Credit: Julia Koni / Getty ImagesWhen your car sits in the middle of a mall parking lot in July, you know what awaits. Your legs are guaranteed to singe on that seat when you climb in. While you're dancing around trying to save your skin, you're sweating bullets with no towel around to mop up the mess. Often, it's not just your comfort at stake. If you are driving young children, pets, or a family member with a serious health condition, you want to cool off the car as fast as you can.The interior of a car can reach 140 degrees or higher in the sun on a hot day. We researched the tried-and-true ways to bring it down within minutes. Use these tips to cool a hot car down quickly so you can drive safely all summer.Fan The CarThe air outside your car is much cooler than the interior—possibly even 50 degrees cooler. Before you even get in the car, you can replace most of the hot air inside and cool it much faster than the air conditioner could.AdvertisementAdvertisementStart by rolling down a window on one side of the car. Then open a door on the opposite side. Fan the car by pumping the door back and forth a few times. This will create a vacuum, suctioning excess heat out of the car and drawing fresh air in through the window.Release The Hot AirNow that the worst of the heat has dissipated, get into the driver's seat. Roll down the rest of the windows to release more hot air. Then go ahead and turn on the A/C and start driving. Your car cools faster and more efficiently while the engine is running. The heat will rise and the air conditioning will help push it out of the windows.Don't Recirculate The AirWhen you turn on the air conditioning, make sure the air recirculation button isn't selected. Because the air in your car is so hot, you want the air conditioner to use external air to cool the car. This way your car won't have to work as hard to get the interior to a comfortable temperature.The recirculation button is usually labeled with an icon of a car with a circular arrow inside. Many cars also recirculate air when you use the "max" setting, so go with the next lowest temperature setting.Roll Up The WindowsOnce the car reaches the same temperature as outdoors, go ahead and roll up the windows. You don't want the cool air from the air conditioner to escape. You can turn air recirculation back on once the cabin approaches a comfortable temperature.Read the original article on Southern Living