exact specifications of your machine, delivering maximum cooling benefits.

Portacool patio evaporative coolers are easy to use. There is no installation necessary. Simply plug them in, move them to your desired cooling location on your patio, and turn them on. You’ll enjoy dramatic cooling benefits in a matter of minutes.

If you want to keep your patio cool all summer long, Portacool has you covered. Visit a local retailer or contact us directly for large bulk orders.