One of the highest monthly home maintenance costs is heating and cooling. Keeping the inside of your home at a static temperature throughout the day and night takes a lot of energy and, therefore, a lot of money. So, it’s in your best interest to lower this monthly cost by taking steps to maintain the temperature in your home. Drafts are a big influence on maintaining a warm temperature in your home during the winter months. If your windows and doors are not sealed properly, especially if you live in an older house or apartment, drafts can easily seep in and affect the atmosphere in
Drafts are harmful for two reasons. One, they add stress to your heating and air system. If the temperature in your home constantly fluctuates because of cold air from the windows and doors, your heating system works a lot harder. This will lead to more wear and tear for the machine, ultimately shortening its life span. If you are the homeowner, this means a costly replacement and some uncomfortable time inside your house until you can replace it.
Secondly, drafts simply make your home uncomfortable to live in. If it’s wintertime, you want to be able to stay nice and cozy inside your warm house. Drafts prevent that, especially if they affect your bedroom. Sleeping when it is freezing cold in your room is never fun. Draft stoppers can also help to prevent outside odors from entering your home. If you live near a farm, a factory, or a waste management site, then a draft stopper would work wonders to keep your house smelling great.
What Are Draft Stoppers?
A draft stopper is one of the cheapest and easiest solutions to a draft problem in your home! Draft stoppers are long, thin tubes made of cotton twill material, filled with shredded beads from polystyrene foam sheets that act as an insulator against the cold. They work by laying against the base of a window or a door. This stops cold air from coming through because it can’t penetrate the polystyrene beads. Because the beads are also shredded, they can easily fit around awkward corners, molding, and window jambs.
Cold air drafts are ultimately caused by construction flaws or simply the aging of your house or apartment. It would be ideal to fix this issue, but that’s just not an option for many people. Many people can’t afford to hire contractors to come in and replace their windows and doors and make their homes more energy efficient. Those who rent their house or apartment don’t have a choice if they aren’t allowed to make major upgrades to the property or if their landlord decides not to pay for it. That’s why draft stoppers are so great. They are the bare minimum effort you can make to increase the energy efficiency in your home. They create a simple solution to a significant problem and are accessible to everyone. These simple-to-use and effective tools are readily available in several sizes and colors to suit your needs.
How to Use Draft Stoppers
To begin using draft stoppers, you first need to identify where the drafts are entering your home. Go around to all of your exterior doors and windows, and place your hands (or feet) against the door jambs and window jambs. If you feel your fingers and toes get cold or even cool, a draft is probably coming through that spot. Make a list of the major problem areas and then measure across the bottom of the door or window. When ordering your draft stoppers, you want to ensure you get the right size so that they properly fill the space and block any airflow.
Next, head to our door draft stoppers product page and order your supplies! Our draft stoppers come in two different lengths: 36 ½ inches long for use on most windows and 55 ½ inches long for use on most doors. Then pick out whichever colors you prefer, and hit order! When you receive your draft stoppers, simply lay them at the base of any drafty doors and on the sills of any leaky windows, and feel the magic work! You’ll begin to notice that cold air has stopped breezing through your house, and your HVAC system isn’t working as hard to maintain your home’s temperature. Now just sit back and enjoy a cozier and cheaper winter!
