Winter is coming - those aren’t just fabled words, the cold is really on its way. As with all aspects of home maintenance and removals, the key is preparing well in advance. As the weather patterns shift in October, now is the time to bring out the soft furnishings, line the radiators and make sensible adjustments to your house.
If it's your first winter in the home - or you've moved over Christmas - take extra note of these tips. It's better to over prepare than to shiver over your roast turkey!
The term ‘tinfoil’ is increasingly used to describe outlandish theories. In this case, it is our friend. Doesn’t it seem a waste of space that radiators are tucked away in a corner? Simply lining the back of your radiators with tinfoil will help reflect the heat back into the room. For easy installation, we advise sticking the tinfoil to a large sheet of corrugated cardboard and placing it behind the back of your radiator. Homebase and similar retailers actually stock a tinfoil specifically for radiator reflection.
Look at your windows, doors and curtains and decide which will actually be used this winter. Occasional airflow is needed to stop mould, but otherwise look to pad out your windowsills and door frames. Draught excluders are the obvious choice, but spare towels and linen also help.
How might this work? Suppose you have an upstairs bedroom with single glazing and a medium sized curtain. Grab some safety pins and stick an old bedsheet to the exterior side of the curtain. It won’t make a difference visually, but it will add an extra layer between the cold and your sleepy self.
For thoroughness, you can also purchase draught excluding tape, which combines insulation fabric with a plastic seal. Line your windowsills with these to deter even the slightest of breezes from coming through.
With the aforementioned in mind, be careful not to totally seal the house. We’ve yet to harness the weather, so until then evaporated water will need somewhere to escape. Opening your windows occasionally will help clear the air and prevent any mould from building up. Do so at sensible times in areas of the house you aren’t currently using.
