This week's challenge comes from Jen.
This week, prepare your home for winter. Do at least one thing which will ensure that your winter is Eco-friendly. Need some ideas? Click HERE. If you are moving into spring/summer, prepare your home for the warm months ... you'll find some ideas HERE.
Or ...
If you've already prepared your home for the cold (or warm) months ahead, we'd like to know what you've done. Please include tips, ideas and any do-it-yourself advice.
I plan on doing several posts about our "winterizing process." Today, I will cover Heating. We have been living in our house for 2 years now and we have been slowing making improvement to keep the cold out. Our house is 63 years old, so you can expect some drafts. My husband and I swear that there is no insulation in the outside walls, especially in our bedroom. During the cold months, our bedroom pretty much becomes a "meat locker" because it is so cold in there.Heating Improvements:
- Thermal curtains in 3 rooms. When we're home, we open them in the morning and close in the evening.
- Blinds and thermal curtains in the bedroom.
- DIY tufted headboard (this REALLY helped to protect the cold from the outside wall).
- Additional weather stripping on the front door and the walk-out basement door. [just added]
- Extra blankets in the living room and bedroom. Temperature kept at 67 during the day when we are home and 64 at night or when we are away from home.
- Caulking around the windows and the front door.
>> How are your preparing to keep your house warm during the cold weather months?
5 comments:
Here's another trick to try in your bedroom ... if you have some quilts or extra blankets, hang them across the wall ... it'll dramatically block any cool air coming through the walls. One can use picture hanging nails to tack them up and if one has pretty quilts/blankets, it actually makes a lovely wall covering. Wonderful tips ... thanks for sharing!
I'm originally from Europe and there were always quilts, rugs, or tapestries hanging on the wall. I always thought it was for decoration, but it was for keeping the cold air out!
My parents have a gorgeous wool rug hanging as their headboard.
Have you tried warming dried pearl barley gently on the stove, popping them inside a left-over odd sock that the washing machine didn't like, tying the end into a knot, and using that as a lap / foot / hand warmer. It works a treat, and can be rewarmed over and over again :)
(I use the sock on my lap - it's the centre of my body, and thus it spreads the warmth throughout my whole body LOL)
Dani - I will have to try the warmed barley! I bet I could make a little pillow out of it and keep my laptop on top.
Blinds and thermal curtains are a big help during the winter season. If you have the time, you and your loved ones can spend one weekend making your own thermal curtains. Be creative. :)
Mechteld Abelli
Post a Comment