WINDOWS...OPEN OR CLOSED?

It might seem like a strange question, since it's normal protocol to open a window when it gets too warm inside. And it helps air move through the house too, right?

But actually, it depends on how hot it is getting.

Once the air outside gets hotter than inside your house, then opened windows are just letting hot air in. So on those scorching heatwave days, our tips are:

get up early and open the windows in the house to let the cooler air in
as the morning goes by, test the temperature of the air outside a couple of times (by sticking your hand out is fine!)
once the air outside is hotter than inside, close your windows (and draw the curtains or blinds if the sun is on them)
when the temperature outside drops (which seems to be as late as about 8pm at the moment!), open back up the windows and curtains/blinds to let cooler air in

To tackle the lack of air movement when the windows are closed, grab a fan to help circulate the air (which will make you feel cooler due to moisture evaporation; learn more about that here!). If you are looking to purchase a fan, all fans on our site are from trusted UK retailers and have a 4 star rating or above. Check out our collection here.

You can also look at purchasing an air conditioning unit, or even having air conditioning installed in your home for temperature control all year round.

So I should keep my curtains or blinds shut too?

We've probably all experienced waking up in the morning to a sweltering bedroom on a hot summer's day. This is often because of the direction the bedroom window is facing. If the sun has been beaming on your window since it rose at 5.00am, then it's easy to see how it becomes a sauna by the time you wake up!

On hot days, when the sun is beaming into a window it will heat up the room quickly, so it is a very good idea to keep curtains drawn and blinds closed on those extra hot days.

This can mean that through the day you have to move round the house closing the curtains when the sun is on them, but it's worth it!

And now for some pretty windows.