Everything You Need to Keep Your Patio Cool and Pest Free
I often say that in the summer my house doubles in size. The open space, inaccessible in PNW winter, becomes a paradise for me and visitors. Most of the spring and summer we bask next to the barbecue, on open deck chairs, basking in the sun. This is a small piece of paradise.
But thanks to global warming, the summer season on the terrace has become shorter. Without a shadow, the friends squint at each other and look for reasons to dive into the house for a respite. The heat brings with it all the flies, bees and mosquitoes. This year, I vowed to fix the problem, and here are three ways I’ve reclaimed space in my backyard.
A giant umbrella will provide the necessary shade
For years I wanted to get one of those massive umbrellas that I see on all retail sites, but the season was passing me by as I couldn’t choose from a million brands, sizes, shapes and fabric choices. September has suddenly arrived. Review sites like Consumer Reports and Wirecutter didn’t help as they didn’t review the umbrellas. I dug into Amazon and Wayfair reviews, talked to a bunch of other gardeners, and settled on an umbrella I knew no one could say a bad word about: Home Depot’s Hampton Bay Cantilever Umbrellas. In particular, I knew a few people with the 10×12 foot model , and after I tried it, I was hooked.
As it turns out, an umbrella is only as good as its stand, and most stands just don’t weigh enough. This umbrella allows you to fill the base with four parts sand or water so you don’t die moving it; once filled, the base is a solid 200+ pounds. The umbrella moved very easily, breaking up into three easily moved parts: the base, the stem and the base, which itself breaks into four parts. With empty bases, they weigh no more than a few pounds. I love how easy it is to change position – you can rotate the whole umbrella as well as adjust the position of the hood, and I got a real hot tip that was to use it in the most vertical position, straight up and down, like a satellite every morning to act as complete barrier to the sun.
The price drops right in the middle of the range for these umbrellas, but it still bites at $599. However, this one is worth the investment. If you can’t download it, it’s worth checking out used sites in the suburbs for people upgrading and wanting to get rid of theirs.
A fogging fan can reduce the temperature even outside by 20 degrees.
The umbrella provided shade so that I no longer felt the sun melt on me like butter, but it only made it a little cooler. I didn’t want to install a whole fogging system; that would be overkill. But some kind of specific cooling air and mist aimed at me and my guests was not a bad idea. You can buy fog fans , everything is ready to go. But to save some money, I bought the demisting kit and the fan separately. This simple kit attaches to your fan’s face. I chose a simple black fixed oscillator fan and attached a misting kit. It looks completely out of the box, and the fan itself does an excellent job of creating a light breeze. As soon as I turn on the gentlemen, the temperature drops by 20 degrees, which suits me perfectly, and I spent only 68 dollars, and that’s it. The bugs scatter because of the fog, which is also amazing.
You can of course put together your own fogging kit using a 1/4″ empty tube and emitters, but you’ll probably end up spending about the same as the kit.
Finally, a device has appeared that will scare flying pests away from food.
I bought all the food caps there. Sliding tents, pop-up covers, caps. The problem is that at some point you have to take them off to get to your food, and on most patio tables pests can attack from under the table and people never put the covers back on.
One morning at 3am, tempted by an Instagram ad, I decided to buy some FlyAway picnic fans . They spin right over your food thanks to lightweight mylar strips. They are amazingly good at repelling flies, yellowjackets and bees and are completely finger safe. They stop at the slightest touch, and since they’re only Mylars, they can’t hurt you anyway. The towers are light, so if they topple over, they won’t be destroyed.
To be honest, I was so impressed with these suction cups that I bought a few more and they dot the table every time I cook a meal.