Heatwave at home: our cool solutions

When the thermometer climbs faster than your winter electricity bill, it's time to take action. During a heatwave, keeping cool indoors can become a real challenge. Thankfully, there are plenty of simple (and often cheap) solutions and tips for coping with the heat without turning your living room into a sauna.

Here's a complete guide to turning your home into an oasis of cool air… or very nearly.

Closing the windows... at the right time

It sounds counter-intuitive, but opening the windows in the middle of the day is like inviting the heat round for dinner. Bad idea.

Tips:

• Close windows, shutters and curtains as soon as the sun starts beating down.
• Open everything wide at night and early in the morning, when temperatures are lower.
• Create night-time draughts to ventilate your home naturally.

Bonus tip: use thermal curtains or survival blankets on sun-facing windows. Not much to look at, but fiendishly effective.

Cooling rooms down with simple means

You don't need a state-of-the-art air conditioner to bring the indoor temperature down. Sometimes the best solutions against the heat are the simplest ones.

Some practical tips:

A wet sheet hung in front of an open window cools the room for as long as it takes to dry. The same principle works with a bowl of ice cubes or a frozen bottle placed in front of a fan: the air it pushes around arrives cooler. Damp laundry hung inside the room does the job too, since evaporation absorbs the heat.

What to avoid: switching on the oven or the hob in the middle of the day. Go for salads or cold (and refreshing!) meals instead.

Switching off heat sources… even the unsuspected ones

Plenty of appliances give off heat without you even realising it.

Simple solutions:

• Unplug chargers you aren't using.
• Avoid using the computer or the TV for too long.
• Switch to LEDs: they give off far less heat than traditional bulbs.

A small change here, another there… and there you go, a few degrees less in the living room!

Here are the actions covered so far, with the right moment to apply them and what they actually change:

Action	When	What it changes
Close windows, shutters and curtains	As soon as the sun hits	Keeps the heat out
Open everything wide, create a draught	At night and early morning	Flushes out the stored heat
Wet sheet hung in front of an open window	During the day	Lowers the temperature until it dries
Frozen bottle or bowl of ice cubes in front of a fan	During the day	The moving air arrives cooler
Oven and hob off, cold meals	During the hottest hours	Removes a major heat source
Unplug chargers, limit computer and TV time	All day long	A few degrees less in the living room
Switch to LED bulbs	As a replacement for standard bulbs	They give off far less heat

Dressing light, even at home

Spending the whole day in your swimming costume? No judgement here. But the most important thing is to choose loose, lightweight clothing in natural fibres (cotton, linen, bamboo…).

And at night, forget the duvet: go for a light sheet, or even nothing at all if you live alone and have no nosy neighbours.

Plants for natural cooling

Yes, houseplants aren't just there for the look. Some of them help improve air quality and keep things a little cooler.

The champions of natural cooling:

• Ficus
• Aloe vera
• Areca palm
• Bamboo palm

Water them in the evening so they can breathe (and perspire) along with you!

Cooling yourself down (not just the living room)

Sometimes, despite all your precautions, the heat invites itself in anyway. So don't forget to cool yourself down regularly.

Simple tips:

Take a lukewarm shower rather than a cold one: icy water triggers a rebound heat effect and your temperature climbs straight back up. A water spray or a damp cloth on your wrists, the back of your neck and your feet is often enough to buy another hour. And for instant relief, nothing beats an ice-cold foot bath.

And of course, stay hydrated: water, more water, always water (not a mojito every 30 minutes, sorry).

Looking out for each other: heat is a shared experience

Spare a thought for your elderly neighbours, people living alone, and your pets too. A simple visit, a phone call or a bowl of cool water can make an enormous difference.

In short

When a heatwave hits, every tip counts. Close your shutters, hang up wet sheets, spray yourself with water and, above all, take care of yourself. Your home can become a cool, pleasant haven, with no air conditioning and no indoor swimming pool required.

And don't forget: the heat is temporary, but your comfort deserves to be permanent.

Head over to our latest article on the new 90-days-a-year limit for holiday rentals

Frequently asked questions

Should I open the windows during the day in a heatwave? No. Opening up when the sun is beating down simply invites the heat in. Keep windows, shutters and curtains closed as soon as the sun hits, then open everything wide at night and early in the morning, when temperatures drop. That is when cross-ventilation actually does something.

Does hanging a wet sheet in front of a window really work? Yes, for as long as it takes to dry. Evaporation absorbs heat from the room, so the effect lasts exactly as long as the sheet stays damp, then stops. Damp laundry hung indoors works on the same principle.

How do I cool a room without air conditioning? Put a frozen bottle or a bowl of ice cubes in front of a fan: the air it moves arrives cooler. Add a wet sheet in front of an open window and keep the oven and hob switched off during the hottest hours. Cold meals make a real difference to the temperature indoors.

Cold shower or lukewarm shower when it is very hot? Lukewarm. Ice-cold water triggers a rebound effect and your temperature climbs straight back up. For quick relief, run a damp cloth or a mist spray over your wrists, neck and feet, or soak your feet in iced water. And drink water, regularly.

Which houseplants help keep a home cool? Ficus, aloe vera, areca and bamboo palm. They contribute to air quality and help maintain a certain freshness in the room. Water them in the evening, they breathe better that way.

Which appliances heat a room without you noticing? Chargers left plugged in, the computer, the television running for hours and old-style bulbs. Unplug whatever you are not using and switch to LEDs, which give off far less heat. That is a few degrees gained in the living room for nothing.