The Met Office has reported that a third heatwave will hit much of the UK in July, with temperatures potentially reaching 34C to 35C in southern areas. Although not as intense as June's heatwave, the hot and dry conditions could last several days, leading to sleepless nights. While social media is flooded with budget cooling tips, experts warn that some of these hacks could put your home, health, and insurance at risk.
Window Opening Risks
Many people are tempted to leave windows open overnight to create a breeze, but this poses a major security risk. Go.Compare home insurance expert Tamzin Metcalfe warned: “Leaving a window or door open overnight to help bring a breeze inside might help to keep your rooms cool, but if a burglar enters your property through an open door, any claim you try to make on your insurance will probably be rejected.” This TikTok hack, with hundreds of thousands of views, could result in voided insurance claims.
Overnight Fan Dangers
If windows must stay closed, some turn to fans while sleeping. However, Giuseppe Capanna, Product Safety Engineer at Electrical Safety First, cautioned: “Households are putting themselves at risk if a fault occurs with their device while they are sleeping. We advise turning your fan off before going to sleep. However, we understand many people will be tempted to keep it on and in this instance, we urge households to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their property.”
DIY Portable AC Hack
A popular TikTok hack involves tying wet or frozen towels and ice bags to fans to create a portable air conditioner. Capanna warned: “Both of these could leave you at serious risk of electric shock, as water risks coming into contact with the motor. We advise everyone to ignore these videos that can garner hundreds of thousands of views.” Additionally, hanging items on fans can cause mechanical issues if they get stuck in the blades or make the fan topple, potentially leaving you with a broken fan in the middle of a heatwave.
