As the cold slowly starts settling in, it also starts seeping in — I find places in my home that are extra chilly and not quite as cozy as I want them to be. Here are five easy ways to combat the chill as our days continue to grow shorter.
1. Change out the drapes. This isn't really an option for me to do in every room, but my bedroom currently has white, light, flimsy fabric covering my window. I've got some thicker fabric tucked away in my stores — I'll use simple curtain clips to attach it to my current rod. During the day, I can sweep them to the side, but when it's really really cold — and at night — I can pull them across my windows and help add another layer of insulation. Here's some super-cozy royal blue velvet fabric from Holly's Unique Finds on etsy that I could picture clipping up in my bedroom!
2. Stop drafty doors and windows. Does it feel like you've got an air conditioning vent underneath one of your doors or in one of your windows? I discovered a pretty strong current of freezing cold air blasting in from under a door last season and stopping that draft did wonders! Especially if you live in an almost century old house like me… you just have drafts. Check out this discussion on draft stoppers that will get you started: Draft Stoppers: Affordable & DIY Resources on Apartment Therapy.
3. Speaking of windows; do you have storm windows? Close them! I know this is a no-brainer, but some years I forget! I have all my storm windows open for the mild fall season, and then wonder why it's so cold once the temperatures dip in November. Check and double check that all your storm windows are closed tightly. For more window insulation tips, here are 5 Ways to Insulate Your Windows for Winter on Apartment Therapy.
4. Add some rugs to bare floors. Our bedroom floor is bare wood, and there's nothing more shocking than placing your still-toasty-from-bed bare feet on the freezing cold floor. I've got some old shag rugs in storage I'm going to roll out for the winter season, and the first patch of bare floor I'm tackling is the spot where my feet go in the morning! No extra rugs laying around? Here's a DIY Latch Hook Rug tutorial from A Beautiful Mess.
5. Buy some fingerless gloves. Maybe it's just because I work at the computer a lot, but I can't seem to keep my hands warm, even during the middle of the day. I can be wrapped in a quilt, with slippers on, and my hands will still be stiff and slow from the cold. Enter a cold-handed computer lover's best friend — the fingerless glove. Here's a fleece pair from Sandy Harris on etsy for just $6.50! Between these and an endless pot of tea, I'm all set to work in comfort through the winter!
(Image: Carolyn Purnell, Charmaine & Mark's Lovely, Lively Family Home)
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Passive solar. We're lucky enough to have big southeast-facing picture windows. Open those up and we get the living room to 70F even with no heat turned on.
Electric mattress pad - turn on 30 minutes before going to bed.
Put on a sweater for heaven's sake :-)
Drink hot water. I know it sounds simple and silly, but hot liquids are a guaranteed way to warm up. However, I can only drink so much tea and eat so much soup. So, I drink my water hot almost all winter long. My body loves staying hydrated in the dry air and it loves to be warm.
Jillian...
What a great idea! Sometimes the obvious escapes me!
Keep lots of candles burning (while you're home of course) it will smell nice and warm up the room.
Do the dishes --- never fails to warm you up.
@LinaLise I don't see how a quilt makes a bed look dirty, I think that bed looks cosy actually.
I usually just put on a sweater and a pair of slippers or warm socks, keeps me warm.
Knit cap and slippers. I also asked for a down vest for Hannukkah this year. Hope it will keep me toasty at home without feeling too bundled up.
Heating pad or hot water bottle are staples for us!
Get some hot chocolate or your favorite coffee, turn on soundrown.com/Rain. You're set!
Invite your cat and/or dog up for a snuggle. Their body temps are about 102F, & they make great fur-covered hot-water bottles. I sleep sandwiched between 2 large dogs & under a cat, & usually have to turn on the ceiling fan in a 58F room.
Any ideas for how to seal up the tops of doors? The top of my front door has a pretty big gap. Maybe I could get a door snake and hang it at top?
Flannel sheets have made such a difference for us. We spent A LOT on our Coyuchi flannel sheets, but every time we go to bed we are so happy.
