How to keep your home cool

In a very un-British turn of events, it appears that we are having a nice summer. A heatwave has held the UK in muggy, sweaty peril for the past month - some areas haven’t seen rain for 54 consecutive days.

Much like when it snows in the winter, us Brits simply aren’t prepared for the extreme heat; trains are delayed because of tracks warping in the heat and most offices and public buildings are not equipped with more than one fan, let alone air-conditioning.

Met Office warnings are instructing us to stay inside during the hottest parts of the day, so we thought we would help you make your inside spaces as tolerable as possible with a list of our top solutions for keeping your home cool.

Remember: If you are intending on going out in the sun, please wear an appropriate amount of SPF sun cream; 220 people have been admitted to hospital with severe sunburn in the past two months.

Fans

We all have a love-hate relationship with fans. Early on in the day they seem like God’s gift to office workers everywhere. However, as the day progresses and the mercury rises, the fan loses its cooling properties and simply circulates the hot air around the room, effectively just reminding you of how insufferably warm it is.

To give you the best chance at surviving the heat, we recommend investing in a Dyson Cool ™ fan. They project a stream of high velocity air to keep you cool – some even identify and remove pollutants in the air as well.

If you prefer a more traditional blade fan but hate the dated design then something like this fan from Offject (below) could be the perfect multi-functional piece for your home.

Curtains

That’s right, we said curtains. Using linen voiles at your windows will help keep the sun out and shade your room without making it pitch black. These are a great option because they are non-obtrusive, easy to get hold of and most importantly, still stylish. This selection from Dunelm Mill is an affordable choice for anyone wanting a quick fix to those hot weather woes.

Muggy Nights

We all know the feeling of climbing into bed at night and after about 30 seconds you’re rolling around in a puddle of sweat and flipping the duvet and pillows in the hope of finding the illusive “cool side”.

A US company has developed a new product called the “Bedjet”, which cools your duvet and therefore you throughout the night – their promotional video is loved for its humorous approach to marketing – but unfortunately it isn’t available in the UK yet.

As an alternative, try this temperature regulating bedding; or as a free, short-term solution place your bed sheets and pillowcases in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to sleeping.

Air Conditioning

As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, fans don’t cool a room, they simply circulate the warm air. The ultimate solution to your hot home hassles is an air conditioning unit.

A staple in North America, air conditioning systems have been slow to catch on in the UK; despite this, many are actually very affordable – they are in the same price range as Dyson’s fans - for the cooling comfort they supply.

We love the LG ArtCool range of air conditioning units; they make a wonderful stylish and subtle option for your home.