Keeping warm is essential to staying alive; it’s also one of life’s greatest pleasures. However, there are instances when we might not have the luxury of a heater or a furnace as is often the case when you go off to college and are trying to make ends meet. Sometimes we might have the misfortune of living in a drafty freezing house or your landlord can’t afford to repair the furnace. For whatever reason, if your house is nippy and you have to look for ways to keep warm, thn here are some nifty suggestions -
1. Make sure that all windows are shut tight. Close everything, including storm windows if there are any installed. Windows ideally should have a latch. It’s best to open the windows in the day time especially if the temperature is higher outside than in the inside.
2. Windows should be kept air-tight. There is caulking or plastic that can be bought in home or hardware stores that can be used to ensure that windows are tightly sealed. If none’s available, any fabric, like a t-shirt or a towel, can be used to plug in holes or leaks.
3. One easy way to heat your house is to use inexpensive, clear shower curtains. Place them over windows to keep out cold air while allowing the sunlight to penetrate it and warm up the house.
4. Doors should also be sealed tightly. Feel under the door and around the frame to see if completely flushes against the wall. You might need to buy a door sweep or a weather stripping at most; or at least place a towel at the door’s bottom to minimize drafts.
5. Choose to use the smaller rooms in the house. For instance, make the smaller room your bedroom so it’s easier to heat.
6. Close the doors to any rooms that are not being used to create another wall between you and the cold air coming from outside. It also minimizes hear loss by preventing air from circulating too much. Those with heaters or a furnace can use magnetic register wraps to contain the warm air that’s sent to rooms not in use. With these handy devices, only the rooms with these magnetic wraps will receive heat from the furnace or heater, making it more energy efficient. It’s also important that all heat registers are open in rooms where the plumbing might burst or freeze.
7. Use curtains to control the temperature in rooms. Dark and bulky curtains can prevent sunlight or a cold draft from getting in. Open the curtains once the sun is out and shut them once it's cold or if you need additional privacy.
8. Place a carpet or a rug in rooms for additional warmth.
9. Put up extra insulation or padding in the attic or any crawl space in your house.
10. Move your body. Do some exercises. Even just 20 minutes of mildly taxing exercise movements can sufficiently bring your pressure up and keep you warm even hours after the activity. You get warm and get healthy all in one go.
11. Always dress appropriately. It’s true that you lose heat faster through your head so a hat is a good investment if you want to stay warm. You don’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe every time it gets cold. Simply layer on your clothes, wear warm socks or slippers and use afghans, robes or a blanket to wrap around yourself.
12. Some people’s legs get cold easily. If you’re like this, buy at least 2 packs of black tights from the department store and put on one or more pairs to provide you with an additional layer of clothes that will keep you warm. Don’t use opaque tights.
13. Cooking literally adds extra warmth to the house. Baking cookies or pies will heat the kitchen since the oven dries the air. On the other hand, cooking with steam raises a house’s moisture level and makes the air denser and more humid. But bear in mind that an increase in humidity will make a house damp, so limit how much you cook by steaming. However, a humid atmosphere holds heat well and can make things more comfortable when the heater dries up the air so it’s best to do more steam-cooking during winter.
14. Increase your intake of warm beverages like coffee, tea or some warm soup.
15. Use more candles. Candles produce more heat so it’s another way to keep a room warm. Plus they’re very affordable. However, candles should not be left unattended.
16. Snuggling with another living thing is a great way to keep warm, so look for a friend or pet to cuddle with.
17. Keep moving. Being active and moving about is a good way to generate body heat. The more active a body is, the better the blood circulates to the outer extremities and keeps it warm.
18. Appraise the situation and plan accordingly. Think about how the situation developed in the first place. If your abode is chilly because of a temporary power outage, then the previous suggestions are good stop gap measures. However, if you’re freezing because you don’t have a heater or the one you have isn’t working, it’s time to start saving money to meet your needs. It’s been said countless times but depositing money first thing in your savings account is the best thing to do so you can meet any emergencies that come up.
19. Take advantage of the sunlight. Look for anything that blocks sunlight from reaching your house, like plants, trees or a shed. If you can, clear away these obstructions. If they can be moved, remove them during the morning and then return them in the evening for extra insulation. However, if your residence is exposed to the elements, then you’ll also have to consider how to balance the effect of the wind, sun or rain.
20. One easy way to keep warm is to sit on a heating pad with a low wattage instead of trying to heat up the entire room. A 50-watt heating pad can give off enough warmth to be comfortable.
21. Invest in thick dressing gowns or bathrobes. They’re very handy, fluffy and are like big blankets with sleeves. You can even go to bed wearing them during winter.
22. Spend time at places that are warm. Why not hang out at the library, the local gym, a church or a friend's house. They’re warm and it won’t cost you a penny to spend time there.
23. Buy a dehumidifier. This device has been to remove moisture from the air by reheating the atmosphere as moisture is released. In a nutshell, air at room temperature goes into the dehumidifier. Condensation then occurs and the air becomes warm via the passive heat generated by the process. The air that then goes back out into the room will be warmer by 2-5 degrees.