Are you enjoying the spell of what appears to be summer weather? The heatwave is stretching on and, if we are honest, most of us are simply not set up for anything above the typical Irish summer.
Air conditioning, buildings that don’t retain the heat, outdoor pools – all things we love in a holiday environment but most of us don’t have access to at home.
If you are looking for some ways to stay cool, however, technology may be able to help.
Dyson Mini HushJet
€100
Dyson’s latest gadget is a mini version of its HushJet room fan – so mini that you can wear it. It has five settings from mildly mussing your hair to wind tunnel, and you can angle the fan’s air jet for maximum impact.
RM Block
It comes with a lanyard, so you can hang it around your neck and carry it with you. It isn’t exactly subtle but it certainly keeps you cool.
It does get a bit noisy on higher settings, but think of like white noise to soothe you to sleep in the muggy heat of Dublin’s suburbs.
HarveyNorman.ie
Shark ChillPill
€149
What is better than a mini fan? A mini fan that mists water on you. It is particularly useful for times when the temperature soars so high that a simple fan actually makes you hotter rather than cooling you down.
The Shark ChillPill is a three-in-one device: it has the fan, the water mister and a cooling disc that you can apply to whatever part of your body needs it most – wrists, face, back of the neck.
You can also buy other accessories, such as a gym clamp, so you can attach the ChillPill to machines to stay cool while you work out.
HarveyNorman.ie
Logik Frozen Drink Maker
€130
What is a heatwave without a slushie or two? Logik’s frozen drinks maker will come in handy for home-made slushies, milkshakes, cocktails and other cold drinks. It has five preset modes to choose from and you can adjust the thickness of your frozen drinks to suit your personal taste with an adjustable temperature control. You don’t even need to bother making ice to add to the drinks.
It also has a self-cleaning function – vital if you don’t want to spend as much time cleaning it out as you do making the drinks. Drinks can stay frozen for up to eight hours.
Currys.ie
Dimplex DuoCool Smart WiFi Two-in-One & Desk Fan
€140
Dimplex’s smart fan has a few smart features. First, it can work as a pedestal fan or a desktop cooler, whichever configuration suits your needs. It has three modes – normal, natural and sleep mode – operating as quiet as 38dB, so it won’t sound like you are sleeping in a wind tunnel. It also comes with the ability to connect to wifi and its own mobile app, which adds the ability to schedule the fan’s operation or use your smartphone as a remote control.
If that feels like too much tech for tech’s sake, however, it also has a normal remote control, giving you the choice of how and when you want to operate the device.
DID.ie
Boots wearable neck fan
€20
Officially called the Menopause & Me Wearable Neck Fan, this budget-friendly device is actually suitable for everyone, regardless of gender or hormonal status. As the name suggests, you wear it around your neck and it provides a decent air flow to cool your face and neck almost instantly. It has three speeds, can run for up to three hours and is recharged via USB C.
Boots.ie
