As summer temperatures soar, keeping your family calm, cool and collected may become a top priority. Whether you have air conditioning or not, outfitting your house with a few well-placed fans may help to keep you comfortable—and you could even save on your air conditioning bill.[1] To help you choose the best cooling fan for your family’s needs, we’ve selected the top-selling, best-looking and most efficient options to suit every budget. You might just say we’ve made shopping a breeze!
What type of cooling fan are you looking for?
Best Tower Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 10.63 x 10.63 x 28.75 inches | Weight: 5.74 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Tower fans like this Westinghouse model are designed to get airflow going without any unnecessary noise. Plug this slim fan in beside your bed, in the corner of your living room or next to your desk for comfy (yet near-silent!) cooling anywhere you need it.
| Pros | Cons |
| This cooling fan comes with a timer setting of up to 7.5 hours and an automatic-off function, which is perfect for overnight use. | This model won’t work for a white-noise effect, since it’s virtually noiseless. |
| It comes with a remote, so you won’t have to get up from your desk or the couch to adjust it. | You may need to sit relatively close to the fan to get the cooling you need. |
| Three wind modes (normal, natural and sleep) give you lots of cool-air options. |
Great brand. Works well.
I like it, but it doesn’t really move the air well.
Best Desk Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 7.03 x 7.03 x 7.4 inches | Weight: 3.7 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Desk or table fans are designed to be light, portable and versatile. This cooling fan is ideal for use in the bedroom to keep you cool while you sleep. It’ll even lull you off to dreamland with its “pink noise” feature (a relaxing mix of high- and low-frequency sounds). If you’re looking for something for your home office, or even kitchen countertop, a model like this super-affordable TurboForce Air Circulator will also do the trick.
| Pros | Cons |
| The auto-off timer options (which are one, two, four and eight hours) are ideal for bedtime if you don’t want the fan on all night. | It’s large enough to get some air moving but might not be sufficient to keep a big bedroom cool. |
| Quick tap controls make it easy to change the fan settings, even in the dark. | This fan is petite, but it still takes up space, which could be a problem on a crowded desk or bedside table. |
| A USB charging port means you can run it almost anywhere. |
I bought this because I cannot sleep without noise and I love this fan so much. It has three different speeds to choose from and the light has a dimmer feature if you don’t want it bright while you are sleeping.
I wanted to place it in my toddler’s room to drown out the household noise while he is sleeping. It doesn’t really serve that purpose, so I use it in my room instead.
Best Floor Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 22 x 7.5 x 21 inches | Weight: 13.3 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Big floor fans like this one are super-efficient at moving a lot of air around. Use it at the end of a hallway to push air into your bedrooms or set it up in the garage to get a breeze going while you do a home workout, tune up your bicycle or catch up on home repair jobs.
| Pros | Cons |
| The rear-mounted carry handle makes this floor fan easy to move around. | These types of fans are powerful—and loud. Although you can use them in the house, people tend to prefer them in a garage or workshop setting. |
| With large blades and tough metal grills, this fan is designed to take a beating, making it perfect for a workshop or garage. | For safety, you must keep it on the floor instead of on a table or bench. |
| The adjustable tilt-head means you can direct the air to assist with cooling, ventilation or even when drying paint on a DIY project. |
There is nothing better than a high velocity fan. I’ve been buying these for 25 years. Do not let the price scare you off. Worth every penny. I have it tilted to the ceiling at all times and the air quickly circulates.
The fan is loud. Like drown out your television/conversation loud.
Best Handheld Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 3.78 x 2.83 x 10.55 inches | Weight: 0.39 pounds | Fan Speeds: 1
Cool air on the go in the middle of a summer heatwave? Sounds like perfection. This handheld fan combines a fine mist with a powerful breeze to create a refreshing personal cooling system that’s perfect for the beach, the park, camping and anywhere in between.
| Pros | Cons |
| There’s a large easy-to-fill opening for water and ice. | This fan requires two non-rechargeable AA batteries, which are not included. |
| The reservoir is big enough to hold more than 1,000 sprays. | Some reviewers have noted that the battery compartment comes loose. |
| A comfort grip and thumb-activated trigger make it simple to use. |
It moves a lot of air and the mist keeps you cool. Pro tip: Keep it in the fridge for a cooler chill!
I guess it’s OK in a pinch where there is no electricity available, but a full-size fan would be better. Goes through a lot of batteries.
Best Window Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 25.2 x 13.9 x 4.9 inches | Weight: 6 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
A window fan is a classic way to cool down your home during the evening and early morning hours when the temperature drops outside. This unit is sturdy, relatively light and easy to pop in your window anytime to blow in some fresh air. (If you need more cooling power, check out our air conditioner buying guide.)
| Pros | Cons |
| This unit adjusts from 23.5 to 37 inches to fit most windowsills. | Window fans can bring in pollen, dust and bugs, since you’ll have to take the screen off to use it. |
| The remote control makes it easy to change the fan settings from across the room. | If you live on a busy street, you might be bothered by the noise coming in your open window, especially at nighttime. |
| It comes with a surface stability stand so you can also use it as a tabletop fan. |
Easy to put in and they work just as expected. Love that the airflow is reversible to push warmer air out during the day. Great buy!
The noise level was a little higher than expected.
