Millions of Americans are currently facing a Heat wave in the United StatesSo staying cool is important. There are plenty of ways to deal with the scorching heat, and the good news is that many of the tools that can help are on sale for Prime Day. These range from the obvious Prime Day air conditioner and tower fan deals, but you can also find discounted cooling sheets and even a mattress pad that can help transfer your body heat throughout the night for better sleep if you are in fact sleeping and not obsessively following our Prime Day live blog.
We test products throughout the year and carefully select these offerings. We will update this guide periodically throughout the sale event.
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Cooling offers
In 2020, I reviewed Midea’s innovative U-shaped air conditioner (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and it remains one of my favorites, even though I now have central air. The clue is in the name: There’s a U-shaped gap separating the compressor from the front of the AC unit. (This spawned a lot of knockoffs, and nearly every major AC manufacturer now has a U-shaped unit on its roster.) The benefit is that it allows you to close your window with much less space than most traditional window air conditioners, allowing for better soundproofing and energy savings. Midea also includes plenty of padding to cover the remaining gaps. It’s fairly quiet, cools a room quickly, and even supports Wi-Fi connectivity so you can connect it to assistants like Alexa or the Google Assistant and turn on the AC remotely before you get home.
This is a small discount, but there is a better deal on the 12,000 BTU model, which you can Hook for $402 ($57 off)but you must click on the coupon on the page to see the full discount at checkout. If you have a larger space that needs air conditioning, this model will be more effective for a little more. You can learn more about what BTU means and what to look for when buying an air conditioner in my guide to the best window air conditioners.
Use code WINDMILL DAY At checkout, you can get 15% off your order. If you don’t need the mechanical hum of an air conditioner to help you sleep, then you probably want a very quiet machine. Windmill’s air conditioners are super easy to install and come with WhisperTech, making them some of the quietest window air conditioners we’ve tested. It also has a spot for an activated carbon filter to clean the air that’s filtered. There’s voice assistant support to control it remotely and scheduling options through the app. Uniquely, you can sign up for the company’s Eco Rewards program, and this gives Windmill control over your unit to adjust settings to ease strain on the power grid during heat waves. (You’ll be notified when settings are about to change.) What do you get in return? An annual pack of activated carbon filters, a $20 Windmill gift card, or $10 cash.
If you’re on a tight budget, check out this model from GE, though the discount isn’t anything to write home about. It’s easy to install, but it has a lower BTU rating compared to the two models above, so it’s best for smaller spaces up to 250 square feet. It’s louder, reaching around 65 decibels, and will take longer to cool the room. It’s also worth noting that since this unit has a lower CEER rating than the models above, you may end up spending more on your electric bill in the long run, so it might be worth shelling out a little more up front for a more efficient air conditioner.
Sure, there are cheaper, similar-looking table fans on the market, but Vornado’s are popular for a reason. Of the company’s product line, it’s hard to beat the 660 air circulator and its Alexa-enabled smart sibling, the 660AE. The slightly larger, more powerful version of Vornado’s popular table fan is the better choice. 630 (owned and liked by WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu), the 660 draws a respectable 1,638 CFM (cubic feet of air per minute) from a compact, 15-inch-tall plastic body. The 660 may not be the most stylish fan on the market, nor does it have many (if any) extra features, but given the Patented vortex action And with a generous five-year warranty, it’s certainly a solid bargain buy, especially if you’re already fed up with cheaper fans. In my house there’s a 660AE at the foot of the stairs to pump the air conditioning up to the second floor, a feat few fans have managed so effectively.Kat Merck
Like its competitor, the Dyson Cool Gen1 Featured in our guide to the best air purifiers, the Dreo air-purifying tower fan offers 99.97 percent HEPA filtration and an air quality sensor. It can also be controlled via a remote, the Dreo app, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. It’s the fan I use in my 11-year-old son’s bedroom because of its unusually low noise level (25 decibels) when just the fan is on. The 12-month warranty isn’t as great, but for $200 less than the Dyson, it’s worth a look.Kat Merck
If you already have mechanical ways to cool your home but still tend to get hot when you sleep, try switching up your bedding. These percale sheets featured in our guide to the best cooling sheets have excellent breathability, allowing body heat to escape from the sheets to help reduce body temperature. They’re light and cool, and WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell says they’re not scratchy. She said she had one of her coolest nights of sleep on these sheets.
Did you know that some mattresses have cooling properties, too? We have a full guide to the best cooling mattresses, and our softest pick is on sale at Amazon and Nectar’s website. The Nectar Sleep Premier Copper is 14 inches thick and has a top layer of gel memory foam that’s plenty soft. If you prefer a medium-firm feel, I’d skip this bed, but if you like to sink into your bed, then you’ll like it. Copper fibers infused into the mattress and “phase-change material infused with ActiveCool HD” help absorb body heat, giving you that sweet cooling sensation.
