Cool Off On The Cheap: How To DIY An Air Conditioner For Under $20

By: Jeremy Glass

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Summer is here and the sun’s golden rays are finally smacking us upside the head and roasting us crisp faster than you can say “heat stroke.”

With winter at least six months away (unless you’re reading this late, sorry) there has to be some way to cool down without spending all your hard-earned shekels on a pricey new air conditioner. Luckily, there is. For just $19.73, you can make a DIY air conditioner using materials that you probably have in your house. Assuming you like to party and keep large bags of ice in your house.

You can thank me later. Or now.

More: 13 Lessons I Learned From Not Drinking for a Month

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Materials
One bag of ice: $2.09
One rubber dryer tube: $5.67
One styrofoam cooler: $4.99
Pom Poms: $0.99
One desk fan: $4.99

More: 5 Incredible Modern Cabins to Channel Your Inner Thoreau

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Step one
Dump all that ice into your little cooler. Dump it like Andrea dumped you back in eighth grade because she thought you had bad breath.

More: 17 Genius IKEA Hacks That Will Change Your Apartment Forever

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Step two
After tracing around your plastic dryer tube, cut a hole in the lid of the cooler with the dopest knife you’ve got.

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Step three
Stick the tube in the hole. Hehe. A wider tube means more cold air, but for a small space, this works just fine.

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Step four
Trace the shape of a small fan and cut a hole so the fan will fit, but not fall through. Again, the size of the fan/hole depends on the size of the cooler.

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Step five
Add as many or little streamers and pom poms as you’d like. They’re not “just for cheerleaders,” like your ornery stepdad taught you.

Credit: Cole Saladino/Supercompressor

Step six
Does it look janky? Of course, but you could paint it. Does it work? Surprisingly, yes! The ice inside the cooler lowers the temperature of the air around it, while the fan pushes that air out of the tube, blasting you with chillier-than-normal vibes. Plus, you can put beer on the inside!

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