Practical and cheap ways to keep your home cool in hot weather

It’s hot, isn’t it?

Too hot, some might say, with Britain having seen a week of heatwave temperatures – up to 32°C in some parts of the country.

Although storms are expected in the coming days, particularly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, the forecast is still predicting weeks of warm and humid weather throughout England.

If you’re staying home to beat the heat, the good news is there are plenty of ways of staying cool inside, and most involve things that are already lying around the house.

Here they are.

Create your own air conditioning

No air con? No problem.

Simply put a bottle filled with ice and a tablespoon of salt into your freezer.

The salt helps the freezing point of the water go even lower, creating colder ice.

Once you’ve done that, put the bottles in front of the fan.

As the ice melts, the breeze from the fan will pick up the cool air coming from the ice’s surface. This will recreate a cool breeze, similar to an air conditioning unit.

Alternatively, a bowl of water in front of the fan, or a wet towel placed over a fan works just as well.

Keep curtains and windows closed during the day

On a beautiful day, it’s natural to want to have the sun shining in. However, by doing so, you’re creating a greenhouse-like heat effect. 

A room will stay cooler if curtains and blinds are closed; even better if they’re the blackout variety.

An open window will also let hot air into the house – which, if you have a fan on the go, completely defeats the point.

Open windows once the day gets cooler

Windows should be kept closed when the day is at its hottest, but once the heat starts to drop they can be opened again.

Temperatures fall considerably at night, so opening a window in the evening will allow cool air to circulate around the house – it should help you sleep better, too.

If you have flies and mosquitos getting in, it might be time to invest in a net.

Keep inside doors closed during the hottest parts of the day

Similar to windows, it can be tempting to keep all of your inside doors open as the weather hots up – but this can actually add to the problem.

When heat is at its most intense, shut off unused rooms so the limited breeze can permeate through the rooms you’re in.

As it starts to get cooler, leave the bedroom doors open at night so cool air can travel through the home.

Use correct bedding

Having the right bedding is key to ensuring you stay cool in your home.

Pillow inserts are an option and can be used at night when it gets too hot.

They are naturally cooling and don’t require refrigeration.

Also, when the temperatures soar you may want to switch to sateen sheets.

They work better than cotton in a warm climate and are less expensive than the alternative of silk.

And the right blinds

It may seem simple but choosing the correct blinds can have a big effect on how much heat gets into your home.

Venetian blinds help to keep the temperature down by allowing you to adjust the amount of light coming into the room by altering the size of the gap between the slats.

Or you could choose blackout blinds, which completely block out the sunlight by using a thick fabric material.

Jason Peterkin, director of online blinds retailer 247 Blinds, said: ‘Consider factors such as which direction your window faces; a south-facing room will benefit from thicker, thermal materials to help keep it cool, for example.

‘Privacy is also an important factor to acknowledge; adjustable blinds such as shutters, Venetians, and day nights are great in the bedroom as they can allow light in without compromising privacy.’

Buy some house plants

If you’re looking for an excuse to buy more houseplants – then we might have just found one.

Indoor plants can help cool a house in warm weather, as they consume hot air for their natural processes.

When an atmosphere heats up, plants will often release excess water into the air from their leaves – as a result they cool themselves and the surrounding environment.

Some of the best ones include rubber plants, Chinese evergreens, palms, mother-in-law’s tongues and ficus benjaminas.

Turn off the lights

As you might remember from your secondary school science classes, light bulbs give off heat. 

So keeping lights off will help to cool your house down – not to mention, it’s more environmentally-friendly and less money will be spent on bills.

Turn off your technology (if possible)

Similar to light bulbs, electrical appliances radiate heat – so turn any off that are not being used.

Of course, when working from home lots of our devices will be in constant use – but technology that isn’t (such as TVs, speakers and even phone chargers) can be switched off.

Also, be sure to fully unplug them, rather than just turning the switch off. This standby mode is often referred to as ‘vampire power’ because it still continues to drain energy and this will produce heat.

Hang a wet sheet

An alternative to the ice in front of the fan is the wet sheet by an open window.

The breeze from outside will turn cool from the sheet’s moisture which will help bring the temperature down in a room.

Spraying curtains or blinds with cold water will also create a similar effect.

Create a cross breeze with fans

If you have multiple fans you can create a cross breeze to make a room even cooler.

For example, a fan by a doorway can blow cool air into the room, while a fan in the window (facing outwards) will pull hot air away.

This positioning will help to keep air moving through the room, so you have a constant flow.

Be sure to position yourself between these two fans (in the middle of the flow of air) for best results.

Step away from the oven

It may seem rather obvious, but cooking big meals in an oven at 300 degrees for 40 minutes is going to do little to keep your home cool.

And if you’re boiling anything try to keep a lid on pans to stop the heat from escaping

And the steam

If you need to get washed before bed, try a cold (or luke warm) shower.

A steamy shower or deep hot bath creates humidity which heats up the house – and let’s face it you don’t need to be any more clammy right now.

Try to avoid using other things that cause steam, such as a washing machine or dishwasher.

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