Winter is rightfully many people’s season of choice. It’s a chance to be lazy at home, wear that nice coat you bought recently, or drink a lot of hot cocoa cups with marshmallows! Depending on where you live, you could have snow and that can be very fun too with numerous activities.
Whether it’s snowball fighting, building a snowman with your family or friends, and maybe some ice skating. However, winter can be very cold and for some areas, it could be freezing when you’re at home. If you’re wondering about some of the ways to prevent your home from being too cold in the winter, then read on to learn more about how to keep your home warm when it’s freezing outside.
Locate and Seal Your Drafts
One of the ways to keep your home warm is by locating and sealing any drafts you might have in your home. The annoying part about this is finding them because it can be very difficult to pinpoint which part of your windows and doors are letting in the draft. Also, some homes might have electrical outlets that could let in some air when it’s windy and cold outside. One of the best and effective ways to spot the areas with drafts is by using a candle.
Just light any candle you have and place it all around your closed windows, doors, and electrical outlets. If your candle flickers a lot when it’s near a specific area, then this is the spot that has a draft coming in. You should invest in some weatherstripping tape to seal it all up and prevent it from making your home cold. The best part about sealing them with weatherstripping tape or adhesive foams is that it can lower your utility bills too. This is a nice bonus along with staying warm all winter.
Some doors can’t be taped with weatherstripping seals, especially the part on the bottom. There is a nice DIY draft stopping method that you can use to prevent any drafts from seeping through those bottom gaps. You just need 2 long wrapping paper tubes and an old pair of pantyhose or tights.
Cut the leg of the pantyhose or tights and feed the tubes into them. Bend each tube perfectly to cover the inner and outer gap of your door. You can even use a pair that has the same color as your door for decorative purposes. Overall, it’s a neat trick to use, that can prevent any draft and you will not feel cold indoors at all.
Think About Rugs or Carpets
You should think about rugs or carpets if your home is getting very chilly. Some floors might be the cause of your home’s heat loss. This is especially the case for wooden floors that weren’t insulated properly. There might be cracks that let the hot air escape and possibly cold air would seep through instead. This is the perfect opportunity to consider buying a bunch of rugs or small carpets. Shop around and see if you could find some that match your home’s interior design. They’re worth the expense because they’re effective in trapping the heat.
Also, you might consider having wall-to-wall carpeting instead. It might be a little expensive compared to a rug, but it can be a nice decision to make if you’re frustrated with the cold in the comfort of your own home. You could find amazing fabrics and material that could feel nice and cozy to walk on and some wall-to-wall carpeting can even make your rooms look a lot better. Adding these layers on your floors can significantly keep the heat percentages high at home and you won’t have to worry about freezing!
Circulate the Air with Your Fireplace
It would be nice to install a fireplace at home and if your home already has one, then you need to figure out a way to circulate the hot air properly to keep the place warm for a longer time. It can get extremely cold in the UK during the winter and you need to think about what kind of wood you need for your fireplace.
Some homeowners in the UK prefer using oak and maple for a fireplace, but you can buy kiln dried logs from BuyFirewoodDirect.co.uk and it would work just as fine for keeping your home nice and warm. Just remember not to use pine or cypress wood because they’re in the softwood category and it can cause a lot of smoke and your chimney would be coated with soot very quickly.
You should install a glass front for your fireplace to keep the hot air inside longer and not escape through the chimney too fast. Also, if you have fans or ceiling fans, then you will need to set it in the winter settings where they spin/rotate clockwise. This will cause the effect of pushing the warm air down to the floor and pulling the cold air up.
This technique can surely make your home a lot warmer and it’s a convenient combination with your fireplace. Just remember to keep the fan at the lowest speed because you don’t want to have too much air blowing in your way.
Keep All Your Doors Closed
You should remember to keep all the doors closed in your home, especially at night. Some homeowners like to keep them open to keep the rooms smelling fresh, but that can have a negative effect if you want to stay warm.
We recommend that you use some incense or scented candles to get rid of the stale and stuffy smells and just keep every door closed. Each room would be similar to a comfortable sauna and you won’t feel any of the outside chilliness indoors. It will keep every room toasty warm and cozy whenever you enter it. Just make sure that you don’t have any gaps that could let the warm air escape.
