The scorching hot weather has hit and many of us are struggling to keep cool while working from home and trying to get to sleep at night. Having the best fan is key when the mercury soars - but are you using yours effectively?
An expert has shared some simple tips, and explained why you might be using your fan wrong, preventing you from feeling the full benefit.
Most of us tend to point our fans directly towards us so we can feel the breeze that makes us feel a bit cooler. However, Chris Michael from air conditioning system company Meaco recommends placing them more strategically.
'Having a fan blow directly onto your face is fine for a short period of time but is unpleasant if done for too long, and does not help to share the effect with anyone else in the room,' says Chris.
'Using an air circulator that bounces the air off the walls and ceilings gets all of the air in the room moving and ensures that the cooling effect is shared out.' So while it may be tempting to position your face perilously close to the blades because it's just so hot, you're far better off placing it more centrally in the room.
No one wants to spend time in a hot room with zero airflow, so try to use your fan to circulate the air around the entire room. To really reduce the temperature of a room, Chris has a handy trick. 'You will need two windows in the room and two fans,' he says.
'Point one out of one window to exhaust the hot air and one pointing into the room in the other window to circulate fresh cool air. This works best when the outside temperature is cooler than the indoor temperature and is also a great way of staying COVID safe when meeting friends indoors.'
Leaving windows open when the air is warmer outside than it is inside can actually make things worse, so shut blinds and windows at the hottest point of the day. If you've tried everything and still have a hot and stuffy room, find out how to cool a room down fast with our tips.
Simply too hot to sleep? Here's how to sleep in heat to help you get some shut-eye. Some suggest putting a box of ice cubes in front of your fan to help circulate cool air - either way, having your fan too close to you isn't the way to go.
