I bought the viral fan that fakes the cooling effect of an air conditioner — it's the only thing saving me in this heat

Although I love the sun, I don’t particularly enjoy the heat. That’s why I’ve spent the summer trying out all manner of fans - from bladeless to bladed, corded to cordless, and even the misting variety. But if you’re new to the misting side of things, you might wonder: Is a misting fan worth it?

Of course, it’s no secret that the best fans are a must-have during the summer months, but the reality is that most fans are never going to compete with the best portable air conditioners. However, as portable ACs are both expensive and like gold dust right now (seriously, most of them are completely out of stock), I wanted to see if there was a fan that could cool like an air conditioner... without actually being an air conditioner.

Enter: the misting fan. Since buying one a few weeks ago, my house and garden have been cooler than ever, and I’ve never known anything to fake the cooling effect of an air conditioner quite like it. So, this is why I think a misting fan is worth every penny.

Are misting fans worth it?

I recently wrote about why I hate my south-facing garden, and how I was considering buying the viral Shark misting fan to help cool things down out there. But as I already have a couple of fans in the house, I talked myself out of spending extra money I shouldn’t really be spending right now.

But as temperatures didn’t cool down in the weeks following, I finally bit the bullet and bought myself an indoor-outdoor misting fan that combines the cooling power of a fan with water - and I’m so glad I did, as it’s one of the best fans that cools like an air conditioner. And during a recent heatwave BBQ, my guests couldn’t get enough of it. So, in my eyes, misting fans are so worth it.

After all, by now we all know that regular fans don’t actually cool a room. Instead, they simply circulate the air, evaporating your sweat and ultimately offering a cooling effect that simply makes you feel colder.

On the other hand, Katie Lilywhite, AO’s air treatment expert, explains, ‘Misting fans work by combining airflow with a very fine spray of water droplets. When that mist meets warm air, the water quickly evaporates. It’s this evaporation process that cools the surrounding air, known as ‘evaporative cooling.’

She adds, ‘The science is simple: evaporation requires energy, and water molecules take that energy from the warm air around them. As the water droplets turn into vapour, they absorb heat and lower the air temperature around you.’

‘Because misting fans actively cool the air rather than just moving it, they feel more effective than a standard fan in hot, dry conditions. They can also help keep your skin feeling cooler because the fine mist evaporates directly from your body’s surface, speeding up your natural cooling process,’ she finishes.

And although portable ACs have generally always won in the fan vs air conditioner debate, as an air conditioner does actively cool down your space using a refrigerant and compressor, misting fans are ultimately much cheaper. Generally, you should expect to pay anywhere between £300 and £1,000 for a high-quality portable air con unit. If it doesn’t come with a window kit included, you then need to factor in that extra cost, too.

A good quality misting fan will still set you back around £250 max, however. And you can even buy smaller, handheld models for less than £20, so you can stay cool on the go.

Plus, the beauty of many (but not all!) modern misting fans is that you can use them both indoors and outdoors, and Shark specifically has designed their misting fans with Evaporative Cooling Technology, which means it produces ultra-fine droplets that won’t make your house wet.

However, if you don’t want to shell out for a new misting fan and you already have a perfectly acceptable fan at home, there is a hack to turn your regular fan into a misting fan. As if that wasn’t enough, it’ll only cost you £5.

Alternatively, you could opt for an evaporative air cooler, which uses the same power of evaporative cooling to circulate cool, moist air with the help of ice packs. Although many of them haven’t been restocked in the past few weeks, you can still buy this PELONIS 5L Evaporative Air Cooler with Remote for £109.99 at Amazon - and the reviews are pretty impressive, too.

The best misting fans

So, will you be snapping up a misting fan? Let me know!