This is how you should actually be using a fan in the summer

With summer finally in our midst and recent projections reporting that temperatures will only be rising even more, get ready to hear everyone and their grandmothers complain about the scorching heat. Luckily for us, technology has found ways to keep us cool during the hotter months of the year. From air conditioners, to table, pedestal and ceilings fans, there are a multitude of tools to use to help get through the summer.

Direction of rotation

However, according to fan experts at Delmar Fans, most people have been using fans the wrong way since the invention first emerged. They explain that the direction in which the blades rotate is crucial in its ability to keep you fresh.

The idea is to have them rotate anti clockwise because, as science has proved it, the blades then push cool air to the floor. As a result, cool air then evaporates perspiration and creates a sort of wind chill effect that consequently will make you feel cooler and keep you more refreshed. Through studies carried out by the company, this method can cool your body down by eight degrees.

Something else that most people don't know according to the team of experts is that ceiling fans can also make a room feel hotter. If the blades are rotating in a clockwise direction at a low speed then this can create a gentle updraft that pushes warm air down along the walls and back to the floor which can, in turn, raise the temperature in a room.

Alternatives to keeping cool

If by misfortune you find yourself without a fan this summer and you're thinking of just taking cold showers to avoid melting in the heat, guess again. Dr. Sarah Jarvis says that, as counter intuitive at it may be, taking cold showers to keep cool will actually have the opposite effect. She explains that when our body is subject to intense cold, it'll find ways of regulating our cold temperature (such as goosebumps, and shivering). Instead, she suggests to shower using not-so-cold water:

We don't necessarily want to have a really cold shower. "If you have a cool shower and then allow the water to evaporate off your skin, so you don't open the doors to the shower and just stand there as the water evaporates, that will definitely help cool you down.