EVERY summer, you hear no end of tricks that are supposed to cool you down – but do any of them actually work?
I gave one one of those viral hacks a go – the “ice trick” for home fans – and I’m convinced it worked a treat.
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The problem with a regular fan is that it’s blowing the air at you to create a cooling effect, but not really cooling the air itself down.
After all, if the air in your house is hot, what can you do? Almost none of us have air conditioning.
And the air in my house is hot. Britain is basking in glorious summer temperatures this week – but sadly I can’t spend it by the beach.
So instead, I tried a popular hack that involves putting a tray of ice right in front of a fan.
It’s meant to cool down the air that the fan is blowing at you.
You see the trick all over social media, and it’s no surprise: it’s basically free and only takes a few minutes to set up.
I ended up using about four ice cube trays when I gave it a go this morning, but you could buy a bag of ice for £1 if you don’t have enough at home.
Honestly, I was quite happy to spend five minutes handling ice. I’m about as heat-tolerant as a bowl of ice cream. It’s 25C as I write this – and temperatures could climb to 31C where I live, or 36C in some parts of the UK.
HOW I SET IT UP
I put all of the ice into a regular baking tray.
The one I chose wasn’t too deep, because ultimately I wanted as much of the ice in contact with the air above. You’re looking for something that’s flat and roughly as wide as your fan.
And because I was using a Dyson fan, I had to get my makeshift ice tray high up off the ground.
I ended up using a fabric pouffe with a dinner tray on top of it.
And to get a bit of extra height, I put a book-sized puzzle underneath the dinner tray.
Then I sat the ice cube tray on top and let the fan work its magic.
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FAN FAV?
You feel the coolness instantly, but the effect dims significantly the further away I am.
If I sat on the sofa across the room, it was hard to notice a difference.
But when I sat really close to the fan, the difference between the iced and non-iced cooling was more noticeable. I could sit here all day. I probably will.
There’s also a psychological effect to just seeing the ice that I’m pretty sure made me feel cooler too. That has to count for something.
OFFICIAL NHS TIPS TO COOL DOWN
Here’s the official NHS guidance for coping in hot weather…
“Keep out of the heat if you can. If you have to go outside, stay in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunscreen, a hat and light clothes, and avoid exercise or activity that makes you hotter,” the NHS said.
“Cool yourself down. Have cold food and drinks, avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks, and have a cool shower or put cool water on your skin or clothes.
“Keep your living space cool.
“Close windows during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down.
“Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees.
“Check the temperature of rooms, especially where people at higher risk live and sleep.”
Picture Credit: Unsplash
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I suppose the conundrum is: would I have been better off just using that ice to cool my body down?
Potentially, yes. But ultimately, I had more ice in the freezer for that too – so both systems can work at the same time.
Perhaps the real answer is: just make sure you have plenty of ice on a hot day – and then put it absolutely everywhere.
In any case, this is a hot day go-to for me from now on. I just need to refill those ice cube trays…
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