Does the photo above scare you? It should! It was taken during last year's snowpocalypse here in Chicago — the third largest blizzard in the city's history that left people stranded in their cars on Lake Shore Drive. Those days of snowstorms and subzero temps are right around the corner, you know. Before you know it we'll all be barricading ourselves indoors, practically going into hibernation mode until next spring…
Following are some tips for keep your home cozy during the long, cold winter. Hey, if you're gong to hibernate, you may as well be comfortable!
• First of all, get your home ready for a long winter's hibernation. Whether you use Maxwell's 20/20 Home Cure to clean your home a little at a time or take a day to do one big winter clean-up, it'll be nice to have a fresh start for winter. I'm a big fan of washing my windows, cleaning out my refrigerator, and washing my walls before winter arrives.
• If you have forced air heating, consider having your vents professionally cleaned. A whole lot of dust settles in those vents and once you're using the heat on a daily basis, it'll all get blown out into your living space. Yuck.
• Speaking of the air, with the windows all sealed up tight for the season, maybe an air purifier is the way to go. Mat recently rounded the Top Ten Air Purifiers for Small Spaces.
• With radiator heat, this may be your last chance to clean your radiators before they're fully in use and too hot to handle. Canned air is a great way to blow the cobwebs and dust out of the nooks and crannies of a radiator.
• Drafty windows can make all the heat your furnace is producing practically useless. Check out How to Shop for Window Insulation on Marketplace for help in dealing with drafts. Curtains and window shades are also helpful in buffering drafts.
• Lucky enough to have a fireplace? I'm going to put my jealousy aside (oh how I want a fireplace in my apartment!) and remind you to have your chimney cleaned and checked once a year.
• Combat the dry air with a humidifier. Or, in a pinch, simmer a pot of water on the stove. Drop a cinnamon stick into the simmering water and your house will be infused with a delicious scent!
• Since you're going to be building fires and burning candles, now would be a good time to make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working. You want to be cozy — not burned to a crisp.
• Taking a long steamy shower can warm up even the coldest bones on a wintry night. Hang some eucalyptus from the shower head and breathe in the aroma of the herb's essential oils.
Image: Jason Loper
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all i can say is the snowpocalypse was the greatest day of my life..
Tip #1. Move to a warmer climate....
I'm not sure duct cleaning is that much of a slam dunk. It seems to have become very popular recently, but I tend to think it's a marketing thing, not necessarily an important home service. Check out what the EPA has to say on it: http://epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html
Eucalyptus on the shower head? Brilliant!
We actually have window cleaners come in and do our windows as autumn winds down into winter . They do a MUCH better job than we can (we have leaded glass windows that need a special touch) much faster and they change out the screens and storms. Well worth the once a year cost--there is nothing like sparkling clean windows as you move into a WI winter.
and just in case of snowpocalypse again -- which i ADORED -- keep an emergency kit in your car. Have a candle and matches especially (a lit candle in a snow covered stranded car will raise the ambient temp to 50 degrees...in case you are stuck) sneakers, socks, some kitty litter and a cardboard box for traction if you need it. and jumper cables and maybe one of those self jumpers. and warm gloves.
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com
Shhhh, I'm still in denial that winter has arrived.
I know it's cheesy beyond belief, but in an apartment with no fireplace, a virtual log fire DVD flickering in the background works a treat at snuggifying the living room - just wish we'd gotten one last year!
Almost 70 degrees here yesterday in Boston. I took a half day off to do a bit of Xmas shopping and was disappointed that it was too warm to have a cup of hot of chocolate.
hey @quiltmaster, I live in south Louisiana and still deal with drafty windows, dusty vents and dry air (although I think my definition of dry probably differs from a Chicagoan). Good tips!
In addition to keeping warm inside, prepare early (like, NOW) to have certain things on hand so you can avoid having to go out.
I'm from Chicago (and now WI) and I pick up extra coffee, powdered creamer, powdered milk (ick, but it will cover your cereal), and among other things, cookie baking ingredients!
I have fudge ingredients ready.
I've had a bag of cinnamon sticks forever, and now I know just what to do with them!!!
This article was mostly about how to insulate and prep heating systems. I'd like to have heard suggestions like picking up some new (or unpacking) some soft cozy throw blankets, and put a couple of extra pillows on the couch, if its an option hang some thicker drapes, stock up on and light some wintry scented candles, bake cookies and make mulled wine.
@joey c - that was exactly what I was hoping for! I'd love to know what I can have stocked in my apartment to make the environment more cozy when the snowpocalypse hits.
Maybe someone will give me ANOTHER BROWN SNUGGLY for Christmas so I can be cozy.
Worst. Gift. Ever.
Here's a vote against the snowpocalypse. Don't get me wrong -- I love being snowed in with good foodstuffs and pots of tea, but one of my best friends always has the week after Christmas off, and he and another friend were going to spend the week helping me gut my bedroom to repair damage, insulate, put up drywall and lay a new floor. But it started snowing here Christmas Day, and the job was delayed three days ... which gave me a total of two days with my friends. I had to contract out part of the work -- the drywall -- and the room still doesn't have trim or ceiling insulation. I'm hoping we have better luck this Christmas and aren't blessed with another snowpocalypse until 2012.
I say....bring it! Although it's been unseasonably warm here lately. There's nothing like hunkering down with some good movies, enough good food and warm blankets, and watching the snowy storm outside.
No fireplace here :( So I use a candle with a wood wick so it crackles like a fire. The one I have actually has a 'burning embers' scent. Wood-wick candles are all over Etsy (and other places).
I'll try that eucalyptus in the shower idea, thanks. About washing your walls, I just tried Magic Eraser for the first time after reading about it here on AT. It worked amazingly well on wall scuffs, and circumvented a lot of touch-up painting. I was careful not to inhale any dust from it, it didn't make me wheezy or rashy and, also unlike most effective cleaners, it's odorless.
Loved snowpocalypse! I had plenty of books, tea, and blankets on hand to weather through it.