Foil blanket hack that reduced woman’s home temperature by 4C – and costs only £2 from Amazon

A woman has shared her handy trick that has reduced her home’s temperature by four degrees during the heatwave.

Jay Virdee came up with the genius idea after noticing a car with a large sunshade in the windscreen so she tried to replicate in her own home. While ‘roasting’ from the heat in her room, Jay tried to think of ways to block the UV rays.

At first, she tried tinfoil but figured it was too expensive due to the fact she would need multiple rolls to cover her windows – it also needed regular replacement because it ripped easily. After doing some research, Jay came across an emergency foil blanked which she discovered worked perfectly.

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Jay, from Buckinghamshire, said: “One blanket goes a very long way – it is very big. They are only necessary for the windows receiving the most sun so there’s no need to sell out any stores or raid emergency supplies!

“It’s best to apply in the morning or evening and do a 360 check outside the house to ensure it’s not reflecting any sun into vehicles or other houses. It should also be applied securely to ensure that children or vulnerable people can’t pull it down and hurt themselves.

“My dog loves ANYTHING crispy-sounding so I’ve made sure it’s out of his reach!” Jay suffers from a lung disease as well as a rare autoimmune condition which forces her to take extra precautions during extreme weather.

She said: “Extreme heat can cause flare-ups of health conditions that can lead to you feeling very fatigued and unwell. Besides feeling cooler, I feel happier as my lungs are nowhere near as affected as they would be in such a heatwave.

“It also stops you from needing to keep the fan on all day – which is great whilst we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis.”

An emergency camping blanket can be picked up for as cheap as £1.90 from Amazon.