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The best fans to cool your home without an air conditioner
Summer’s coming. Summer’s always coming. Even in the depths of the bleakest winter, we’re always on the inexorable march to another summer. And with summer comes heat. Heat and humidity. Sticky, uncomfortable, can’t sleep, can’t breathe heat and humidity. And every summer, you flirt with the idea of finally buying an air conditioner. But you hesitate. You hesitate because air conditioners are terrible for the environment. And they’re terrible for your wallet too. So you do the right and responsible thing: You suffer in the summer heat. But we’re here to tell you that you can have it both ways. You can pass on the A/C but still live in true comfort. Because fan technology has come a long and powerful way. These days, the best fans to cool your home do it so well that you’ll never even miss the air conditioner.
Best desk fan under $30
Vornado Pivot Personal Air Circulator
This compact, modernly designed fan is our recommendation for a desk fan. It is highly affordable and comes in 4 ultra-modern colors (champagne, storm gray etc.). Another unusual but nicely surprising feature this lamp includes is having 3 different speeds. Users noted a distinct difference in each speed and were once again, happy for it’s quiet sound. It’s easily adjustable with its 180 degree pivoting axis. A great added bonus if you’re fan suffers any difficulties; it comes with a 3-year warranty.
Best window fan under $50
Holmes Electronically Reversible Twin Window Fan
Are you supposed to face a window fan into the room so it sucks the cool outside air in? Or are you supposed to face it outside so it blows warm, stale air out? Por que no los dos? Dual fans are ideal because they do both at the same time. For maximum cooling, two fans work simultaneously instead of one. We like this Holmes model because it does so quietly and efficiently.
Another highly regarded feature in this model is the electronic thermostat that you can set to auto shut-down when your room cools to a certain temperature. This is especially great for when you’re sleeping in the middle of the night and you don’t want to waste power with a running fan. It also solves that annoying problem of not being able to fall asleep because it’s too warm, but then waking up shivering because the room got too cold.
This fan includes two adjustable screens so that you can fit it in virtually every window. It will take up a good amount of space in your window, but it also leaves you with the option of leaving your window open if you choose and knowing you’ll be coming back to a cooler room then when you left it.
Best tower fan under $100
This fan, like other tower fans, is slim and tall. This form factor makes it easy to hide in any corner of your room while also providing the right amount of air flow to make the heat more tolerable. It offers different fan speeds, and it’s wonderfully quiet, so it isn’t distracting when you’re going about your day (or night). Another great feature it includes is a self-automated timer that you can program, and it adjusts to the nighttime by dimming its frontal display lights. Lastly, this fan comes with a remote that is useful for when you don’t want to get up and adjust the fan manually. This fan is a great deal for its features and its price.
Best floor fan/best overall fan under $150
Vornado 660 Large Air Circulator
Across the board, this fan has received the most positive reviews in terms of keeping an area cool. Not only does it come in an incredibly compact size which makes it less of a distraction, but it includes four different speeds from very light to almost wind-like air movement. It also features a 90-degree tilt that allows the fan to stream air horizontally or vertically. Vortex’s unique design makes this fan a powerhouse of air circulation. It’ll fill your room and even your whole home with fresh, cool air fast. If you can afford $110 for a fan, this is the one. You won’t even wish for an air conditioner.
Best air purifier
If you’re OK with splurging, we think it’s worth it to explore this combo product. You may balk at spending several hundred dollars on an air purifier, but you get what you pay for. With an impeccably modern design, this bladeless fan has an excellent cooling system. With a strong airflow of 114.7 gallons, this fan can cool a room very fast. Inside the base of the fan is the air filter, which works to capture ultrafine particles in the air, including: pollen, bacteria, and pet dander. It catches them at the extremely high rate of 99.97 percent. It also includes an additional layer in the filter filled containing active charcoal which is great for eliminating odors in the room. For safety, it will automatically shut-off in the case it is accidentally tipped over. Having a fan circulating clear air is great for those who suffer from asthma or just want to breathe in cleaner, fresh air.
