3 ways to keep your house cool during a heatwave

There are multiple ways to keep your house cool on hot days. But have you thought about how the fabric and colour of your sofa covers and curtains can impact how cool your room stays during a heatwave?

Your sofa covers can contribute to a cooler room, together with curtains too. Here’s what to choose when outfitting your living room for a heatwave.

Outfitting your living room to keep it cool

As we know, prevention is better than cure and so it is better to outfit your living room so you can relax in a cooler environment should the heat ever arrive.

1. Choose cotton fabrics

For warm weather, cotton is the best choice of fabric for your sofa or armchair covers. Cotton sofa covers are breathable, allowing the heat from your body to flow through the fabric and dissipate. Cotton also absorbs any moisture. This will make your living room feel less humid in the warm weather.

Any moisture that you sweat will also be absorbed by the cotton sofa covers so you feel cooler quicker. Though this may not sound ideal, all our cotton sofa covers are machine washable. We recommend you remove your covers and wash them once a week or each fortnight during a heatwave to keep them fresh and in good condition. Also, be sure to check and follow the washing instructions on the label before washing.

2. Choose cotton and energy reflective curtains

Curtains keep your room cool due to the ‘greenhouse effect’. By keeping them drawn, they act as an insulator and keep the cool air in the room and prevent it from escaping. The same can be said for warm air too. If you find your room is warmer than outside, then draw back your curtains and open the windows.

The use of curtains in a heatwave is especially true with energy reflective curtains. Curtains with an energy reflective lining are extra efficient at insulating the room, and help to keep your energy bills low too.

3. Choose pale shades

Lighter and pale shades like our pale blue cotton sofa cover reflect the heat better than darker shades which absorb it. In fact, according to Yahoo! News, it has been confirmed that white is the best fabric colour for warm weather. Our off-white Pearl sofa cover fabric is therefore the perfect option for a fabric that will help keep your house cool in a heatwave.

Another colour that is great for keeping cool are pale shades of yellow, being a bright colour, yellow reflects the heat well. Choosing a yellow cotton sofa cover not only brightens a room and brings a summer atmosphere to accompany the weather, it also allows you not to overheat when the hot weather hits.

What else can I do to keep cool in a heatwave?

There are other things you can do to keep cool in a heatwave which fall outside the remit of cotton curtains and sofa covers.

1. Lightbulbs give off heat too, so turn them off if when you’re not using them
2. Consider moving outside – the shade under a tree may be cooler. Even at night time the house may still retain heat and sitting outside might be more comfortable
3. When it cools down outside or if there is a breeze, open the windows. While it’s warmer outside, keep the windows closed

Order a free cotton fabric sample pack

If you’d like to see how our cotton sofa covers looks and feels first hand, you can order a free sample pack through our website, which we deliver right to your door! We have a variety of shades of cotton sofa covers, from a green-going-on-grey Olive tone to a pinky-red Strawberry shade. And if you’re looking for any in-depth advice or extra information, our in-house furniture specialists are here to help.