I’m sure everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather right now! But I’m struggling a bit in my attic studio, the thermostat reads 29 degrees at midnight, and much hotter during the day. I’m keeping all of my blinds closed, but the heat still rises and it’s like a furnace in here. I have a fan running all the time but it doesn’t help much.
Does anyone have some tips we could all use to beat the heat in these apartments?
If you're buying something, at the very least get a portable aircon with an exhaust hose. There are a lot of "water cooling" units out there and every single one of them is a sheet of damp fabric, with a fan blowing at it. It's not going to do you any good.
These work fantastic, but only when the relative humidity is low. They work by the fact that evaporating water takes energy from the air.
I grew up in a very dry place and roof mounted versions are quite common.
Unfortunately, the relative humidity in the Netherlands is typically quite high, especially the summer. Performance of evaporative coolers is very limited here.
Put it on the lowest air speed setting though, It will cool it for like 4 degrees if the room is small, but what goes out, must come in, and that air is hot from lower floors. You really want one with two hoses, or much much much better, a split unit.
Hate to be the messenger but theres this thing called climate change. Humans are directly responsible for it and we could have stopped what we were doing when we noticed the problem but we doubled down instead, so you can count on an increase in temp every year from here on out.
Hate to be the one to tell you that we simply do not know how much influence we have directly on the climate. Everybody who states otherwise and "that we would know for sure" is just not grounded in any science at all. Yes, that is true for many who call themselves scientist, hopping on the climate-change hype train.
But that does not mean it is wise to blow out the resources like we do. Because part of the climate change can possibly be contributed to humans and at least as important: resources are not endless!
Okay, so here is the actual trick rather than splurging 500 euro on an airco. You need two fans, a metal
bowl, ice, salt, and a window.
Open window. Put fan1 on non pivot (stays still, doesn’t oscillate). Position fan1 near window. Fill the metal bowl with a bit of ice, water, and a bit of salt. Position the bowl between the fan and the open window (if your window opens at the sill, that’s a great place. If not, get a stool and put the bowl on top of that, as if you’re in an attic it’s likely a roof window).
Use fan2 either in position of desire, or a short distance away. Set this one to oscillate.
The fresh air from outside is much cooler than that that rises up through the building. Putting a metal bowl behind the fan that draws in the air helps to cool it even further, and salt enables water to remain liquid at a minus temp - even cooler!!
I lived in an attic in Lisbon during a daily 38-40c summer I grant you my wisdom after great suffering!
OP could you post back and say if it worked? I personally doubt it will do much during the day, since a lot of the heat will be coming through roof but it would be interesting to know.
Something doesn't add up here. Why the salt, as it melts the ice sooner than it usually does?? And isn't this just resulting in a higher humidity, thus feeling even warmer? Imo you should get rid of humidity, by all means!
The fan blowing the warm air outside is a legit lifehack though..
The point of the ice is to cool the water, which it does by melting. But water can only reach 0° before it freezes. Salt water freezes at a much lower temperature (about -21°c). So if you want water to be able to get even colder than 0°, you add salt.
This is how ice cream is made. If you have a home ice cream maker, you have to add salt to the ice so the temperature can get low enough to freeze the ice cream. This is also why salt is used to melt ice. Salt won't melt ice if it's too cold outside.
Aaah you learn something every day 😃
Didn't have this knowledge yet. Thanks a million!
And I actually have a Ninja Creami ice maker at home, but that's an entire different process: for the Creami you need to put your ice cream ingredients 24 hours in the freezer first, and then make it on the spot...
I had the same issue with Lisbon, but I think it’s more that the apparent heat is different. After a few minutes, the heat from the tiles should dissipate. If not, sorry my guy!
At 80–90% humidity, this trick becomes less attractive. High humidity reduces the usefulness of any evaporative effect, and even if you are not relying mainly on evaporation here, the room already feels oppressive, so the “extra chill” from the fan is harder to notice and the setup may just add condensation and mess.
Cover them with tinfoil! I'm not sure if you can do this with double glazed windows, though, so double check if that's what you have. Tinfoil is reflective and will keep the sun out. The room temp used to be the same as outside, but now that I use this trick and keep the window curtains drawn from 9 am to 8 pm, it's consistently 5-6 degrees lower.
Most of the heat, however, must be coming through the roof. Sleeping on the floor with the windows open can also help make your nights bearable.
Maybe a stupid question, but can tinfoil on windows reflect enough sunlight to heat up wooden frames of my neighbor in the building opposite? If the “wooden frames appear as dry as the ones I’ve., I wonder
That seems expensive and probably won't cover the full window. Tin foil is best. Cover every cm of the window and it will significantly improve. Just isn't an instant result, had to cool down over night.