Best Pedestal Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 24 x 24 x 48 inches | Weight: 6.75 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Pedestal fans provide comfortable cooling and continuous airflow at the perfect height whether you’re seated, standing or lying down. This model oscillates too, so it easily moves the maximum amount of air in a medium-to-large room or lengthy hallway. The simple design will blend in with any décor, but if you prefer black, this modern pedestal fan is also a good bet. (Buying an air purifier can also help with the air quality in your home.)
| Pros | Cons |
| This fan is whisper-quiet, so it’s perfect for your home office. | There’s no timer or remote. |
| The adjustable height means you can get the right amount of breeze where you want it. | |
| Since it stands alone on a pedestal, you don’t have to worry about making space on a desk, shelf or side table. |
Very happy with this product. It’s just as shown in its picture—easy and quick to assemble.
Great little fan for the money but due to a cheap motor, if left on for more than three hours, the fan overheats.
Best Wall-Mounted Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 7 x 16 x 22 inches | Weight: 16 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Save floor space and effectively circulate air with a wall-mounted fan. It can work in any room you choose but will do wonders in rooms that get extra hot in the summer like the kitchen, home gym or garage. Mount this high-performance blower above your lower kitchen cabinets, for example, to make summertime cooking considerably more comfortable.
| Pros | Cons |
| This fan can be mounted on the wall or propped up on the floor. | It doesn’t oscillate. |
| It pivots up or down to direct airflow, so you get cooling where you need it most. | No remote control means you’ve got to reach up to change the fan speed or switch it off. |
| It comes with a built-in carry handle for easier maneuvering. |
I use this in my garage/shop. It works very well, is quiet in that environment. Great price on a very good piece of equipment.
I hung it on the wall, went out five minutes later and the fan had sunk down. I had to use a wrench to tighten the bolts so the fan would stay in position, but they were difficult to tighten.
Best Ceiling Fan
Dimensions (Fan Blades): 52 inches | Weight: 14 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Installing a ceiling fan like this traditional bronze-and-walnut model is an easy way to slash your air conditioning bill because it effectively circulates air around a room.[2] Set this reversible three-speed fan to spin counterclockwise to push air down and create a cool breeze. Tip: Run it clockwise during the cold months to help distribute warm air—it’ll save you as much as 15 per cent on your heating bill.[3]
| Pros | Cons |
| The five sizeable fan blades provide ample air circulation. | This fan doesn’t come with a remote, so you’ll have to reach up to the pull chains to turn it on and off. |
| This fan runs noiselessly, so you’ll barely notice it working. | Although it’s been rated as easy to install, this fan still requires careful mounting on the ceiling. |
| The simple, classic styling will complement the design esthetic in almost any home. |
Love this fan. Very nice looking, easy to install and a very reasonable price. I’ve already decided to replace the other fans in the house with this one.
Best Outdoor Fan
Dimensions (L x W x H): 12.3 x 16.25 x 14.85 inches | Weight: 16.1 pounds | Fan Speeds: 3
Hot summers are even better with a light breeze. And with this outdoor misting fan, you can enjoy a refreshing draft as you chill out (or snooze!) in your backyard or at the cottage on even the toastiest days.
| Pros | Cons |
| This heavy-duty cooling fan is built to withstand all types of weather and is UV- and rust-resistant. | Misting fans can leave the ground wet, which can create a slipping hazard on some patio floors. |
| The nine-foot hose attaches to a standard garden hose and the misting kit detaches without tools for easy cleaning. | Some reviewers noted that the power cord was a bit short, considering there’s a manufacturer’s safety warning not to plug it into an extension cord. |
| A 90-degree pivot means you can get that misty breeze moving wherever you need it most. | The fan requires access to a garden hose—there is no water reservoir. |
This device exceeded my expectations. Works great. Great for the price.
It does spray quite a bit of water and things get wet quickly if pointed directly.
Get Everything You Need for Home Cooling
Your Questions, Answered
What cooling fan features should you consider?
Keep in mind these five functions when shopping for a new cooling fan:
- Programmable timer: A timer will allow you to schedule your fan to run for a set amount of time and for it to turn off automatically—like in the middle of the night.
- Oscillation: A fan that rotates left to right will be able to move a lot more air.
- Noise level: Some models are whisper-quiet while others are designed to produce the hum of sleep-inducing white noise. And some fans are just plain loud. It’s important to consider where you’ll be using the fan and the level of noise you can tolerate.
- Power source: Check if the fan runs on batteries, can be plugged into a USB port, requires access to a standard outlet or needs to be hardwired to a light fixture.
- Size: You’ll want something light and compact if you’ll be propping it up on your desk, while bigger is probably better if you’re trying to move air around a large room.
You might also like
Article Sources
- Coastal Air Conditioning. Does Running a Ceiling Fan Save Money on Air Conditioning Bills?
- Coastal Air Conditioning. Does Running a Ceiling Fan Save Money on Air Conditioning Bills?
- Save On Energy. How to Set Your Ceiling Fan Direction for Each Season.
How we choose products: Simply put, we don’t recommend any products we wouldn’t buy ourselves. Our writers leverage a number of sources as a starting point, including reputable third-party reviews, Walmart.ca user reviews, and Walmart Canada’s category specialists. theHUB editorial staff has final say for all products included in this guide.
Any product claims noted are provided by the manufacturer, unless otherwise stated.
Prices shown are subject to change. Please check Walmart.ca for the latest pricing.
This article is intended as general information. Always be sure to read and follow the label(s)/instruction(s) that accompany your product(s). Walmart will not be responsible for any injury or damage caused by this activity.
