Winter or cold weather brings out all the coats and mittens that you might have, but something else that it can bring out is how COLD your house can get. If you don’t have central heating, cold weather can turn holidays into miserable cocoons of cold, where you’ll be fighting for every bit of warm air that you can get.
But installing central heating isn’t your only option to fight the cold – there are some small yet effective things that you can do that can help you keep yourself toasty through cold winter months. Some of them you can do as soon as you’ve finished reading this article!
Get yourself some curtains
Curtains don’t just keep out the neighbor’s eyes – they also keep hot air in, especially if they’re made of heavy material. It can be easy to ignore the effect that curtains have (or take them down because they get dusty) but simply installing them again during the cold months can do wonders for keeping the heat inside.
Reflect, not absorb your heat
If you do have a heating unit, it’s important to understand how exactly does the heat it generates gets distributed in your home. For example, most gas fireplace dealers in Salt Lake City recommend using foil or reflective panels to make sure that your walls don’t absorb heat.
Remember that cool air sinks and hot air rises – so always make sure that your heater isn’t located too far up the areas it needs to affect.
Circulate hot air
If you like making yourself a hot cup of tea or running a warm bath, consider leaving the door exposed and the steam out for a little longer. The warm air mixes with the cold air of your rooms, leaving your indoor air quality more refreshing than usual. It also helps you deal with the dryness that usually comes with cold air!
Take advantage of sunlight
If the sun’s out, make sure that your home has a way to use that sunlight. It’s basically free heating that you can store even after the sun has set – simply find a way to keep the heat trapped inside your home like using the curtain trick we talked about earlier.
Check for drafts
Even small cracks or holes can affect how much our homes can retain heat. Things like doggy doors, opened vents, and other entryways inside and outside the home can leech off its ambient heat and let the cold air in, so always make sure to keep these places closed when you can.
Move your furniture
Stuff like sofas, divans, and other large pieces of furniture can trap heat inside of them, which can leave a room much colder than it seems. If you have furniture that’s placed directly in front of your heater, you might want to move it to another part of the house during the winter months.
About 20 to 25% of heat can leak out through the roof – a great thing for summer, but not during the months you’re trying to keep as much of it as possible. The good news is simple insulating foam can help deal with this problem. If your budget can afford it, get insulation for your walls as well.
