How To Keep Cool on Your Patio This Spring

Depending on where you live, summer is almost certain to bring in some excruciatingly hot temperatures. When you see that outdoor thermometer rising closer and closer to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, you know that summer is officially here. While this is usually the best time to catch a tan, it can also make it difficult to fully enjoy everything your patio has to offer. Thankfully, however, there are a couple things owners can do to help stay cool on their patio; here's how:

Misting System

When the summer heat really starts wearing you down, there's no better way to cool off on your patio than using a misting system. If you don't know what these are, let me explain – basically, they are small hoses that you install along the roof of your patio. Turn them on and you and your guests standing underneath them will be treated with a nice cooling mist. Even though they have to connect to a nearby water line or faucet, installation is still fairly simple and straightforward.

You might expect a luxury item like a misting system would cost hundreds of dollars. While there may be some high-end ones on the market for this price, most of them only run about $50 bucks, which isn't bad considering the level of comfort they add to a patio.

Umbrellas

Lets face it, much of the summer heat generated on a patio is the direct result of countless hours of sunlight beaming down on it. Common sense should tell you that standing on your patio where the sun is still shining down is only going to make you hotter, so how do you prevent this? Well, you aren't going to be able to stop the sun from shining, but you can place a large table umbrella up to offer you and your guests some shade. There are many different types of umbrellas which are designed specifically for patio use; some of which are free-standing, while others attach directly into a table. Choose the one that will offer you the most use and look the best when placed on your patio.

Patio Cooler

Although you can always store ice cold drinks in traditional travel coolers, a patio cooler is designed to blend into the decorative elements surrounding it. When it's used properly, guests or strangers shouldn't be able to tell that it's actually a cooler. They feature the same insulated material that a traditional cooler has, but they're made with a wood, fabric or even rock exterior to blend into your patio.