It’s hot! We are officially in the dog days of summer, and we are all looking for heatwave relief as we make it through these summer months. Check out these 10 clever ways to beat the heat and adapt to the scorching temperatures like a pro.

1. Homemade air conditioner

I discovered this neat trick traveling in Australia a few years back. The heat was unbearable, and the friends I was staying with had no AC. In the morning, put two 2 liters of water in the freezer. At night, take out the frozen bottles, place them in front of a fan, and enjoy as the fan pushes air past the cool bottles. This creates a cold breeze perfect for getting to sleep! No access to a freezer? Get creative with ice! Load a cooler with ice, cut a hole in the top to fit a USB fan into it (blowing UP and OUTWARD, plug the fan into a power bank (try solar!) and voila! Bring your cooler in the car, in your tent, any enclosed space you’d like to keep temps down!

2. Soak a sheet

This method works great if your windows are situated for cross drafts. Soak a bed sheet in water and wring it out so it does not drip, or throw it in the spin cycle of the washing machine. Hang the damp sheet in front of the window that will receive the breeze. Then, open a window elsewhere in the house for the breeze to flow toward. Outside air will be drawn in and cool as it passes by the sheet, and a comfortable, refreshing breeze will make its way through your house to mosey on out the other window!

3. Freeze your pillow

Don’t be intimidated! You will not be resting your head on an ice block. Even just throwing your pillow in the fridge 20-30 minutes before bed can help cool your head and send you into dreamland fast! This is a fun one to play around with until you find the perfect pillow and fridge time.

4. Rice pack … ice pack!

Ice packs perspire as they thaw and create unwanted moisture. Next time you need a cool compress, or you just want a cool little something to cuddle with when you’re reaching your boiling point. Fill a sock (preferably clean) with rice and tie it off, or find another comfy fabric like silk or cotton and design your own satchel for the grain. Freeze for two hours. Sleep with it, put it on a headache, there are so many applications to this easy rice pack!

5. Quick chill drinks

You forgot to put your water bottle (wine bottle?) on ice! No fear, this quick chill hack is here. Get a few damp paper towels and wrap your bottle completely. Place the wrapped bottle in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and BRRRR, you’ve got a crisp, delicious cold beverage! If it doesn’t quite get the chill you want, just throw it back in, paper towel wrapped for another 5-10 min and test again.

6. Cube creativity

Sure, automated ice makers in refrigerators are great, but for this one you’re going to want your own manual ice trays (remember those?). Summertime is the best time to experiment with ice cubes!! Brew an extra strong pot of coffee and fill your ice tray with the joe to make your iced coffee last and last and last. Fill a tray with your favorite wine (red, white, dry, sweet) and play around with using those potent cubes in your summer cocktails. I promise your next iced coffee or summer spritzer will be 10x better without the water down factor!

7. DRINK WATER

We’re so concerned with cooling ourselves from the outside in, we forget the most effective way to stay cool is from the inside out! The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is 124 oz of water for men. For reference, a standard disposable water bottle holds 16.9 oz, so 8 of those bottles a day would satisfy a man’s water intake. The recommended amount for women is 92 oz, equaling 6 standard water bottles a day for women. Invest in a reusable water bottle and always stay hydrated. If you enjoy monitoring your fitness, they even make water bottles that count your intake for you!

Our ancestors did fine without thermostats and climate control, but our modern lives are so supercooled that we often panic when the summer heat hits. We agree that the most important takeaway from this list is to stay hydrated, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come up with all sorts of innovative ways to chill out! Let us know how you keep from melting away all summer by tagging us  @bugbitething in your photos on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.