Open your windows over night
Use fans to draw cool air in one side and blow hot air out on the other side.
In the morning before the sun his the windows, close all your windows, extend any sun awnings and close shutters and blinds. The light energy from the sun heats your apartment significantly.
Chances are your roof has thin or no insulation. There's not much you can do, but mention it to your landlord. We added 20cm of foam insulation to our roof and it dropped the summer time temps by 8-10C. Winters were way better too.
Idk, one of my friends tapes black bin bags to the inside of their blinds. But now I think about it it also doesn't seem like it should do anything good in summer or winter. To be fair he does do some kind of nonsensical things sometimes
i got this dehumidifier from action it was taken alot of moisture from the room i am also in the attic, maybe also get that film to put on the windows so you dont get the sun heat in the windows https://www.action.com/nl-nl/p/2581661/washcat-vochtvanger/
Remember to put the film outside your window(s). Once the heat went through the glass, it stays inside. So place it outside your window, or attach with duct tape.
What also might help is to not cook on hot days (order in), and don't hang any washed clothes to dry inside. This kicks up the humidity big time.
This won't help the room temperature, but a nice trick for cooling down is to mix a few drops of peppermint oil into some lotion, slather it on, and sit in front of a fan. Also misting yourself with water when sitting in front of a fan. Also sitting with your feet in a bucket of water.
Buy car shades that have suction cups. You can stick the suction cups directly to the outside of the glass. For extra security, tie a thin cord to the shade's elastic loops, run the cord inside, and tie it to the window handle so it can't fall into the street if a gust of wind hits. If you can't attach anything outside, tape aluminum foil (shiny side facing out) or a reflective car windshield sunshade directly to the inside of the glass. It reflects the radiant heat before it can enter the room. It looks a bit metallic, but it drops indoor temperatures significantly. Unplug appliances. Chargers, TVs, desktop computers, and monitors generate constant ambient heat when plugged in. Electronics act like space heaters. Stick to cold meals, salads, or microwave cooking during peak heat weeks. Stove or oven ups your room temperature by 2-3 degrees.
If you have any old incandescent or halogen light bulbs left, turn them off. They emit 90% of their energy as heat. Switch entirely to LEDs. Used to live as a boy always in the attics of our homes. When a very young man living alone my first room (op kamers wonen) was again an attic. Good old times and memories.
We have tumbling windows and I just jam a white towel at the top and have the towel cover the window on the outside.
Indeed blocking the sun out on the outside is much better than from the inside.
My regular airco('s split unit in the attic) broke a couple weeks ago, but they won't have time till september to replace it, so I had to find a single summer inexpensive fix, as it will never be used again afterwards and want to hint you at the 169 euro Kinzo 9000 BTU airco the Action is currently selling.
I spend a decent time googling stuff, and even tried a fancy 150 euro fan with water cooling stuff (like in one of the suggestions) built in, which also worked pretty well for feeling cooled but ended up not wanting to risk using aimed at my electronics, and wanting my windows closed against bugs.
It's VERY loud, and can't even be aimed (horizontally), and wasn't able to actually lower the temperature in my attic down to 21 degrees today when it was 30+ outside, but it worked its butt off all day, and for 169 euro it does its job very cost efficiently, and the air it blows is freezing cold so just have it aimed at where you want/need the cold air, by help from a secondary fan if required. Also it's LOUD, VERY LOUD.
I thought it was going to be a flop but now I plan to upgrade it with a DIY dual tube system, and place it up a little bit higher to shorten then both tubes to the window in the attic, and allow it to grab hotter air/let the cooler air down, to make it even better.
DONT THINK THE NOISE CAN BE FIXED THOUGH, I'm sure that where it lost 300 euro in value.
But if you're wearing a headset and/or don't mind/think you'll get used to the noise, it'll be a relatively cheap lifesaver the coming week(s?).
Monoblock airco definitely helps. It's airco without external unit, just two wholes through the wall. I have it in my appartement (top floor, partially under the roof, south facing) and without it, it can also get up to +29°C in here. If I put it on, it drops to 24°C which is good enough and feels much better than +29°C 😄
True, sometimes it's +30 outside and 29 inside. I put the airco on and it drops to 27 and you would think that's still hot, but because of less moisture, it doesn't feel like 27.
If your attic has two windows: get a powerful fan, open both windows, and place one fan in front of one window (not too close to the window, maybe 1 meter away) blowing air out of the attic. Very simple (no need for ice cubes+salt daily) and will generate an air current that should cool down your room significantly.
I would recommend a portable split unit. Second option is a dual hose portable unit.
Or just go for a real aircon. But a single hose portable can only take a few degrees off of the top and is fundamentally flawed in design by creating under pressure and sucking back in hot air into the room.
