Okay granted, unlike most of my fellow Re-Nest bloggers, I live in Los Angeles. Lately, however, we've had quite the spell of cold and rainy weather, and the same thick plaster walls that keep my home cool in the summer now make it distinctly chilly with even the slightest drop in temperature. How to stay warm at home without resorting to blasting the heat? Here are some thoughts...
- Fool the eye: Sometimes warmth is a matter of perception. Warm colors and textures make you feel warmer so change out your decor. Try a throw so you can snuggle under it.
- Cut a rug: Cover up your bare floors with a rug.
- Bake something: Stews, roasts, casseroles and soups are made for the cold weather because they cook at low temperatures for a long period of time and, of course, they warm you up going down.
- Drink something: Wrap your hands around a warm mug of tea, cocoa or coffee.
- Let the sun in: Open curtains and blinds during the day.
- Change your bedding: Switch to flannel sheets, a down comforter, use extra blankets.
- Clean the house: Not only will your house be cleaner but activity will get your blood pumping.
- Cover your head: It sounds silly but wearing a hat (and socks) to bed at night, even if the rest of you is clad in skimpy clothing, will keep you warm.
- It's muggy in here: Use a humidifier. Humid air feels warmer. No humidifier? Open the bathroom door while you're showering.
- Reverse the fan: We've heard that, since heat rises, running your ceiling fan in reverse will push the warm air back down to the ground.
- Do your laundry: Nothing warms you up like clothing straight from the dryer.
- It's drafty in here: Block drafts with weather stripping, a rolled up towel or a draft stopper.
- It takes two: Snuggle up with your friends, or your significant other.
- Something old fashioned: Try a hot water bottle or, before you get into bed, running a hot pan over your sheets. Bags of rice or dried beans, warmed in the microwave, are another option
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And, of course, there's the old standby of putting on a sweater and slippers!
Wear a scarf. It's less bulky than a sweater but really makes you feel warmer.
Before anything else changes, I put on taller socks and arm warmers or fingerless gloves. The arm warmers keep my forearms warmer, but leave my hands functional for typing.
Our dogs like to curl up on the end of the sofa and foot of the bed to keep everyone cozy.
If I cook something using the oven in the winter months, I'll leave the oven door open after I finish cooking to let the oven "cool off". This really works well in a small apartment. Pretty much everything but the bedroom and bathroom get toasty.
No mention of candles? Those really heat things up!
And remember to use your curtains/drapes. Besides being decorative, they actually insulate drafty windows.
Re: the muggy. Bad idea. Unless you want mold.
thattravelgirl03 --
I do exactly the same -
- it's also a great way to dry the cast-iron pans after they've been washed.
Do candles really work? I'm not too much of a candle person but if they really do produce noticable heat, I might reconsider.
Candles do make a difference! I once lived in an apartment without much noticeable heat (yes it was illegal, I won't tell you the temperatures it got down to in the winter but it was really cold), and lighting 2-4 candles in the room did make a difference. Just one probably won't cut it, you'll need more than that. But, it does produce a low yet noticeable amount of heat, and I think it also makes you feel warmer as well as a visual trick.
Our dryer is located in our kitchen and in the past we have vented it back into the house (with a filter of course). It makes the house smell nice, heats the house, and replaces some of the moisture loss from the central heat.
A glass of wine always works for me!
@ thattravelgirl03
I also leave the oven cracked after cooking with it as well as opening the dishwasher a bit after they're done to help the heat some. Hot chocolate, cider, and tea also makes a pretty nice desert and warms me up pretty good.
Overall, a great little post about keeping warm physically. How about a post for reducing heat loss for when you do turn it on?
I am curious--do people in Southern California have heat in their homes? I've visited friends there but I can't say I've really noticed, and whenever I'm there the temp always seems to be a blissful 75!
