It’s officially cold outside, and the last thing anyone wants is to walk into a cold house. But sometimes, you don’t really have that option. With drafty doors, windows and poorly-insulated rooms, the cold can be inevitable. So what’s a homeowner to do?
If this is a reality at your house, there are a few simple tricks that will turn your house from frosty to toasty. Try these simple projects below and warm up those rooms in no time! By the way, here is how to warm up just one room.
Close Your Curtains
Looking out at a beautiful snowy landscape is blissful during the day, but there’s no need for it at night. Especially when it’s making your house cold! Windows can be a sneaky culprit in bringing in the outside cold, so close your curtains to save yourself some heat. If they’re thermal insulation curtains, that’s even better. Check out these window cleaning tips from the pros.
Keep Items Away From the Radiator
Not just because it can be a fire hazard, but because those items are blocking the heat from circulating around the house. Your couch may look great near the radiator, but for the winter months, you may want to find that sofa a new home. Free anything blocking the radiator so the heat can run through your house evenly. Be sure to avoid these other common fire hazards.
Draft-Proof Your Doors
Keep the cold air out and the warm air in! All it takes is a little weather stripping along your exterior doors. Using high-quality silicone rubber weather stripping will not only seal gaps, but increases energy efficiency in your home. And it can all be done in a weekend.
Install Radiator Panels
Instead of having the heat from your radiators bounce off your walls and go in random directions, specify an area that you would like the heat to be the most prominent. Installing radiator panels on your ceiling can easily do this.
Want the area around your television to be warmer? Your desk? Radiator panels heat up to 150 degrees F within five minutes of being switched on, making that specific area warm in no time. Also, try out some of these ways to brighten your home in the winter.
Insulate Hot Water Pipes
Insulation sleeves around your water pipes can cut your wait time for reheating the water an exponential amount, and will even prevent the pipes from freezing. Plus, if you fit a cylinder jacket around your water tank, you can also reduce heat loss and save on your gas bill.
Try Soapstone Heaters
These will probably be your handiest tool during the cold winter months. Place the soapstone heater next to a heat source to warm up. It quickly absorbs the heat, and in return will radiate heat for hours afterward. They don’t easily overheat, which makes them great for bed warmers and satellite heating needs. If you have plants, make sure you know how to care for houseplants in the winter.
Designate a Heating Room
This can especially be helpful during emergencies that can happen during the winter months. Designate a well-insulated room as your warming place. Cover vents, windows and doors with blankets to keep drafts out, and bring in other heating sources like your soapstone heater. If you plan on spending the night in this specific room, set up mattresses for sleeping if necessary.
Next, check out these winter recipes that will warm you up from the inside-out.
The post 7 Simple Tricks to Keep Your House Warm All Winter Long appeared first on Taste of Home.
Kiersten Hickman