Our editor has found 8 clever gadgets to help you feel cool at home in a heatwave

From dual purpose fan/misters to pillows which steal heat from you all night, get cooler at home in heatwaves with these picks

Bedroom curtain ideas with a sheer curtain dressed around the head of the bed, stretched poetically across the bed
(Image credit: Utkan Gunerkan)
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Knowing how to stay cool in a heatwave is the new holy grail of modern life. Summer is getting hotter and while we wait for governments to get initiatives going to stop further temperature rises, all we can do is keep as chilled as possible.

There are several home tricks you should keep up your sleeve(less vest top). First, keep all the curtains closed - it seems counterintuitive but stopping the sunlight pouring in will make a huge difference. Secondly, put linen sheets on your bed - the coolest and most breathable fabric to sleep under. Don't turn the oven on in the kitchen - cook everything on the hobs or on the microwave or - even better - eat salads.

And lastly, invest in any of these nifty gadgets or inventions which are better for the environment than air con, and all available for next day delivery. You'll be feeling as light, cool and breezy as the picture at the top of this page in no time.

4UMOR Quiet Fan 10 inch Desk Fan | Amazon

4UMOR Quiet Fan 10 inch Desk Fan | Amazon

The advantage this modern fan has over most of the rest affordable ones I can find is that it actually looks pretty chic. Its wood base and black top give it an almost mid-century vibe. Even better, it's almost entirely silent, meaning it can be on during WFH Zoom calls, and at night as you sleep. Ideal. 

ZonLi Cooling Blanket | Amazon

ZonLi Cooling Blanket | Amazon

More counterintuitive advice - why not had another blanket to your bedtime ritual? As long as it's the ZonLi cooling blanket that is, made from cooling fibers which work to absorb all the heat from your body as you sleep, drawing it out of you and leaving you as cool as a cucumber. The long hot nights suddenly got less hot.

CHOSHOME Cooling Pillow Cases | Amazon

CHOSHOME Cooling Pillow Cases | Amazon

More cooling fibers - this time for people who have already turned their regular pillows over twice and found themselves with no cool sides left. These pillow cases draw the heat of out of your hot, hot cheek and dissipate it away from your head. Sweet dreams.

Kikkerland Reusable Ice Sticks | Lakeland

Kikkerland Reusable Ice Sticks | Lakeland

Ok, so what if I told you that your cool drink could stay cool and not get diluted by ice cubes? Perfect for that refreshing urn of cordial that is the only thing going to get you through the day, even better for that cocktail canister that will get you through the night.

Furrybaby Pet Cooling Mat | Amazon

Furrybaby Pet Cooling Mat | Amazon

I've had pets long enough to know that happy animals = happy life. And if you can get them to flop down on this mat then they'll perhaps feel a little less like they're roasting. And if you can't - my dog likes his but my cat hasn't worked out her's - then it makes a perfect chilled mat for under your own legs, at least (trust, me, I've done zoom calls on the sofa with it wedged below my thighs. Bliss).

Benross 40239 Water Mist Spray Fan | Amazon

Benross 40239 Water Mist Spray Fan | Amazon

It's a handheld, battery-operated fan which also mists you with water whenever you need a spritz. We've seen a lot about multi-functional furniture and design lately, but right now, in the midst of summer, this wins for dual-purpose brilliance.

JISULIFE Portable Neck Fan | Amazon

JISULIFE Portable Neck Fan | Amazon

With the resurgance of the Tumblr girl aesthetic and big headphones being cool again, this portable neck fan won't look out of place on a Zoom call. You'll just seem like a creative who has put respectively taken their music out of your ears for this meeting. And also happens to have their own wind machine going on. Chic.

Mogiu Mini Handheld Stroller Fan | Amazon

Mogiu Mini Handheld Stroller Fan | Amazon

Technically, this is a fan for stroller. The bendy legs twist around the handle of the pushchair, angled towards your baby's face, gently keeping air circulating.  But think how many more uses this could have. Entwined around your desk lamp, at just the right height to hit your face directly. On your bedhead, blowing down on you all night. Over the front of your running machine if you're managing to find it within you to exercise. The height of versatility.

Pip Rich
Executive Editor

The editor of Livingetc, Pip Rich (formerly Pip McCormac) is a lifestyle journalist of almost 20 years experience working for some of the UK's biggest titles. As well as holding staff positions at Sunday Times Style, Red and Grazia he has written for the Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times and ES Magazine. The host of Livingetc's podcast Home Truths, Pip has also published three books - his most recent, A New Leaf, was released in December 2021 and is about the homes of architects who have filled their spaces with houseplants. He has recently moved out of London - and a home that ELLE Decoration called one of the ten best small spaces in the world - to start a new renovation project in Somerset.

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