Keeping cool: four fans and a helpful suggestion

With the advent of a burning summer of heat, christened the BBQ summer by all serious media organisations in the UK, we’d hate to think of you getting hot, when some judiciously-applied gadgetry would help keep you cool.

These aren’t the sort of gadgets that will make the hot, slightly sticky man pressed into you in the tube/bus/confined space move away from you – those are different – but these should keep you looking calm and dignified in the face of the burning sun.

And yes, it may be mellow and cloudy right now, but you never know when a 26 degree scorcher is going to come along. Let’s be prepared. One or a combination of these portable cooling-devices may be of use.

1. Handheld Fans – play the laydee and use an old-fashioned hand fan. Full points for classy retro chic, and you know, it doesn’t need batteries. Pick up a cute customised one from Etsy like this faux-Victorian statement fan.

2. Handheld electric fans: a no-frills travel-friendly and wallet-friendly fan, the Whirlwind from Design Go costs only £3.99 and kicks up a monster breeze from its pocket sized frame.

3. Handheld electric fan WITH a little refreshing spray included. Cunningly, someone created a means for you to squirt water on yourself and receive a blast of moving air at the same time. This sounds fun, though is perhaps more of an outdoors thing.

4. USB Laptop/Desktop Fan with Blue LED Light – for the sheer geek value. Like you, this works on its host computer, but perhaps unlike you, it’s got an LED light. Only as portable as your laptop, of course.

5. As a final resort, Wiki-how suggests a tying ice-cubes wrapped in towels to your wrists. Apparently this works because as your wrists cool down so does your body. But, I doubt that there are many social occasions on which this would be appropriate. Perhaps best to invest in a fan.

Related stories: Stay cool but be uncool with the solar hat fan & Transformers hand fans