This technique works perfectly if you close any vents too. Vents are great for regulating the air and keeping fresh, but there is nothing wrong with closing them for a short while to keep your rooms nice and warm. Eventually, the room would be so warm that you might not need heat in it for a while. This is very convenient if you want to save some money on your heating bills. However, this technique is temporary because some areas might be too cold in the room to stay warm this long without proper heating.
Start Cooking and Boiling
You’d be surprised how cooking could keep your home a little warmer, especially the rooms near the kitchen. It’s time to check different recipes online and start having fun cooking some of the most delicious meals. But not just any meals, we’re talking slow-cooked to perfection meals. It could be through the oven, boiling, broiling, roasting, and especially baking.
Time to start experimenting with your cooking skills and prepare a nice roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, baked croissants, and multiple chocolate fudge brownies to go with your hot cocoa! Ever wonder why you don’t use your oven quite often during the summer? Because it makes most rooms too hot!
If cooking isn’t your strong suit, then you could use this simple yet effective trick to make your rooms a little warmer thanks to your kitchen. You can start boiling some hot water in a pot and leaving it for a while. The hot air will spread and it will keep most rooms near your kitchen cozy and warm. You could add some scented oils or special aromatic to make your home smell great in the process too. This is a nice DIY trick that can serve as a humidifier too because it can get significantly dry indoors during the winter.
Get a Humidifier
Speaking of a humidifier, you can invest in a real one if the DYI method isn’t strong enough for you. It would be smart to start doing some research, shopping around, and checking different brands that have specific features that can be worth the cost. Humidifiers are excellent machines that can help regulate the air when it’s too dry because it spreads a little moisture in the room.
That moisture can improve your indoor air quality and it can keep you warm too. You need to understand that when there is more moisture in your home, it will be a lot warmer and nice because some areas have dry winter weather that is too chilly to handle.
Another nice perk about owning a humidifier unit is that it makes the rooms easy to breathe in. You don’t want your rooms to be too hot that it’s difficult to catch your breath. These amazing units have the capabilities of giving you the right amount of moisture, clean air, and warmth to keep you comfortable at home. It would be nice if you find a model that is noiseless to make your stay at home relaxing too. Nothing is more annoying than a noisy machine while you’re trying to take a nap on a nice cold Sunday.
Use Paint Insulate
This might be a little time-consuming, but it would be highly effective if you used some paint insulate on every wall and ceiling in your home. Time to get some brushes and start repainting your home with a special kind of paint that has insulating additives that serve as a thermal barrier.
This thermal barrier is extremely potent and can keep all the warm air inside your home. It might be a little bit expensive compared to normal paint, but it’s worth it because it’s designed to minimize a huge percentage of heat loss inside your home and it will keep you comfortable.
You won’t have to worry about not trapping any hot air inside because it will not escape through your walls and ceiling so easily. It’s extremely cost-effective too because it will reduce your heating bills over time.
Also, you won’t have any condensation problems thanks to the wonderful design of keeping the hot air and cold wall surface apart from each other. This means that there won’t be any small water droplets that can be quite a nuisance later and it will minimize any possibility of mold formation too. Not only will you be warm, but you will also be safe.
Invest In Some Space Heaters
Sometimes having a few space heaters can be a lot more effective than increasing the entire heating system of your home. Most people’s tolerance for heat and cold are different from others, so this makes the space heater a wonderful addition to your home that can keep your rooms warm and cozy while you’re trying to relax at home.
Space heaters come in many different shapes and sizes, but it’s important to go for the smaller models or specific models that have silent features to increase the comfort levels indoors. We want our homes to be warm and peaceful.
You need to be extra careful with your space heaters because some models might be a fire hazard if left unattended. However, most of the newer models have excellent designs that completely prevents any risk.
You need to make sure that it has a built-in system that has a timer to shut down the machine after a specific time. Also, it must have a special casing that is cool to the touch. This will be extremely appealing and convenient if you have any children or pets at home. It will be safe and warm if you just find the right space heater model for your needs.
Keeping your home warm in the winter can be a little tricky, but with a little research, time, and effort, you can transform your home and make it a warm haven during those chilly winter seasons. Some of the methods can be a little bit pricey, but you just need to make sure that you shop around and find the right deals. Winter is great and some people might say that it’s a lot better than sweating all over the place during summer, but it’s still important to keep yourself warm, safe, and comfortable at home.