Spreading tin foil on any windows that receive direct sunlight can redirect the sun and heat away from your home. While it may introduce a somewhat space-age aesthetic to your household, it's a cheap and temporary fix to the problem of extreme heat.
The kitchen foil on windows trick
If you're desperately attempting to keep cool, then take a roll and spread it on your windows - especially those that get direct sunlight. Windows magnify heat, so by using foil you're reflecting the sun off the window, sending it away from your home.
THE ANSWER. Yes. Emergency management agencies specifically recommend using “aluminum foil-covered cardboard” between windows and drapes to reflect heat back outside.
The trick is to use the right type of window shades to block the heat and to install them as close to the glass as possible to get the maximum benefit. For insulation purposes, cellular or honeycomb shades are the most effective. The honeycomb shape helps to trap air, reducing your solar heat gain.
Aluminum foil has unique properties due to the fact that it is extremely thin and very shiny. It does not effectively conduct heat nor does it absorb heat, instead bouncing heat waves back outward. This is the reason that even when aluminum foil has been in the oven, it cools almost immediately after being taken out.
The reflective surface will reflect heat and the matte side will reflect less heat . If you're baking or defrosting, the matte side will absorb more radiant heat and reflect less infrared heat while the shiny side will reflect more of both, so it makes more sense to bake and defrost with the matte side facing up.
Insulation. Simply put, this is the best way to cool down a house with big windows. While insulation may be only one word, it needs to be applied in multiple places (and in multiple ways) in order to really be effective in making a home like Jeff's more comfortable so he can enjoy those gorgeous Folsom views.
The shiny side should be facing out. Position the piece so that it overhangs the lip of the window by 1 inch (2.5 cm) on all sides. If the window will take 2 or more pieces to fully cover it, consider that too and leave enough room. It also helps if you flatten the foil slightly with your palm.
Aluminum foil on windows is most effective at keeping out heat and light when you place it shiny side out and cover its backside with a layer of something else, like insulation or cardboard.
By spreading some foil on your windows which receive direct sunlight, you can redirect the sun and heat away from the house. Other hacks include keeping our window open but curtains drawn and blocking direct sunlight.
Creating a cross-breeze through your house by opening windows at opposing sides of the house and keeping doors open so the air can move freely will also work wonders in keeping hot air outside when coupled with closed interior window shutters to deflect any direct sunlight.
The fastest way to add cold air to your home is with an A/C unit. If you don't already have central air, then look into window units and portable air conditioners. These compact appliances are more cost-effective and also do a great job chilling the air.
Aerogel is more expensive, but definitely the best type of insulation. Fiberglass is cheap, but requires careful handling. Mineral wool is effective, but not fire resistant. Cellulose is fire resistant, eco-friendly, and effective, but hard to apply.
If you are in a pinch, bubble wrap is an excellent insulator for summer windows. Simply spray a light mist of water on your windows, and lay bubble wrap against them to act as another layer of glass. The bubble wrap will stick as long as you need, and it works to keep the hot out and the cold in.
The foil shields the security tag from the EAS system, thus allowing stolen items to pass through the system without setting off the alarm.
Reynold's Kitchen, an aluminium foil manufacturer since 1947, says: "It's perfectly fine to place your food on either side so you can decide if you prefer to have the shiny or dull side facing out." It's simply a result of the manufacturing process. The performance of the foil is the same, whichever side you use.
Which Side of The Foil Goes Up? The shiny side should be down, facing the food, and the dull side should be up when cooking meals wrapped or covered in aluminum foil since it has a shiny and dull side. This is due to its greater reflectiveness, the shiny side will reflect more heat radiation than the dull side.