With summer officially upon us, many will be spending more time outdoors - be it out and about or our own outdoor entertaining areas at home. When it comes to your deck or patio, there are little things you can do to keep cool when the days are particularly hot and ensure you enjoy some outdoor comfort.

Stay out of the sun

We're going to start with the more obvious suggestion first, which is the clear option of staying out of the sun when outside. Sure, time spent in the sun can be good for you (vitamin D, helps improve mood, etc.), but too much in summer can also contribute to heat exhaustion, heat stroke and/or, if you haven't properly covered yourself, sunburn. Given the sun's intensity at this time of the year in Brisbane, you'll want to remain in the shade to ensure that your temperature doesn't rise too drastically and that you avoid any severe sun-related skin damage.

While Brisbane is known to get quite humid during summer, which can make it feel as though being in the shade isn't having that much of an effect on the overall heat, it's still better for you than being directly within the sun's light.

Is there a flow through?

How good of a breeze you get in your outdoor space can, in part, come down to whether you have a good flow through. While it may seem like a moot point to make given you're outside and, logically, wind should come through, it can help to make an active effort to ensure things aren't in the way to stop a breeze. For example, if you have a deck and you outdoor blinds or screens that are hanging down, they will block out the wind. Put them up and you'll have a better flow through. And even if you don't think it will help, keep the door to inside open. By doing so, it gives air more room to move and, by extension, can improve the flow through.

Of course, if the sun directly shines into your outdoor area at certain times of the day, it makes perfect sense to hang your screens or blinds back down at that time.

Outdoor fans

If you can't get a good breeze going (some days are simply too still), then there's always the option to use fans. This is straight forward as you don't need to buy a specialised outdoor fan or anything like that. Just bring out a standing/oscillating fan and plug it in via an extension cord (if you have no power points outside). Of course, just be mindful that people are aware of the power cord to avoid anyone tripping over. In the event that it's raining, make sure that there's no connection point that is in danger of being exposed to the water.

Depending on your space, you can have outdoor ceiling fans installed, too. This option is obviously going to be more expensive, however, but it's a worthwhile choice if you know you'll be living at your home for the foreseeable future.

Fluids

Don't forget that staying hydrated and enjoying cool drinks will both help better moderate your body temperature. Dehydration impacts on your body's ability to stay cool as you'll start to feel the heat but won't actually sweat as much, which is our body's known way of cooling itself down when hot temperatures hit. As for cool drinks, not much else needs to be said about this. If you have a cold water (or beverage of your liking), this will help cool you internally. Remember to be mindful of the fact that if you opt for alcoholic beverages, while they may cool you down in the short term, they will also dehydrate you.

Along with keeping your fluids up, don't forget to enjoy cooler foods, as well. These could include a refreshing fruit salad, ice cream or, you're feeling up to it, home made snow cones.