Best fans, blinds and air con to keep your home cool

With the mercury hovering around the top of the thermometer, we’re all looking for ways to stay cool day and night.

Fortunately, there is a smart new technology on the market that will help you and your family get through any summer heat waves.

Bladeless fans

Dyson revolutionized fans with their quiet bladeless fans. These have now turned into air purifiers that filter all sorts of airborne irritants: pollen, bacteria, etc.

They come in a variety of sizes, from desktop models to large towers that move cool, clean air through large rooms.

The Purifier Cool Autoreact is at the top of the range. It monitors the air in your room and turns on or off accordingly. Available from Dyson (dyson.co.uk) for £449.99.

But if your budget is lower, there are other bladeless fans on the market now.

The 42-inch Midea Smart Air, available from Argos for £250, works in a similar way, silently blowing purified air around you to ensure a good night’s sleep. Features include 12 speeds and an automatic shut-off timer.

Sleep sound

Humid summer nights can leave you sweaty. Therefore, opt for a cooling mattress to lower your temperature.

The Temperature Balance quilted mattress topper from The White Company uses NASA technology so the topper feels cold to the touch.

It’s also moisture wicking, so moisture is wicked away from your skin, keeping you comfortable and dry. It costs £100 to £190 depending on mattress size.

Do you want to go a step further? Chilisleep’s Cube Sleep system is a machine that gently flows water through a mesh below you, much like reversed underfloor heating.

It can be set to hot or cold water depending on the season – the water can be pumped from 13c to 46c.

There is a remote control to gently change the temperature throughout the night. Available for £449.

Smart blinds

If you have south-facing windows, July feels like living in an oven. But you can block out a decent portion of the sun with thermal blinds or heat reflective foil.

Thermal blinds like the ThermaShade, available from Hillarys, are pleated with a honeycomb structure, to trap a layer of air around the blind’s material.

This helps keep the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Prices depend on size.

Heat reflective film – often used for offices – is translucent but blocks the worst rays. It is especially useful for conservatories that can get unbearably hot in the summer.

The Window Film Company’s Light Reflective Silver Window Film is rated to block 55 percent of all solar energy. It costs around £268 for 10m x 1.5m.

Good night: Chilisleep’s Cube Sleep System is a machine that gently flows water through a mesh below you, much like reversed underfloor heating

Portable coolers

Evaporative coolers work well if you want to cool a small room during the day or at night. These guide dry air over a reservoir of water, which evaporates and cools the air.

The cooler air is then pumped into the room. It’s a bit like standing close to a water sprinkler.

They won’t cool your home like a full-fledged refrigeration air conditioner, but they are cheaper, quieter and more portable. In some units you can use ice blocks instead of water to boost cooling.

The Silentnight 3-in-1 air cooler, available from Robert Dyas for £129.99, works as a fan or humidifier as well as a cooler.

Or if you work at your desk and just want to keep yourself cool, there’s the tiny evaSMART from evapolar, which is controlled by a smartphone, for £199.

Ceiling fan

They may seem like an old-fashioned solution, but ceiling fans are very efficient and quiet. You only need to have them installed by an electrician, so start-up costs can be a bit steep.

The Philips Bliss integrated ceiling light and fan is an easy option, available from Dunelm for £199.

The ultimate: Air conditioning

For the total solution, nothing beats a full-sized air conditioner. But you will have to put up with the noise (few are close to silent).

And unless you are going to install a permanent unit, you should have a window or door that you can leave open to slide the vent pipe through.

First you need to figure out how powerful a unit you need. The standard classification is in British Thermal Units.

The average room needs a unit that runs at 5,000-8,000 BTUs. For a powerful unit, the DeLonghi Pinguino EL112 runs up to 11,000 BTUs, so it can cool an eat-in kitchen.

It’s connected to WiFi, so you can control it from your phone. It’s also on wheels, so it can be moved between rooms. Available from Appliances Direct for £879.

Savings of the week: Outdoor cushions

Fruity: The Passionfruit set of floor cushions, pictured, has been reduced by 7% to £66.99 (wayfair.co.uk)

The stores are full of elegant outdoor sofas, tables, bistro sets and dining room chairs. But maybe new cushions are all you need to breathe new life into your existing furniture.

At Von Haus, for example, you’ll find a set of two cushions, one in orange and the other in a botanical print, from £17.99 to £7.99.

If tropical prints are more your thing, try Wayfair. The Galarza cushion is decorated with a design of a leopard lounging on a branch. It’s 20 per cent off at £19.99.

The Passionfruit set of pink and yellow floor cushions, pictured, has been reduced by 7 per cent to £66.99.

Wilko has a selection of floor cushions such as the Wild Marks in a green and white abstract pattern. It’s £20, instead of £27.

And Habitat’s green and white palm print cushion is down from £18 to £14.

Heal’s sapphire blue Greenwich outdoor cushions are made from recycled plastic bottles and come in two sizes. Prices start at £41 from £59.

ANNE ASWORTH