Everyone loves summer, but the biggest downside is having to deal with the heat indoors, as you can quickly rack up your energy bills by having the fan on all the time. British homes are designed to retain heat due to our cold winters, which can make houses feel unbearably warm at this time of year. 

However, Anita, an interior design expert from Square Feet Story, has shared that a natural way to cool down your home is to simply add a few houseplants.  She said: “We are all aware of the cooling effect that green plants can have on their surrounding environment, especially as their transpiration releases oxygen into the atmosphere.”

Certain houseplants can change the temperature of your room through a process called transpiration, which is when plants release water vapours into the air though their leaves 

This makes the air around plants more humid and will absorb more heat to help quickly cool them down. 

Houseplants will also greatly improve the air circulation in a room so can act as natural fans so you do not have to worry about electricity costs this summer. 

What houseplants should you have in your home to cool it down

Rubber Plants (also called Ficus Elastica)

Rubber plants are not to be mistaken the plastic houseplants you get for cheap at the supermarket but are actually beautiful plants with big glossy leaves that are historically used to make rubber. 

Anita said: “Generally, the bigger the leaves of your indoor plant, the cooler your room will be. As the rubber plant has very big leaves, it will significantly cool down any room that you put it in.” 

Rubber plants need somewhere bright but out of the way of sunlight which makes them perfect to put in bathrooms, bedrooms and offices. 

If you decide to get one be very careful as overwatering is the number one killer of this pretty houseplant. Only water it when the top soil feels dry rather than keeping it to a regular schedule. 

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is known to be a very smoothing plant with medical properties, but it is also useful environmentally as it will also naturally cool down your home.

Anita said: “It has a high water content, and that means that it is quite perfect for cooling down the indoors of a home or office space. 

“Remember that aloe vera plants need a lot of good sunlight, which means that you need to keep them in direct sunlight and regularly watered in the summer.”

Aloe Veras are fairy easy to care for but you need to keep them near a warm sunny spot in the home and need to remember to deeply water it every few weeks to keep it healthy. 

Chinese Evergreens (also known as Aglaonema)

Chinese Evergreens is a really beautiful plant known for its pale silver to bright pink leaves, and helps make a room more comfortable as it improves the air quality. 

Anita said: “A Chinese Evergreen or Aglaonema is another plant that will help remove harmful toxins from the air indoors, which makes it great for natural air filtration. 

“Furthermore, it also has a very high rate of transpiration, meaning that it is super effective in cooling down indoor temperatures, as well as humidifying your home.”

Chinese Evergreens are very low maintenance so if you are forgetful they can tolerate irregular watering and are fine no matter where you put them as they thrive in low light conditions.