In the warmer seasons and months, sometimes you can find yourself cursing that in the United Kingdom it is not the norm to have air conditioning installed into our homes, or even in public places! If you do have air conditioning, keeping it on all through the day and night can prove to be a little pricey and you may want to keep usage down to minimum, especially at night as this can cause respiratory illness’ if you’re not careful!
So, we’ve put together 11 effective ways you can stay cool during summer, without restricting yourself to the one area where the fan reaches or without racking up a heavy electrical bill!
So, Keep COOL and carry on! That’s the spirit.
- Create a sea breeze at home: First things first, if you are not willing to move away from your fan just yet, we have a hack for you! To provide a faux sea breeze, fill a large box (a mixing bowl will do!) with ice or an icepack, or something equally as cooling. Next position the fan at an angle behind the large bowl so the air can whip off the ice in a misty-like state.
- Set the ceiling fans to rotate anti-clockwise: Again, sticking with the theme of a fan, if you have a ceiling fan in your home set it to run anti-clockwise during the summer. Furthermore, up the speed to allow the fans airflow to create a wind-like breeze effect that will be sure to cool you down. These fan ceilings are less common the UK, so if you don’t have one – just skip past this step, sorry!
- Keep blinds and curtains closed: This tip may seem odd to some, and obvious to others.The Family Handyman notes that around 30% of unwanted household heat comes from the windows, curtains and blinds in your home. Closing your curtains or blinds on a really hot day can lower your bills quite a fair bit and lower the indoor temperatures likewise. Think about your home like a greenhouse, the windows will produce heat and you on the inside will feel the heat. This is especially the case for the rooms which house the property’s south and west facing windows.
4. Even Better! Invest in blackout blinds or curtains: The aim of blackout curtains or blinds is to block sunlight completely. This then naturally insulates all the rooms in which they are installed. We recommend neutral coloured curtains or blinds with plastic, white backing – this will reduce heat gain by up to 33%! Very worth investing.
5. Switch up your bedding: Swapping your sheets is a great way to fresh up your room as it is, but also has its benefits in cooling you down. Nothing is worse than being to hot at night to get a good night’s sleep, and is especially a problem for couples who share a bed every night. Instead of thick fleece blankets, switch to cotton beddings as it is much lighter, breathes easier and naturally stays cooler. For extra comfort to keep cool at night, buy a ‘buckwheat’ pillow or two for your bed. Buckwheat have a naturally occurring air space between them, so it does not hold onto your body heat like a conventional pillow would – even when inside a pillow case.
6. Chill your bed out!: If you want to take cooling to the next level when it comes to your sleep, why not try slipping a ‘Chillow’ underneath your head at night. For your feet, fill up a bottle with water and put it in the freezer until frozen. Then place the bottle at the foot of your bed.
7. Open the windows during the night time: Temperatures may drop at night during the summer months in the United Kingdom. So, make the most of the refreshing summer night sir and open your windows in your bedroom before you hit the hay. If you are really serious about keeping cool during the night, you can set up a wind tunnel type of thing. To do this, strategically place fans to push the natural breeze from your window directly at you, along with the fan air. It is best to make sure you do shut your blinds before the morning comes so you don’t wake up too hot.
8. Sleep lower down: If the heat is getting unbearable during the night, put your mattress on the floor or sleep on a lower level of the house. Heat rises, so the lower you are, the cooler you will feel.
9. Close off unused rooms: Closing off unused rooms can help to prevent cool air from permeating these area throughout the hottest part of the day. As mentioned previously, you want to capitalise on the cooler hours of the night, so be sure to close all doors to each room not being used at night.
10. Start cooking outside more: Using an oven, AGA or stove during summer will significantly add heat to your house. AGA’s are tricky as they are always on, but if you have both an AGA and an oven, opt to turn off your AGA and switch to the oven for summer months as this will ultimately be a better option. Grilling and BBQing outside can be beneficial, and who does love sitting outside eating delicious food in the sunnier months? You’d be surprised at all the things you can cook on a grill or BBQ that you thought were only for oven use.
11. Longer-term improvements: Consider planting and strategically places trees and/or vines near windows which are light facing. This will shield your property from the strong rays of the sun, and therefore this will reduce the amount of heat added into your home through reducing how much heat your house absorbs. This is an investment, but it is certainly worthwhile to keep cool.
Overall, during the hot months of summer, be sure to stay hydrated, as well as cool this summer! Sweating makes you lose you bodies heat, and replacing it is extremely important.
