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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Alex Evans & Matthew Evans & Charlie Duffield

The 68p item that can keep houses cool - and you can get it from Tesco, Asda and Aldi

Brits will have to get used to the high temperatures we've been experiencing over the past week, as more hot weather is on the way.

In fact forecasters are predicting a 'danger to life' heatwave in the next week across the UK.

The worst case scenarios predict 'exceptionally high temperatures' ranging anywhere from 32C to 43C.

It will be important to stay as safe and cool as possible - and due to the cost of living crisis, people are looking for innovative ways to reduce the temperature in their house on the cheap.

Air-conditioning is a luxury for many, and fans are not always effective.

With the UK's infrastructure largely designed to trap and store heat, it will make the high temperatures even more uncomfortable.

But one way to deal with the heat needs just a 68p roll of tin of kitchen foil, which can be found in major supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrison's, Asda, Sainsbury' and Aldi, North Wales Live reports.

People are looking for innovative ways to reduce the temperature in their house on the cheap (Getty Images)

People desperately trying to keep cool have urged others to roll out kitchen foil and spread it on windows, especially any windows that gets direct sunlight.

Typically, when direct sunlight shines through a window, it magnifies the heat of the sun, and makes a house heat up.

It's this logic which makes greenhouses good places to keep plants warm.

But foil works by reflecting the sun off the window, sending it back outside instead.

Forecasters are predicting a 'danger to life' heatwave in the next week across the UK (Getty Images)

You could also try keeping your window open, but your curtains drawn, to block direct sunlight from penetrating.

However, this will still warm your room up through the curtains, as foil reflects the sun even more.

Foil reflecting heat works in winter as well, after people were advised to hang strips of tin foil behind radiators to help them reflect their heat into the room.

The other advantages of tin foil or 'aluminium foil' are that it's non toxic and it doesn't melt until it hits 660C, so even in this 'danger to life' heatwave, it's going to manage perfectly fine with hundreds of degrees to spare and you don't have to worry about foil melting in the sun.

Other tips to keep a house cool in a heatwave include opening windows and doors, and keeping doors open to allow air to circulate through the house.

Beach goers enjoy the hot weather on July 10, 2022 in Weymouth, England (Getty Images)

You can also place bowls of water through the house in different rooms that will evaporate into the air to help keep the air temperature cool.

House plants also keep a home cooler, by acting as natural air conditioners, regulating the temperature of a room by generating moisture in to the air in a process called transpiration.

You can also turn off appliances that aren't being used. Every appliance, such as an oven, toaster, laptop or a PlayStation, could generate small amounts of heat on standby that all contribute to the general heat level of a house.

The same goes when charging items like your phone, the small amount of heat generated could help warm a room slightly so it's best to charge at night.

Energy saving LED lightbulbs also will help cool your house. Regular lightbulbs such as Halogen produce an enormous amount of heat as they light a room and several Halogen lights or spotlights can warm a room up quickly at night.

Try swapping to energy saving LEDs and keep lights off as much as possible - which will also save you money.

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