To ask how you are keeping your house cool in this heat

[ER1992]

I live in a mid terrace house which holds the heat well in cooler temperatures so in the current heat it is ridiculously hot.
I have a 9 month old who's bedroom thermometer is currently reading at 28 degrees. Has anyone got any tips on how I can cool this down before his bedtime?
I have kept the curtains shut all day with the window open and have just set a fan going for the afternoon

I think people are confusing windows shut with curtains shut. I definitely agree with keeping the sun out via curtains, but you need the air to circulate through open windows

Not when it's really hot

Well the air is hotter outside than inside at the moment so I’m keeping my windows closed! The fans circulate the air. Plus my house gets invaded with thunder-bugs if we open any windows.

I don’t have fans on in empty rooms though. That’s just odd.

Too late for today, but if the outside temperature is rising you need to keep the windows closed. Opening them just lets the hot air in.

Get a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer from amazon or just compare bedroom and weather report.

Once it gets to the hottest part of the day (maybe 3/4pm? Check local weather) and the temperature starts falling, keep checking temp and as soon as it's cooler outside, open any windows that will create a through breeze. Keep open all night if you can security wise. In the morning once the temp starts to climb and it gets higher than the temp you want it indoors shut everything again and also try to block light on the side of the house the sun falls.

Don't use any unnecessary electrical items especially tvs, computers, consoles, but also includes fans, the motor will generate heat. Switch it off unless it's pointing at you. Avoid using the oven, use the hob as little as possible. Especially avoid boiling water for long periods of time.

Have bowls of cold water or ice around, especially under fans. Have cool showers/baths. Run pulse points under cold tap regularly. Freeze bottles of water which you drink as they thaw.

Not when the air outside is hotter?

I spend all year mostly hate our north facing lounge and kitchen but on these hot days wow I love it. (Still says 26 inside but upstairs is probably 30 odd)

I've opened the loft hatch to let the hot air move upwards. Windows open, curtains shut. I bought a fan earlier but haven't actually set it up yet as it's bearable inside. It's 25° in the living room at the moment.

Wi does open over night.
When the sun comes up close windows.
Keep curtains on the sunny side shut.

Bowl of ice water in front of a fan.

can you make the ground outside doors and windows wet with a hose ?

Little trick from Sicily - the evaporating water carries heat away with it. (Also keeps dust down).

Works best with paved areas.

@Skyejuly we also have a north facing lounge and spend most of the year hating its gloominess. It’s bloody marvellous in there at the moment!!

We have an awning outside our kitchen/dining room that we lower on really hot, sunny days to keep the sun off.

I have blackout linings in the sunny rooms and keep the curtains and windows closed until it cools down, then open them and let the cool air in.

I have a Dyson Cool fan which is great (also has an air filter but you can get them without). When it is unbearable before bed I put the aircon unit on as well (portable).

Normal fans just move the hot air around, which will create a warm breeze, better than nothing but only just.

Curtains drawn, I also have lots of tree shade which helps.

Our fan is on but blowing round warm air.

Lots of fans 1-2 in each room and we got an air conditioning unit which is in the loft room and works amazingly

Buy an air conditioning unit. Mine arrives tomorrow hooray

My house faces north/south, so the south side is closed off and the north side has a breeze blowing through a couple of open windows. There's lots of shade on the north side so the breeze coming through is fractionally cooler than the inside temperature. I'm perfectly comfortable in light clothing, and I don't do heat at all. Just don't ask me to move.

If its 30deg outside and you open your windows it will become 30deg inside too. It amazes me how few people understand this.

A cool breeze only feels cool because it is moving the layer of heat around your body, the air is still 30deg.

Close your windows in the morning and keep your curtains drawn, use a fan to create a breeze.

And eat lots of ice cream :).

Watching because am the exact same as you OP, except 8 month old rather than 9 month old. We were out this morning and he got so hot in his pram, poor little one Won't drag him around any more this week. Thanks for suggestions everyone.

Air conditioning

The portable air cooling units that you fill with water don't cost very much to run, unlike proper air conditioning.

Yes to keeping windows and curtains shut until the temperature outside is cooler than inside. If you need to cook, use a microwave or plug your slow cooker/ whatever in outside the house. Use your extractor fan in the kitchen if it's hot in there to expel the heat.

Go to bed in a damp tee shirt or nightie.

( We have a home in a very hot country).

Windows and doors shut, curtains closed. Lovely and cool in here. I've just been out for a walk, and my house felt like a fridge when I walked back in.

Leaving doors and windows open when the outside temperature is higher, will just warm up the inside.

The short term relief you get from a "cool" breeze is just an illusion.

Put a parasol up or hang a sheet over windows that the sun falls directly on.

It's really quite easy. Keep windows shut for as long as it's hotter outside than in, then open windows once it cooler outside than in. Generally, this means windows (and ideally shutters/outisde blinds) closed during the day and open late evening and throughtout the night.

Anyone from a country where it is hot regularly can tell you this (telling you this from somewhere which is a good 10C more than Lonodn today). That being said, warmer countries are generally betterequipped with shutters and blinds to stop the sun hitting windows in the first place. This really is key.

Our house is surrounded by fully grown ash, oak and sycamores. It's dark and dank for most of the year but I'm loving the shade today.

Linen clothing is cooler than cotton when it's really hot. Wear loose clothing.