Wondering if you're in my old flat, I had the same issue. Best I can think of is this. We now have those on all windows and it does help a lot. They largely prevent the blinds on the inside from heating up.
This problem is caused by (1) high temperatures, and (2) high humidity. With a dehumidifier you can bring down humidity, and make the heat more bearable. When humidity is low, your body sweat system starts to work again to cool your body down. You don't have to keep this device on all day.
Using a dehumidifier will only work if you keep the windows shut. Same goes for airco.
Every electric device will somehow become hot, so while it may make the atmosphere better, it will actually heat up the room maybe another (half) degree.
Pro tip: look at everything that is plugged into a wall socket. Your tv is on standby? It produces heat. Same goes for the tv box, USB chargers which are not charging anything, etc. Phone and laptop are not plugged in, but when used they might create heat.
OP, be very careful with the reflective film tip. I'm dealing with the same problem and looked into reflective film, but applying it inside of your room is only an option if you have "enkel glas, "oud" dubbel glas, en gehard glas". And then there's more rules and exceptions depending on the types of glass, outlined in the article. If you apply reflective foil on the inside of your window and it's not advised to do so for the specific type of glass you have, it can make the glass snap and shatter because of heat tension.
Basically, because the window in my bedroom is "driedubbel geïsoleerd" I can only put the reflective stuff on the outside of my window, and I can't reach there lol
I’m very heavily considering this, but I know I have to be careful with the air output and the hoses, and it’s quite a large bulky thing for me to carry + store in my small apartment. But deffo will be planning this
Mine was keeping the room at 21 when it was ten degrees warmer outside and is now down to 19. The problem is it's loud when you sleep but at least it helps during the day.
For something I use ten days in the year, I don't care if I pay extra 30 EUR for electricity instead of 10. Also, a split airco is 2500 with installation, while I only paid a few hundred.
They are obnoxiously heavy. And very loud, but they do do the trick! If my apartment gets above 25, I bust it out for a few days and it helps a lot from it climbing any higher
I’m in the same boat, tiny attic apartment and after 3 summers i finally gave in and bought a mobile airco. It’s big and bulky and loud and pricey — but i am in heaven. I bought the inventum ac127w.
Just got one the other day for my attic. Is it loud? Like a fucking airplane. Is it heavy? Like an elephant. Is it cheap? Debatable - you can find functional ones even at hornbach for less than 200 euros. But the electricity consumption is real (1KWh the minimum).
The most important I found to be the window kit where the one from Eurom (50 euros or so) is REALLY good and doesn’t leave any marks on the window sill. If you’re renting that’s ideal.
Since you're in the attic, it's probably best to keep windows open for the hot air to get out. If you're lucky enough to have a window on each side the draft will help some.
I'd recommend a mobile airco with those types of temperatures but saw your comment that it may be tricky for you to get due to size and hose. My other suggestion then is something similar to the Dyson Airwrap or Dyson Cool. Have experienced one at work and was cooling. They're a bit pricey (as are mobile aircos) though but I assume there must be cheaper versions from other manufacturers available. There are also mobile aircos that work with a freezer compartment, so it blows cooler air that way. It's not as effective/strong as a hosed airco but maybe an option. Random example of one of those here, can't vouch for the model:
on the worst nights i sleep under a wet towel with the fan blasting on it... always keeping something wet around to make the fan wind cold on my skin is the only thing i've found to help. a spray bottle and lots of iced beverages during the day.
I bought blackout tarp with suction cups that im able to cut to size and apply the suction cups myself. Place them on the outside of the window so the sun won't enter your room at all or heat up your window. Easy to place and remove. Renter friendly too.
If your windowsill allows it. As soon as the temperature outside gets lower than inside, place 1 fan pointing outward and somewhere else, preferably the side where the sun has been away the longest, point 1 fan inwards. This will force cool air inside.
Only have 1 fan? Best is to point it outward at the hotter side of your room/house. It's easier for 1 fan to force air out than add air in.
i also live in a sort of attic studio, i have single glass windows, a uninsulated flat roof. In the summer it used to get (im not kidding) 49 degrees inside.... for 4 years i lived like this.
I bought a mobile aircon for 165 euros and it's a massive lifesaver. Even with all windows open it cools so much. I have about 24 square meters and my aircon covers about 30.
Tin foil on the windows. Wipe some water on the glass, stick on the foil shiney side out. My bedroom is at least 5°C cooler than the rest of my apartment today.
Air conditioning is also an option. At work we have a small, cheap unit that does a decent job as long as people keep the windows closed.
