You've been using your fan all wrong — this surprising hack helps you cool down a room faster

A black tabletop fan on a marble kitchen counter
DUUX Whisper Flex 2, £179.99 at duux.co.uk (Image credit: DUUX)

Let’s face it, we Brits aren’t exactly made for 30°C + temperatures. So, when the country is gripped by a heatwave, we instinctively reach for a fan to try and keep our homes cool. But it turns out we may have been using them all wrong and TikTok has something to say about it.

Rather than pointing the fan directly at yourself and hoping for the best, users on the platform are flipping the script – quite literally – by positioning their fans to face out of their bedroom windows instead.

Headshot of Nicholas Auckland from Trade Radiators
Nicholas Auckland

Nicholas Auckland is a heating and energy expert with almost 20 years of experience in the industry, as well as the Managing Director of Trade Radiators.

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Katie Lilywhite

Katie is one of the many experts at AO.com, covering a multitude of appliances including air quality products, health and beauty and homes and gardens.

Gabriella Dyson
Interiors journalist and contributing editor

Gabriella is an interiors journalist and has a wealth of experience creating interiors and renovation content. She was Homebuilding & Renovating's former Assistant Editor as well as the former Head of Solved at sister brand Homes & Gardens, where she wrote and edited content addressing key renovation, DIY and interior questions. 

She’s spent the past decade crafting copy for interiors publications, award-winning architects, and leading UK homeware brands. She also served as the Content Manager for the ethical homeware brand Nkuku.

Gabriella is a DIY enthusiast and a lover of all things interior design. She has a particular passion for historic buildings and listed properties, and she is currently in the process of renovating a Grade II-listed Victorian coach house in the West Country.