Tips and tricks for keeping your cool at home.
When it's super hot, well by UK standards anyway, it can be difficult to work, rest and play. And as for a good night's sleep...
Here are some tricks you can try with a fan to help cool your home courtesy of 'House Beautiful'.
The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute recommend creating a crosswind, which essentially gets the hot air out and the cool air in.
'First, keep your windows, doors and blinds shut during the day to avoid the hot sun beating down into your house. Then, during the evening, open your windows and place one fan facing out of your window, so it pushes the heat out.
According to the GHI, placing a bucket of ice in front of a fan as a homemade AC unit is just as effective. 'As the air passes over the ice it will be chilled and will circulate refreshingly cold air around the room'.
However, there is one method that is particularly 'favoured' by the GHI - All you have to do is freeze an empty 4 pint or 1-litre plastic bottle, place it on a tray and cover it with a damp cloth. Position this in front of the fan so the breeze is cooled from the iced bottle and your room will benefit from the cooler temperature. It couldn't be easier.
When it comes to getting some sleep, bedrooms should ideally be around 16-18°C (60-65°F), according to The Sleep Council, but if the outside temperature remains higher at nighttime, or your bedroom has retained the heat from the day, it can be difficult to keep cool.
If you find that your cooling fan isn't as effective as it should be, there are other tricks you can use that don't involve a fan at all. For example, switch to 100 per cent cotton bedsheets, avoid consuming too much caffeine, alcohol or a big meal before bedtime, or fill your hot water bottle with ice-cold water.
'Pull out your hot water bottle, but fill it with ice-cold water and have it in bed with you.'
'Try putting socks in the fridge and wear them in bed – cooling your feet lowers the overall temperature of your skin and body, ideal during a hot summer's night.'
'Cool a pillowcase in the fridge before bedtime or try one of the new cooling pillows that are available to buy – both will help you keep a cool head!'
If you think you might like to buy a fan our friends at John Lewis can help, click here for fans starting at £15