As winter sets in and temperatures plummet, there’s nothing quite as comforting as coming home to a warm and cozy house.
But what do you do when your house isn’t feeling so warm and cozy? Installing new doors and windows, additional insulation, and an energy-efficient HVAC will go a long way towards making a home feel warmer… but if you’re a renter or on a tight budget, these fixes may be out of reach.
Fortunately, you don’t have to completely overhaul your home to warm things up. We’ve got 5 low-lift projects that will transform chilly living spaces into warm and welcoming retreats.
1. Warm Up with Pillows and Throws: Want an easy, low-cost way to warm up your home? Adding soft textiles creates a layer of warmth and a little instant luxury to your rooms; just drape a plush throw over your sofa or bed and invest in some cozy, textured pillows. Choose of-the-moment sherpas, faux furs, or fringed throws, and mix-and-match pillows in vivid colors and patterns, natural fabrics, and rounded shapes to keep your rooms on trend.
2. Layer Rugs: Hardwood and tile floors may be in vogue, but they can make a room feel colder. Large rugs don’t just make a room look more inviting, they add an extra layer of insulation between your feet and cold floors. Go for thick, plush rugs with a dense weave or pile to maximize warmth.
3. Seal Doors and Windows: Windows and doors are one of the primary sources of heat loss in your home, but simply adding weatherstripping around the frames can dramatically cut back on drafts. Watch this video to learn how to choose the right foam tape to seal gaps around windows and doors:
If your home has old, single pane windows, add a Frost King window kit to cut up to 35% of the heat lost through inefficient windows.
4. Look for Mini Drafts—and Block Them: Doors and windows may be the leading causes of heat loss, but there are numerous other areas throughout your home that may be letting in cold air. Check for these sources of mini drafts that are making your home feel chilly:
• Electrical outlets and light switches on exterior walls leak air but are easily blocked with our Electric Outlet Sealers, a thin sheet that slips behind the switch cover to keep drafts out.
• Do you have a wall- or window-mounted air conditioner? Frost King has products to help block drafts that make their way into your home through your AC unit from the inside and the outside, as well as specially designed weatherseal made of highly compressible foam to go around the unit to prevent heat loss.
• Sliding patio doors give a great view to the outdoors… but they also give outdoor air an easy way to make its way into your home. Eliminate the gap between the glass panels on your home’s patio doors with Patio Door Weatherstrip, a durable, self-adhesive plastic weatherstrip that easily seals gaps so your home feels more comfy.
• The small gaps around air ducts, plumbing pipes, and other openings on exterior walls might not seem like a big deal, but they can let in a surprising amount of cold outside air. Plug them with Expandable Foam Weatherseal, which conforms to gaps to create a watertight seal, and stuff larger gaps with Caulk Saver before filling with caulk and sealant.
• Cold air can also make its way in through the bottom of the door, an area that you can’t weatherseal. If you can feel a draft between the threshold and the bottom of exterior doors, slip a draft stop onto the bottom of the door to quickly and easily form a physical barrier that stops cold air from getting into your house.
5. Replace Furnace Filters: Make sure your furnace is working efficiently by replacing or cleaning air filters as soon as they are dirty or clogged. Doing so won’t just keep your furnace from having to work overtime, it will improve your indoor air quality by filtering out dust, dander, and pollen. Not sure how to know when it’s time for a new filter? If you’re noticing more dust than usual in your home or if it takes longer than normal for your home to warm up, it’s probably time to check the filter.