Tuck in your shirt. Sounds like it wouldn't make a difference, but I learned this trick while winter camping. Just like a door without weather stripping leaks warm air, an un-untucked shirt leaks body heat. Tuck in your shirt, throw a sweatshirt over the top, and you'll definitely be warmer.
considering that it can get down to freezing in LA, yeah, everyone has heat, though it may not be used as much as in colder climates. radiators are pretty unheard of, though.
I use shrink-wrap plastic in my single-pane windows, it makes a HUGE difference. I also hang a heavy curtain across the opening to the hall and keep it closed during the day, when no one is in the back of the house. I have a metal front door (metal conducts heat and cold), and I'm thinking of making a heavy curtain to pull across that, too. All three beds have heated mattress pads: it's usually enough to turn them on for just ten minutes to warm things up (except when it's REALLY cold!) And I make three or four new, double-thickness polar fleece blankets every year; we use 'em like crazy, then give 'em to the dog.
Change your socks. Most of the time you won't notice it, but if you're cold, your socks are likely damp.
Sex.
Nice suggestions. I do this Linga Mudra exercise, it keeps the body warm very quickly. It is great for fevers also.
http://bit.ly/3hqPUN
Wrists and hands. Keep 'em warm - place in warm water or wear gloves [fingerless if doing stuff like typing].
Oh, and at the other end, I ditto the feet. Get a decent pair of thick knee length socks. Keep the extremities warm, and the rest shall follow. Probably... :)
Dude sometimes you write the craziest stuff. Do some research and you'll find out the same recommendations were given by the communist governments in pre 1990 Eastern Europe. Good times, I'll tell you that...
Wearing a sweater in the house is known to increases your spouse's libido levels. And young kids will love to feel the cold toys in their tiny hands; they'll grow up strong and ready to face the Siberian exile... Lame
Slippers (as well as your socks). If you have a no-shoe household, an extra layer of rubber or whatever between you and the cold floor helps a lot.
I remember reading some guy's account: His landlord kept the heat turned low in the winter, like maybe illegally low. So his solution, for when he'd be getting ready in the mornings, would be to run a hot water bath. The steam would heat up his apartment, and he didn't have to pay for the water. Wasteful, I know. But it did remind me that taking a hot bath does help me warm up.
Snuggies, that infamous as-sold-on-TV product, are the ugliest, tackiest products ever. They're hideous and cheap, and make people look like weird cultists.
I bought one as a gag gift for my husband for his 30th birthday, as a sort of "ha ha you're oooold now!" joke. It was promptly stuck in the bottom of our closet.
Then we had a sudden cold snap while all our winter stuff was still in storage. I was freezing. In desperation I pulled out the snuggy... and it was amazing. Comfiest, warmest thing ever. The dorky sleeves even kept my hands warm and toasty, and I'm one of those people with icicle fingers.
So now I love my horrible Snuggie, and I'm even making one for my mom for Christmas. My husband makes fun of me every time I use it, but being toasty warm is worth it!
Well, the picture for this post has a ball of yarn and knitted socks, and no one has mentioned KNITTING! That's one of my tricks to keeping warm!
I just put on my fireplace dvd and light some candles, makes an amazing - psychological - difference!
You can make a "greener" choice by not using the dryer. Hanging clothes on a drying rack saves electricity AND adds humidity inside to asmke it seem warmer! See more tips here- http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2009/04/thirtyone-tips-for-reducing-your-impact-while-saving-money.html
Wash the dishes (by hand). You'll be moving and the water will warm you right up. Oh, and the dishes will finally get done too. :-)
When it's really cold and I've stayed up after the heat's gone off, I warm up my bed with a cast-iron pan heated on the stove.
It is more efficient to keep the body's core (torso, around the heart) more layered and insulated than just adding extras to extremities. A vest over the usual house-clothes always does the trick for me, and I am a perpetually cold person. I second a warm-fury dog too though...
We have a freezing house (working on sorting out the 40-yr old boiler and pathetic radiators) but last winter we hung thick blankets between the single glazing and the curtains (floor length is best) and that really helped. We also have a thick curtain that divides our sitting room from the dining area so things stay warmer.