Working from home for at least some of the week is now de rigueur for most Londoners. What’s still a novelty though, is working in sweltering conditions.
While the temperature rising is a seasonal boon that should be, and is, celebrated with ice cream, picnics and leisurely sessions in the beer garden, it’s not the easiest environment to do the 9 to 5 in - especially without the office air-con.
Most of London’s residences are designed to see their inhabitants through cold winters and damp springs and summers, with plenty of insulation to keep things toasty. That’s great for most of the year but when summer comes calling, those beads of sweat start rolling.
Cooling fans suddenly become the most pressing purchase, but if you wait until a heatwave hits, you might have to make do with a paper fan. They’re suddenly the country’s hottest purchase, which means jacked up prices if you’re lucky enough to find your chosen model in stock at all.
The smart at-home worker gets in on the action now, while prices are still on their side.
But which fan to purchase? While bladeless options are great for busy homes, and tower fans are dreamy for heatwave sleeping, when you’re sitting relatively still at a desk all day, a table-top fan with a powerful motor is all you really need to keep cool as a cucumber.
Desk fans are also great for having on while you’re watching telly or localised cooling as you read before bed. They’re also typically less expensive than larger models or those with smart features, which means there’s likely one to suit every budget.
To prove it, we’ve rounded up the best desk fans to keep the sweat at bay while you work from home.
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Duux Globe Table Fan
Keep calm and carry on: Duux’s Globe fan will provide much needed escape from the heat up to seven metres away - making it ideal for a kitchen counter, bedroom table, or a corner of your home office desk.
It might not be the most fashionable fan but when you feel the cool breeze on your face, you’ll love it more than some family members. It’s Quiet Mark-certified too, so won’t make a din when you’re trying to concentrate.
With a two metre long cord, the fan doesn’t have to be plugged in right next to the socket, giving you greater flexibility on where you put it.
Buy now £80.00, Argos
Meaco 260C USB Fan, White
For those 40+ degree days when you‘re desperate for desk-side breezes, Meaco’s 260C USB Fan could be your most treasured appliance in the house.
The cordless fan is perfect for the desk, sitting happily in any corner without adding any extra wires to your set-up. This means you can move it from room to room for fuss-free cooling as long as you have enough charge in the built-in battery.
When it’s low, simply plug in for USB-charging until you’re back to full juice. Oh and not only is it super quiet at less than 20dB, but it weighs barely anything at 490g.
Buy now £34.99, John Lewis
Symple Stuff Blue Retro Table Fan
With a retro design, this table fan not only brings cooling breezes into your space but offers a style injection too. It comes propped up on little non-slip feet to help air projection and there are two speed settings to help you adjust the air to your needs.
Measures 31cm x 27cm x 11cm, and available in two other shades.
Buy now £43.99, Wayfair
SMARTDEVIL Desk Fan
Cute and compact, this USB operated fan weighs in at a dinky 6oz. There are three speed levels - low, medium, high - and boasts 360o tilt rotation. It’s got superb reviews on Amazon, with one reviewer writing: “I decided to try this little gadget to move around with me to keep me cool without freezing everyone else at the same time. It’s brilliant. Not too noisy and very portable.”
Buy now £14.39, Amazon
GEOSMART PRO AirLit Smart Pedestal Fan with Beauty Mirror - White
Answering the age-told question - "can a fan be a multi-hypenate?" - Geosmart knocks versatility from a single appliance out of the park. It’s not just a fan, this device is also a ring light, a smartphone holder and a mirror, making it a summer dressing table must-have.
Set it on your desk, or extend the stand to raise it from the floor. In terms of features, choose from four fan speeds, tilt and oscillate. It’s USB charged with a full battery giving you 15 hours of run time, making it perfect for taking on trips away. Download the app to increase its potential; as well as controlling it from afar, you can set automatic schedules too. And it’s Google and Alexa voice assistant compatible too. All at this bargainous price. Phew!
Buy now £94.99, Currys
Honeywell HT 900E Powerful and Quiet Turbo Fan Black
This is one of the top rated desk fans in its category with more than 4,000 ratings on Amazon. Compact but powerful, it’s 25 per cent more quiet than comparable fans and offers three settings for intense cooling or just to keep the air moving around the room. Powered with a plug socket.
Buy now £24.49, Amazon
Meaco MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator, White
As well as a blissfully low operation, Meaco’s small fan is highly energy-efficient too, meaning less of a pearl-clutching moment when the bills arrive. Highly rated by John Lewis customers, the ultra-quiet fan has been awarded a Quiet Mark and can be placed on a bedside table for targeted cooling relief when you need it.
It’s an excellent choice for the bedroom in particular, with an ECO mode that automatically adjusts the fan speed after reading the room temperature and Sleep mode that will adjust the cooling rate so you won’t wake up shivering in the early hours. The control display can also be turned off to stop light from interrupting you as you nod off.
All this on the back of a super low power consumption of just 10 watts.
Buy now £104.99, John Lewis
Russell Hobbs 12 Inch Scandi Electric Desk Fan
This Scandi-inspired grey and wood desk fan is a fashionable and, of course, practical addition to a bedroom or study. With three speed settings (we found that level one did the job pretty well), 180 degree oscillation and an adjustable tilt, you’re sure to keep cool no matter the temperature of the room.
Buy now £49.99, Amazon
BELDRAY Arctic Dome EH3351B150 Desk Fan - White
Promising Arctic breezes with four ice pack rings that you fill with cold water and bung in the freezer before using, Beldray’s fan is the perfect home office desk worker. The 10W fan may be modest, but thanks to those rings, the wind it’ll blow is anything but. A good way to amplify coolness without overworking a tiny fan.
Buy now £24.99, Currys