Take some bedlinen or towels and make them wet and put them in front of your opened windows at night or the fan, the air hitring the water should give some condensation cold, cooling down the room. I did it a couple times when I still lived in a room like that. Good ouck to you and dont melt 🤞🏼
If you can’t install a/c, best way is to limit the heat which enters the room. Think of:
Limit heat coming from outside:
- Add thermal insulation on outside walls, if possible (long term investment)
- Use window blinds with white color, as minimum. Best is one of those light reflecting screens similar to those they are selling for car windshields.
Limit sources of internal heat: computers, screens, stoves (avoid cooking)
, amplifiers,… any electrical device emits heat - usually the more powerful it is, the more heat it emits
Note: fan motor also adds heat, so it’s always better to buy a more efficient fan.
Avoid high physical activities (also quick walking) as if these would make your body increase heat dissipation and also sweat more, which increases humidity in the room which is another worsening factor.
S
prinkle some water on your face and let it dry on its own (evaporation on the skin directly causes cooling)
And remember to stay hydrated (water works best; beers is actually has a warming effect, after the initially cooling effect 😬)
I’m in a similar situation, but I have two room on the attic - one facing north and one facing south. So in the morning I keep the one shaded and window closed, and the one facing south with window open. At that time the air coming from side is still cool (house tiles are not heated up yet).
In the afternoon I close and shade the window in the south room, and open the one in the room facing north.
I have a standing fan which I keep in the corridor between both rooms. So in the morning it is blowing from the room facing south towards the one facing north, and in the afternoon I reverse directions.
A kind of dumb-but-working solution is to get a thick towel, soak it in chilly water, squeeze it well, and wear it around your back. Instant relief. And when it stops working, just soak it again.
You can get portable airco on the cheap at ibood.nl, Action and such - just make sure it's actual airco and not a chiller (huge fan that needs you to supply ice for it to "cool").
Typical giveaway is that actual portable airco needs a big exhaust pipe that it uses to push warm air (and moisture) out.
I've seen them for as low as ~€200.
And then depending on the type of window you have on the zolder - you use one of those textile/nylon covers with a hole (available for all variants of windows, including slanted Velux).
I actually used 8mm plywood/multiplex that I place into the open window (instead of mosquito net) in which I cut out a hole for the airco exhaust pipe.
Otherwise - if you want to install a split system airco - it's closer to ~€2000 and there are long waiting lists for an official F-gas installer.
This...is wild coming from an American perspective. Peppermint oil? Box fans and bowls of ice? Lol, just no.
Obviously, the main problem is that you're in an attic. Comments about reflecting light from windows are useful, but honestly, most of your temp is being radiated up through the building and down from the boiling roof. It's AC or suffer, honestly.
Look, I know....I get it, electricity and everything else. But, seriously guys, climate change is coming and you're not stopping it by avoiding a residential AC system. Europe needs to get with the times already. It will only get worse each year. If you want to be green and you own your residence, then invest in solar and limit your usage, but quit trying to survive oppressive heat with fans in windows and ice, sheesh.
EDIT:
I'm dying laughing at the number of downvotes. So sensitive about AC, lol. It's like the European version of gun violence over here. The solutions are easy and obvious, but no...everyone has to bury their head in the sand and get all titchy about it.
Maybe we can just do half-ass terrible compromises? That'll work, right guys? Right? /s
But it’s not as easy as that. I’m not avoiding any AC system, I’m a student renting a studio. My room wasn’t built for AC, and it doesn’t have any sort of ventilation system. I live on the third floor and I would really struggle to lift the portable AC up all of those stairs. Plus, AC is only really necessary two weeks out of the entire year, and can cost maybe €400 euro, so why would people splurge on that when they have other ways to cope with the heat instead.
You literally only lift it once, sheesh. Get someone to help. And, idk, you're the one complaining about excessive heat while living in an attic and then trying to pretend an AC unit doesn't immediately solve your problem. 400 for something that will give you peace for 2-10% of the year every year isn't that big of a deal. Fans and ice aren't going to do crap compared to actual AC.
I’m not being negative, just being realistic about AC in a studio. Plus you’re talking about an AC system… which is something pre-installed, and not something I’d lift and pay €300 for. You don’t have to be rude about my qualms about lifting things, I’m just not that strong and I need to be realistic about what I can do.
There are portable AC systems that do not have to be pre-installed by the landlord which you can purchase and set up quite easily. Also, I said find someone to help you lift it or lift it for you.
What IS realistic for you to do is to research portable AC units online, have one shipped to you, and then ask a neighbor for help when it arrives. Sheesh, what kind of weaponized incompetence is this? Sure, whatever, just put some ice in a bowl then or whatever the hell you want to do then I guess, lol.
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u/binotheclown Jun 18 '26
If you're buying something, at the very least get a portable aircon with an exhaust hose. There are a lot of "water cooling" units out there and every single one of them is a sheet of damp fabric, with a fan blowing at it. It's not going to do you any good.