How are you keeping bedrooms cool in this heat?

[Cones]

The sun shines in the bedroom from two angles from lunchtime till sunset. The walls are warm to the touch where sun has heated the whole room. This is with curtains and blinds closed, but because the walls are being heated, it’s like a furnace.

open windows about 8pm ish but the room stays too warm until around 1am.

is an air con unit the only option or is there an alternative?

Move to Northern Ireland. I have a big cardigan on

My bedroom is 25 degrees at the moment. I blame the triple glazing. I'm a few kms from the Phoneix Park in Dublin which was the hottest place in Ireland at 27.4 degrees today. Just about to have a lukewarm shower which helps cool you down. I actually don't feel that hot though because I feel the cold terribly due to a health condition I have. I also remember the summer of 76 as we'd just moved house to a seaside village and we were at the beach every day after school..

I have a big hammock in the garden and I'm genuinely considering sleeping in it next Sunday/Monday...

I've slept outside one night before on the outdoor sofa. That being said our garden has high fences/walls all around, our gate locks and we live in a very safe, quiet semi-rural area.

One thing I found out though was how much morning dew there is!

Woke up absolutely soaked

Cold bath before bed. Stay in for 10 mins. It kept me cool till about 4 am .

@BorisJohnsonsHair The irony is that air conditioning is a big contributor to global warming.

Yet we are being encouraged to install Air Source heating which is the reverse process of air conditioning!

I think I was a lizard in a previous life as I love it when it’s so hot it’s warm at night. We have had the fan on overnight but only on low just for a general bit of air movement.

How does opening the loft hatch help upstairs?
Will the hot air rise up into it?
I've just had my loft insulation redone - would that stop the hot air rising up into it?

The front of our house is in full sun from about 1pm until the sun sets, the bricks act like storage heaters. Nothing we ca do about that but we close the curtains during the day and have every window and door open upstairs, we have a fan in that bedroom too.

West facing bedroom that gets sun all afternoon. I keep windows open all night and allow a through draft. Not perfect, especially when first go to bed but nice and cool when I woke up. Put on a 4 tog duvet as find a sheet too light and I wake up because of that.

Curtains or blinds closed and windows open all around the house all day. I lived in a hot country for years where most houses have shutters and are kept dark all day but with air flow through. Makes a big difference.

Use appliances like washing machines / ovens etc as little as possible during the heat. the heat rises up to the bedrooms. I'm only using mine in the morning.

I slept outside. High fences, not overlooked particularly and locked gate. Woke up at 0520, very achey, crawled up to bed for another couple of hours.

seems cooler here today? Still warm but not as bad as yesterday

And do explain the loft thing please someone?

Hot air rises. If you open your lift hatch it will continue to rise into the loft space rather than hanging around upstairs

What about if you have faux wood slatted blinds? Around the front of house it is sunny all afternoon until the eve, I am on the first floor as it's converted. That is my kitchen/living room 🤦‍♀️ have my cooker and tumble dryer in there, obviously nowhere else to put dryer. I have both windows open, but blinds turned the other way to block sun coming through top of window in the afternoon. All my cupboards get hot/food going off quickly. I was thinking to change for blackout blinds, but then they either have to be up or down, I want something that can still give us light, privacy and block out the sun/heat. I was considering putting a privacy panel on both lower windows but not sure 🤷🏻‍♀️

how do portabel air con units work please.

I'e do they need to be near a window to vent??

I'm suspicious of how they work? If they don't vent how do they work

They vent out of the window, so yes, they need to be located near a window. You also need a seal for the window to stop the hot air just blowing straight back in. They’re extremely inefficient without a window seal.

Surely you don’t need to use a tumble drier in this weather? I also don’t really use the oven much at this time of year. It just heats up our flat. We mostly eat salads or food that can be cooked quickly on the hob.

Oh no .

Thanks.

I

We got a couple of these

smile.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Conditioner-Humidifier-Purifier-Office-White/dp/B09SL344GV/ref=mp_s_a_1_18?crid=3L1IEI8BUZJPD&keywords=cooler+fan+air+conditioner&qid=1657629357&sprefix=cooler+fa%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-18

they’re actually quite good! I don’t bother with the faffy water drip. And you can charge them up which is handy.

We have a venting one with a big tube. Or coke switch a kit if you’ve got slide up and down windows. But we’ve got standard hinge ones. It wa an easy fix to cut a bit of Perspex to size, cut a hole and it’s held on with industrial velco for walls. That will work on your cats!

“Or coke switch”???
*It comes with…..

@OperaStation I know, you would think not, but I have no garden, and the only space I have to dry things is on the airer which has to go in our kitchen/living area, that is all we have. Where do you dry your washing in this weather then? Bedding/towels/soon to have uniforms, other clothing.

I use a cotton scarf, a large one, soaked in cold water and rung out, and laid on the sheets for 15 mins before going to bed.

Then have it to hand so that once the coolness goes you can put your hand out to grab it and wet the sheets again. Sometimes I wrap it round my wrist which helps to keep cool.

I've recently moved to the South of France and by heck it's hot right now. But the thick walls to the houses, and the thick shutters kept closed do keep the heat out. Plus each window has insect mesh so you can leave the shutters closed, and open the window and get cool air breezing through.

Those with air con with the vent that goes out of the window - what do you use to seal round the window? Mine’s just arrived. Could pad out with towels like someone suggested.