1.Drink Lots of Water

No one likes sitting around being hot and sweaty and gross, and the first step to mitigating that is simple: Keep your body temperature down. And the most effective way to do that is to stuff your body full of cooling foods and fluids—way more effective than applying cold things to your exterior (which we’ll get to later.) We’ve talked about how much water you should really drink, and busted some hydration myths, so feel comfortable drinking as much as you need to keep the heat at bay.

2. Build a Fan Fortress

Fans don’t so much “cool” the air as they keep air moving around, which, as it moves over your skin and helps your sweat evaporate, makes you feel cooler than you would be if the air were still. Now that you know that, set up your fans in windows or hallways so you get an awesome cross breeze, drawing in cooler air from one part of your home (or outside) and pushing the warm air elsewhere. Think of your house or your room as a PC with a hot processor in it that needs airflow, and set up your fans accordingly.

3. Make Smart Use of Your Fridge or Freezer

Your next biggest ally in the fight against heat is probably quietly running in your kitchen: your fridge and freezer. We’re not saying you should open it up and try to keep cool in front of it (that’s actually a terrible idea), but you should put it to good use while it’s running. For example, make a little room inside for a couple of wet washcloths, or maybe a top sheet or fitted sheet. Your body will thank you when it’s time to get into bed at night. Stick with light, breathable linens as well—summer heat is not the time to try and snuggle under a heavy fleece blanket.

4. Use Ceiling Fans – The Right Way

Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to use your ceiling fan?The base of your ceiling has a small switch that changes the direction of the air flow. During the summer months your ceiling fan should blow forward in a counter-clockwise direction, forcing air down and making you feel cooler. During the winter months your ceiling fan should blow in a clockwise direction, circulating the air through the room without blowing directly on you. This doesn’t necessarily cool down a room, but it increases the evaporative cooling from your skin, making you feel cooler.Newer homes are very tight, so ceiling fans can also keep the home airflow going without a major expense.

5.  Close your blinds from late morning until early evening

“Let the Sun Shine In” is a cute song for children, but not helpful for keeping your home cool. Close your blinds from late morning until early evening. This simple act can keep a room 10-15 degrees cooler.You can purchase blackout shades, use window tint film on your windows (easy to install), or good blinds. If covering your windows during the day makes it too dark, you can lower the top of your shades 6″ from the top of the window to let light in but not the heat.If you can’t shade the outside of a window consider insulating blinds. These can keep the heat from penetrating as much into the house.