Heatwaves in the UK tend to send us into panic. With the recent extremely hot weather and humidity, people have been frantically trying to find ways to keep their house as cool as possible. As we know, British homes aren’t exactly built to cope with the high temperatures, meaning we must resort to other ways to try and reduce the heat the best we can. There are all sorts of things you can do to help, whether it’s opening all the windows in an attempt to have a bit of a breeze flowing through the house, or having a fan as your saving grace. However, one thing people may not realise can be used to help keep the rooms in our homes a bit cooler, is blinds and curtains. A lot of the heat we deal with comes from the area of our windows, and so keeping these covered up can make all the difference when it comes to cooling the room down. 

Whilst we still have around another six weeks of summer left here in the UK, we thought we’d explain a little bit more about how you can use blinds and curtains to keep your house cool…

If you’re not at home

Of course, when we are at home, the first thing we think of in order to try and cool the house down a bit is to open as many windows as possible. However, if you aren’t at home because for example you may be at work all day, this isn’t necessarily possible nor practical. Leaving windows open when you’re out of the house is a security risk and not something you should really do. However, even if you’re not home, you still want to try and reduce the heat and humidity in there for when you return. Furthermore, you may have pets that are inside and so it is important that you try to keep them as cool as possible. 

So, the best alternative to having the windows open, is keeping the inside of your home as shaded as you can. The best way to do this is to actually shut your curtains, as this blocks out a lot of the sun and heat and therefore keeps the room cooler. Curtains tend to do a better job at keeping the heat out but it applies to blinds too. Simply covering your windows will reflect some of the heat away so that it doesn’t become overheated inside.

Creating shade in the room

Although this isn’t necessarily the first thing people think of, it actually makes a lot of sense. When we’re hot outside, we find shade to cool down. The exact same thing applies indoors. If your house is exposed to sunlight and heat (most often via windows), the best way to keep it cool is to try and create shade. 

Although it may seem antisocial or unusual to have your blinds or curtains shut during the day when it’s bright and sunny outside, this is a sure way to create shade and make the room a bit cooler. Even if you just do this in intervals throughout the day, it can certainly help to keep your house more shaded inside and prevent as much heat getting in. Furthermore, you can actually buy shades for your windows, which is recommended during the summer and particularly during heatwaves. Shades along with reflective material covering your windows will direct sunlight away and enable you to keep the house at a more reasonable and comfortable temperature. 

For more information or if you are looking to purchase some new blinds or curtains for your home, simply get in touch with us via our contact page and we will be more than happy to help.