KEEPING your home cool during summer isn't always easy, especially if you're unlucky enough to live in a home without air conditioning, as most homes in the UK don't.
But cooling down goes beyond electric fans and bowls of ice, there are some changes you can make to your home that will make more impact.
Sanaz Nouri, the founder and principal designer of Sanaz Design Inc. spoke to Fabulous to share some of her best tricks to keep ensure your home stays cool this summer.
She explained that the steps to prevent your home from overheating are similar to how you'd keep in warm in winter, kind of.
The first easy change anyone can make is to their windows, Sanaz shared: "For any windows getting a lot of sun, I recommend thermal drapes.
"This will minimize the heat during those hours when the sun is shining and If you’re living in an older house, make sure you’ve sealed any gaps that may be letting outside air in."
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The interiors expert explained that because thermal drapes are made from a thick fabric they're able to stop the sun heating up a room.
She added: "It’s not 100 percent effective but is definitely a better alternative to sheer curtains or plastic blinds."
According to the pro the flooring in your home can make a difference as well, there's a reason most homes in hot climates don't have carpets – they're the worst at keep things cool.
Sanaz said: "The ultimate flooring hack for keeping your home cool is a stone, ceramic or porcelain!
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"Carpet will be the least effective in keeping your home cool."
Homeowners, where possible, should reconsider the layout of their home to keep cool too.
Think about the rooms in your home that you spend the most time in and ask yourself if they get a lot of sunlight throughout they day.
If so, consider switching things around, if your dining room doesn't get much light and stays cool but you don't spend a lot of time in there, move a sofa in there so you've got somewhere cool to relax.
"It's all about window placement," the pro revealed, adding that "you will want to be strategically placing windows to reduce the amount of direct sunlight coming in.
"Windows being placed on opposite walls to create cross-ventilation will create a nice breeze in the home."
Not only that but rooms with higher ceilings "will help reduce the amount of hot air pooling in rooms."
When it comes to keeping the bedrooms in your house cool, breathable mattresses and bedding are vital, opt for thin linen sheets or even satin, which is a cheap alterative to silk but will prevent you sweating all the same.
Sanaz added: "If the temperature drops at night, you can open the windows to let the cool breeze in."
Plants are also a great thing to add to your home if you want to avoid overheating, not only do they look posh but according to the pro "they release water into the air creating a cooling effect."
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Your outside space can affect how hot the inside of your house gets too, "a house that sits directly in sunlight all day will be monumentally hotter inside than a house that sits in shade," Sanaz explained.
"Even if your whole house cannot be shaded, strategically placing trees outside of windows to block the sunlight will make a huge difference."
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