If your home gets hot and stuffy in the summer, an electric fan is great, but sometimes it's not enough. But there are tips and tricks to make your fan work harder, keeping you cooler for longer.
Beat the heat
HOW TO SLEEP DURING A HEATWAVE
HOW TO KEEP COOL IN A HEATWAVE
Let the air in
Get hot air out and let cool air in by creating a crosswind. Keep your windows, doors and blinds shut during the day to avoid hot sun beating down into your house. Then, during the evening, open your windows and place one fan facing towards the window, so it pushes the heat out. Use a second fan, placed inwards, to circulate cool air into the room.
Ice, ice baby
A neat little trick for making the breeze from a fan cooler is to make a kind of homemade air conditioning unit. To do this:
- Fill an empty 1 litre plastic bottle or 4 pint plastic milk bottle with water and replace the lid.
- Freeze.
- Place the bottle on a tray and cover it with a damp cloth.
- Position the bottle, tray and cloth in front of the fan.
As the air passes over the iced bottled and damp cloth, it will circulate chilled, refreshingly cold air around the room. Brrr-illiant!
Keep your fan clean
When you need a cool breeze, the last thing you want is dust blowing back at you - particularly during hayfever season.
If you want to improve your fan's performance, make sure you check and clean it as recommended by the manufacturer to prevent a build-up of dirt from restricting the airflow.
Short on time? Unplug the fan and take it outside near an outdoor plug socket on a dry day, then blast the fan with cool air from your hairdryer, front and back. Wipe down the base and buttons with a cloth.
For a thorough clean, unplug the fan, then unscrew the front grill and slide off the blades (check the user guide first for the best way to do this). Swirl the blades in a sink filled with warm, soapy water. Rinse, dry thoroughly and re-install. Clean the grill the same way.
Settle down with a quieter fan
If your fan keeps you cool but makes a racket, it might be time to invest in a new one.
In our most recent tests of tower fans, the Dyson Cool Auto React Purifying Fan was the quietest, achieving full marks on the GHI's decibel test. It was a high scorer, too, at 85/100.
Alternatively, opt for a model with a night mode; this reduces the sound and dims any display accordingly so you can sleep better through the night.
Dyson Purifier Humidify + Cool Formaldehyde
Score: 93/100
This versatile fan kept our testers cool and comfortable with its powerful air flow and 10 different air speeds. Its fastest and strongest setting is noisy, but it has a night mode so you can still enjoy a dreamy sleep. Plus, it also acts as an air purifier and humidifier.
Score: 92/100
This clever design oscillates at up to 130 degrees, so it can cover you and your partner. Though it's a tad bulky, it's extremely quiet, making it perfect for bedtime use. It doubles up as an air purifier, too.
Score: 92/100
This great-value fan, which has 12 air speeds, improved testers' comfort levels. It was relatively quiet and there's a remote control for tinkering with the settings from under the covers.
Oscillate
Unless you’re aiming the fan towards a window or yourself, you can use the oscillate setting to vary the direction of the breeze around your room. This improves the air circulation and it gives you more scope to deter any lingering mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are not strong flyers, and a strong air current will put them off travelling.
If you’re lucky enough to own a ceiling fan, make sure it’s set to rotate counterclockwise in the summer. That way any cool air is being pushed down towards to floor. A clockwise direction on a low setting is better used in the winter as it draws up the cool air and pushes down any warm air which has risen towards the ceiling.
Chill out without a fan
If your budget doesn't stretch to a fan, these classic cooling tricks will help chill you out on hot days.
- Switch to 100% breathable cotton bedsheets and wear cotton pyjamas.
- Fill your hot water bottle with ice cold water.
- Avoid too much caffeine and alcohol (sorry!).
- Hang a wet sheet in front of an open window so that the trapped breeze brings down the room temperature.
- Bathe your feet and wrists with cold water.
- Spritz yourself with a plant mister filled with water.
- Rub a menthol stick on your forehead.
- Use a fridge-cooled flannel or icepack to help you cool down!
GHI Tip: Fans (mostly) cool down people, not rooms. So, remember to switch off your device when it’s not in use to conserve energy!
Score: 92/100
Score: 91/100
Score: 87/100
