Stop Winter Drafts

Home Home and Auto Home Repair Insulation and Winterization Stop Winter Drafts

Plastic Stops Drafts

I put plastic on all my windows and it helps immensely. I can actually see the plastic bowing out with the wind that comes through my old wooden windows and that cold breeze would be coming into my home without the plastic on the windows. I put it up from frame to frame to frame to sill and I am sure I am saving hundreds on my gas bill because of that.
Rosemary

Stop Winter Drafts with Homemade "Double Pane" Window

First, get a water heater cover. Depending on the style of window, you can do various things. If windows are the old style casement windows, you can stuff plastic bags into any holes or cracks. Our trailer has crank out windows with aluminum frames. We took off the frame (it unscrews) and taped heavy plastic to the underside and replaced it. In another window, we put Plexiglas over the whole window, attached by bathroom mirror supports. In a frame window, we cut Plexiglas to size and set it inside the frame, making it an exact fit. We could have also used foam stick-on door seals to ensure the fit. This gave us a "double pane" window. If the window has cheap molding, you can take it off carefully, staple plastic to the wall, and then replace the molding. I would only do this with windows that I could easily replace the molding, in case it breaks in the removal process.
Cheryl

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Draft Dodgers

Using heavy scrap fabric. Cut out a rectangle about one to two inches longer than the door or window you want to put it in and about four inches wide. Fold in half the long way and sew a seam up the side about 1/2 inch from the edge. Sew one end, turn inside out, and fill with rice or sand (make sure the sand is clean!). When the tube is about 3/4 full, sew the open end shut.

If you don't fill the tube completely, it's easier to mold it to the exact shape of the door. Plus, making them yourself means that your draft dodgers fit all your windows perfectly for a fraction of the cost!
Candice from NC

Stop Winter Drafts!

A rolled up towel placed along the bottom edge of a door will block a lot of cold air from seeping in. Also caulking around windows and doors (outside) will reduce drafts. I remember one place that was so drafty that I spent a weekend with a screwdriver and strips of newspaper "chinking" all the gaps around windows and doors (inside) that were letting in cold drafts.
Robert

Weatherstripping

You may want to add or replace the weather stripping around doors, too. They get old and don't seal as well. Drafts can also come in through outlets, so be sure to insulate them. Also, a handyman once told us to check the caulking around the outside of our windows. Caulking is cheap and it can double as a noise barrier. You may want to check the interior caulking as well.
A in Denver, CO

Candle Uncovers Drafts

Go around your house on a windy day with a lit candle. Go to each window and door and watch for the flame to move with a draft. This will help you determine where you need the draft protection. Buy clear plastic shower curtains, hang them up on a pole as insulation, and then hang king-size quilts over each set of doors. I found the quilts at a flea market. You can feel the difference in temperature if you put your hand behind the quilts!
Mary in CT

For more winter insulation tips, click Here

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