With the heatwave, it’s hot! Like really hot! So you need tips to help cool down your house or at least keep from the heat to build up.
And whats better then a cheap and easy 2 in 1 tip?
We will usually advice you to put curtains outside of your windows. ( curtains, towels, bedsheets, etc whatever can recover your window and protect it from the sun.)
But why?
The goal is to stop the sun from hiting directly on your windows. It will stop them from heating up and in the end heating up your house.
Now what to do if you cant put curtains outside your windows?
You can still put them inside, even if it wont help protecting your from the heat as much as if they were outside.
There are also special stickers made to be put on the windows to reflect away the sunlight. They work well but fall easily on their own. So not that great.
So now, I’m proposing to you an idea simple , cheap and easy to do : le blanc de Meudon, or calcium carbonate with a bit of clay mixed in it.
You may have some in your home already. Or you can find some in hardware or general stores, or on the internet.
How to use the calcium carbonate?
Dilute a bit of calcium carbonate in some water. Not too much taugh, just enough so it looks like white watercolor. Then you take a sponge, your rag or your brush and you spread an even layer of the “paint” on the outside of your window. And if you want you can put a layer on the inside of the window too.
Warning, the “paint” will partially stop the light, so more layers will stop the light more. But don’t worry too much, there will still be some light passing trough.
It will look like a bit like frost on windows, white but still transparent enough to let light pass trough.
Why the calcium carbonate is a tips 2 in 1?
Because ” le blanc de Meudon” or the clayey calcium carbonate is also used to clean the house and the windows! So once the heatwave will be done, you will just have to wipe off the “blanc de meudon” from your windows and you’ll have pretty and clean windows!
Le blanc de Meudon, what is it?
Its a mix of calcium carbonate and clay. Some people say the texture looks like chalk.
How to store your Blanc de Meudon ?
It needs to be stored in a cool, dry and safe from the sun place. They advice to keep de calcium carbonate in a airtight container to avoid any contamination.
If you receive or buy it in a paper bag or a cardboard box, I advice to transfer it into a real container. Or you can put the paper bag/ cardboard box directly into a better box if its easier for you. You can also put it in a plastique bag like the ones you can put in the freezer, they are sturdy and airtight enough. It will help keep your blanc de Meudon in the best state possible.
There, you have now a fantastic tip to help keep your house cool enough during heatwaves and have clean windows! Isnt this fantastic?
(Another tip, when the blanc the Meudon is out of stock, some use white clay used for cleaning to make a similar effect on the windows!)
If you want other tips for the summer, read now :
Comment garder mon bébé au frais pendant la canicule
Source de la composition du blanc de meudon :
1) wiki 2) Material properties
