10 ways to keep cool in summer

1. Keep it dim – Resist the urge to fling open the curtains to a sunny morning. Come mid-afternoon, your home will feel like a hot box. On seriously warm days, a dark house is a cooler house.

2. Plunge into water – Whether it’s dipping your feet in a cool bath, taking a tepid shower, filling up a spray bottle, wetting your hair or filling a kiddie pool in the garden, water is your friend, so lap it up.

3. Stay hydrated – Those uncomfortable symptoms of hot days, like niggling headaches, can often be side effects of dehydration. To keep adequately hydrated, have a water bottle or large water jug on hand and add some delicious chopped cucumber or citrus fruits for extra refreshment.

4. Ease up on the booze – While a cold beer feels like a godsend in the heat, avoid drinking too much alcohol, as it will quickly dehydrate you in hot conditions.

5. Don’t fan the flames – Keep oven and stove use to a minimum in the searing heat. Opt for meals that don’t require much cooking like sandwiches, salads, smoothies, frozen fruit cubes and yoghurt.

6. Cool your brew – Make a percolator of coffee ahead of time and chill in the fridge for a cooling alternative to your morning café latte. For a delicious treat, pour over a scoop of vanilla ice-cream for an affogato-inspired dessert. Be careful not to go overboard with caffeine on hot days though, as it will have a dehydrating effect.

7. Take the indoors out – Once the heat of the day has passed, embrace summertime by taking your evening routine outside. Read by the setting sun, fire up the BBQ for dinner, spread out a rug and enjoy dinner under the stars – with a mozzie coil on hand!

8. Follow the breeze – When you’re at home, stay aware of the direction of the wind and strategically open windows to catch a breeze.

9. A room at a time – Try not to cool the entire house at once; be more energy efficient by working with the rooms that are being occupied – living rooms in the daytime and bedrooms in the evening.

10. Soak it up – From wetting your pillowcase before bed to having a damp face washer on the back of your neck, there are some enduring old-school ways to bring down the body temperature.