how can i cool the house down?

[mckenzie]

we live in quite an old house that has a somewhat strange design upstairs and doesn't really allow for my breeze to flow through from front to back and vice versa.

This afternoon, DD's bedroom was 29 and DS's was 27!! And that's with me having opened all the windows first thing this morning but then closing them and pulling all blinds and curtains shut during the day (like they do abroad) to keep the sun out.
We've put fans in both the rooms and have managed to get DD's down to 27 and she's now asleep in there in just her nappy and 0.5 tog sleeping bag. DS's is down to 25 and he'll go to bed in just his pj bottoms.

Any tips though please for what i can try and do to keep the rooms cooler?

Freeze a big block of ice
put in front of fan

Same problem here - south facing and huge windows...I am thinking or aircon but not sure if it will help!

CD - do you not watch CSI? Tsk tsk, a man died a horrible death with the block of ice/fan scenario.

(yes, I know, it's just TV )

Hard work, isn't it? Just been and bought a tower fan from Homebase (10% day so £31) and looked at the air conditioning unit lustfully (was £100 more). Then realised we'd have to vent the thing like a tumble dryer - which would mean it would have to sit too far away from where we wanted it. Hence the purchase of the tower fan (which is quiet, has a timer and remote control - I really like it!).

are you going to leave the fan on all night hunkermunker?

Don't think so - it has a timer on it. Might in high summer though!

My house is E at the back and W at the front so in the mornings I close the curtains and windows against the sun at the back and open them at the front, and switch round in the afternoon - it does make a difference. (Even if you did have a through breeze it would be a hot one some of the time, mckenzie. Better to shut the sun out.)