Electrical blankets. I have one to warm up my bed before I go to bed and another that I wrap around me when I work.
The best thing we ever did is seal our windows with a Window Insulator Kit. It changed the entire temperature in our home in the freezing Canadian winters all b/c of one drafty window. We do it every year now.
Another thing, and laugh all you want, I wear fleece tights under jeans and pj's and double up my socks with wool and knee socks. I lose a lot of heat in my feet so it helps me stay warm!
the fleece tights are a good idea.
I can't live without an electric blanket. Keep your feet warm and the rest of you will follow.
Slippers go a long way for me. If my feet are toasty warm I'm much more comfortable, even if the room is chilly. And my housework fares well in the winter--when the temperature is 63 or above and I just can't get warm, I start vacuuming or ironing. Never fails.
- Socks INSIDE your slippers
- Make sure all your drapes/blinds are open during the day to get as much sunlight in as possible.
- I have one of those heating pads that you can toss in the microwave and then sling over your shoulder. Makes such a difference, and bonus: relaxed shoulders!
- Bake more / make more crockpot recipes. Delicious, and the house will be warm AND smell good.
- We used to temporarily install drapery rods across the doorways of various rooms in our apartment. Keeps heat in the rooms and OUT of the hallway.
- Jumping jacks. (Just sayin'.)
All of these comments are great-much better than the rather ho hum suggestions in the article, I've got to say. The only idea I take issue with is the humidifer..because higher humidity in the winter will make your home feel COLDER not warm. ( Trust me,...damp cold is bone chilling cold!!)
Anyway, II'm not posting to be critical, just want to say thanks for all the tips. For every year older I get the cold bothers me that much more. (BAD grammar there..sorry!!)
Wear a scarf indoors. I find that this warms me up a lot.
This is a little off-kilter, but train for a marathon. :) I used to be cold all the time, then started running regularly and found that my body temperature was able to regulate itself much better and more consistently and I seldom ever felt cold just sitting at the computer in a slightly chilly room. This year I've had a mild but seemingly endless off-and-on case of mono and haven't been able to exercise at all for months, and I have definitely noticed that now I am freezing all the time again.
Also, take a hot bath.
Snuggling with my wife is #1.
Flannel sheets!
Where did you get that quilt?
All of these are a great reminders.I've bookmarked this site. Drinking the warm water is a favorite.
For Cashba....how about tacking up some heavy material just barley above the door so when it is opened it will not get caught ,but keeps the draft out. There are stripes, soft bristles along the length, to place on the very bottom of the door..maybe just put it at the top too.
We have shutters on our windows, which really cut the wind and insulate at night. Where we live, it occasionally freezes overnight and rarely stays that cold during the day (low 40s in the depths of winter), so we aren't battling terrible extremes. However, the wind is vicious, and those shutters help a lot. Interestingly, people here heat their homes to around 65 in the day time and 55-60 at night. We keep our bedroom radiator off all the time, with the door shut, and sleep better (under a nice fluffy duvet) when it's cool than when it's too hot. When I visited family in the Midwest last winter, I was surprised to find them all in shorts and T shirts in the middle of -10 winters, whereas they watch TV under big comforters in the summer because of the AC.
I myself am a fan of the blanket dress. I just wrap a throw blanket around myself, tuck the corner under my arm and proceed like I don't look like an insane woman.
For anyone wanting to insulate their windows without losing the original historical charm, and not wanting to have to remove storm windows come summer, try IndowWindows:
http://www.indowwindows.com/?gclid=CN23mrea7bMCFWlxQgod1nIAFg
I'm a Canadian who moved to the UK about 15 years ago, and have never been so cold in my life- the houses are simply not made for cold winters, but trust me, with the damp they are terrible!
My recommendations are thermal liners in the curtains, and jersey sheets. Much nicer than flannel if you can find them. I also bought an electric blanket this autumn, after burning myself too many times filling the hot water bottles! It's the best.