Novem-brrr: Avoid The Draft

And no, I don't mean getting out of the military draft during war times (though that can easily be solved by high tailing it to Canada).

No, this week we are going to cover the ways you can better insulate your home for the cold winter months. By doing so you are keeping your home toasty, allowing your furnace to work more efficiently, and saving energy (plus energy costs).

Though I do believe insulating your stomach with cotton balls was one rumored way to getting out of the Vietnam War draft.

And to show you what you are looking for, the husband and I made a little photo op at a local home-improvement store.

One of the best ways to avoid the draft in your home is to seal up the house. If your dwelling is older like ours, it probably has a lot of cracks and openings. That is allowing the heat to escape.

One of the easiest cracks to find is along your windows & doors. An easy way to find leaks is the candle test: light a candle and follow along the edges. If the candle flickers, there's a draft. And there are two easy, cheap ways to seal those doors & windows: weather stripping & plastic insulation.

Weather stripping can include foam tape, door sweeps, even those awesome twin door guards. I have to say installing the foam tape and twin door guard are super easy to do. You simply tape the foam tape along the opening of the door and window. As for the twin guard, you place the foam tubes in the sleeves & slide under the door. The door sweeps all depend on what kind you use.

You can also apply the plastic insulator for windows; it looks like plastic wrap. When properly applied, the practically invisible sheet can save you money on the utility bill. Creative Homeowner shows a great step by step way to install the plastic that I'm too lazy to do.

You should also try to seal the other cracks around the home. We have so many cracks around our old home, I can't even count them. Once again, you'll use the candle test along possible areas. Under the window sill is a big culprit in our home. After you've identified the leaks, use the tube-in-a-can gun to squirt small amounts of foam to fill in the crack.

The husband modeling at the home improvement store

There is one more big way you can boost your energy savings: attic insulation! Only about 20% of homes built before 1980 have proper insulation. And installing that proper insulation will improve the efficiency of your furnace, reduce your energy bill, and even boost the value of your home!

Lotsa' insulation... I don't know why it's so fuzzy.

Winterizing your home in general helps the environment, your home, your comfort, and your wallet. But by avoiding the draft, those perks are increased. And since these ways are so easy to do, you'd be crazy to not battle the draft.

We only have one more week of winterizing your home before I start our holiday season. I really can't wait to start covering the great gift and craft ideas I have, but there is one more thing you should check before winter gets too serious. Next week see the few steps you can take that could possibly save your life.

Oh, and can I just say I'm addicted to pinterest? Be sure to check out my board and see all the crafts that I hope to try and share with you.