Fans are cheap to run and provide instant relief from the heat, making them a great alternative to costly air conditioning units.
While these portable appliances are perfect for quickly blasting a space with cold air, they may not be as effective at lowering the room temperature as you think.
If you have warm air in your home, simply putting on a fan will only then circulate the warm air around your home, which can make people feel sticky, sweaty and uncomfortable.
Plus, dehydration is a real health risk as it can lead to nausea, headaches and heat stroke, which can be deadly for elderly people.
Keeping cool is important for safety reasons as well as more pleasant way to experience a balmy spring and an upcoming hot summer.
Thankfully, there are plenty of affordable alternatives to a fan that you can use to cool down – but what are they?
Do fans really cool a room?
The breeze created by fans is enough to make anyone feel instantly cooler, but it is unlikely to have a lasting effect on the temperature of the room.
In fact, the only time a fan will actually reduce the heat of your home is if the air temperature outside the house is cooler than the air inside.
For this to work, it is best to place the fan near a window to help draw cool air into the home or create a cross current to exhaust some of the hot air trapped inside.
However, if instant relief from the warm weather is what you’re after, fans are effective at reducing your body temperature as the cool breeze glides over your skin.
How to keep your home cool without a fan
Whether you’re looking for a better way to cool your house down or you simply don’t own a fan, there are several alternatives that will work well instead.
Hang up damp sheets near windows
Damp or even wet sheets can be hung over an open window to help reduce the temperature indoors.
Known as the “Egyptian Method”, the sheets should be rinsed and spun so the material is wet but not dripping wet.
Secure sheets to curtain rails with pegs or simply hang them over the pole to create a cooling breeze.
This isn’t recommended if your home is prone to mould or damp, though it will work well in a ventilated space.
Create a cross-breeze
Opening every window in your house won’t make a difference if there’s no breeze outside, but it can work if you’re strategic about which ones you open.
Creating a cross-breeze is easy to do by simply opening windows at opposite ends of the house or a single room. This creates a tunnel of fresh air, working to displace some of the heat lurking inside your property.
Open your loft hatch
If you have an accessible loft hatch, it’s worth opening up to allow heat to rise beyond your living space. Keep the hatch open as much as you can during the hot weather to avoid lingering heat making your bedrooms even warmer at night.
Use a dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers are primarily designed to extract moisture from the air, but it can also work as a useful cooling tool for your home. Swap a noisy fan for a dehumidifier to dry out the air in your room and reduce moisture and warmth.
This clever tool creates a completely dry atmosphere that is cool and refreshing – but you will have to be patient. Take care not to over-dehumidify as this can reduce moisture levels to a potentially dangerous amount.
Public Health England advised people to avoid being out in the sun between 11am to 3pm when the sun is the hottest; hydrating with water is recommended, and cooling down in the shade is best.
Aside from dehydration, the risk of strong UV light is the development of skin cancer; the number of skin cancer cases in Britain has increased in recent decades.
To protect yourself from the sun, it’s really important to wear five-star sun cream lotion of at least 30SPF that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
