When winter temperatures get really frigid, it can feel like it’s impossible to stay warm—even when you’re inside! I’ve been wearing slippers around the house for weeks now because my toes are always ice cold, but my fuzzy slippers can only do so much, so I’ve been looking for additional ways to stay warm this winter. (Specifically, I’ve been looking for methods that don’t involve cranking up my thermostat and sending my energy bill through the roof.)
Because I know I’m not the only one who’s trying to keep warm, I thought I’d share some of those tips with you today! Hopefully you can use one or more of these tips to cuddle up until spring comes along to thaw us all out.
11 Ways To Stay Warm During The Winter
1. Layer With Thermals
Invest in a couple of high-quality thermal pieces to wear underneath your clothes. A good thermal shirt and a pair of thermal leggings will keep you nice and warm all winter long!
2. Double Your Drapes
Adding another layer of curtains to your windows can make a big difference in terms of keeping the cold out, especially if one of those layers is a blackout curtain—they’re much thicker than standard curtains and provide better insulation.
3. Bubble Wrap Your Windows
Poorly insulated windows are a major culprit for heat loss, but you don’t need to spend a fortune on new windows to stay warm! As strange as it sounds, adding a layer of bubble wrap to your window panes as an insulating layer can work wonders—learn how to do it at the link below.
Related: How To Quickly And Easily Insulate Your Drafty Windows
4. Use Your Ceiling Fans
During the wintertime, set your ceiling fans to spin clockwise (on the lowest speed so it doesn’t feel breezy). This will generate a downdraft that will help move the warmer air at the highest part of the room down lower where you can feel it. Recirculating the warm air trapped near the ceiling can reduce how frequently your furnace kicks on and save you both money and energy.
5. Be A Draft Detective
Cold drafts may be coming from your doors and windows, and even your electrical outlets and light switches! An easy way to check for draughts is to light a stick of incense and carry it as you walk around the house. Take note of when the smoke appears to be blowing in a certain direction, which can be evidence of a draft.
Another option is to get an energy audit from your utility company. (Many companies offer these for free, so it’s worth looking into!) They can tell you where you’re losing the most heat and how to prevent it.
6. Warm Up Your Bed
Use an old-school hot water bottle to warm up your bed at night. Just fill the bottle with hot water, and toss it under your covers about 15 minutes before you’re ready to go to sleep. You’ll crawl into a toasty warm bed, and you might even forget it’s winter out there! ;-)
7. Choose The Right Space For Space Heaters
A small space heater can be a great way to keep your bedroom or home office warm! However, a small space heater probably won’t make much of an impact in a larger room, especially one with tall ceilings. Don’t waste money on running a space heater that isn’t helping you stay warm!
8. Check Your Blankets
Check out the “fill power” of your duvets and comforters. Fill power refers to the insulating power of your blankets, so it’s a good indicator of how warm a blanket will keep you during the winter. A number between 550 and 800 is ideal for cold temperatures!
9. Cozy Up With Wool And Cashmere
Wool and cashmere blankets, sweaters, and other items are great for staying warm. The fibers in wool and cashmere are crimped, creating small air pockets that trap heat. Even a small amount of wool in a blanket can provide more warmth than something purely synthetic. The blanket pictured here is only 15% wool, but it’s one of my favorites to cuddle up with when I’m feeling chilly.
10. Layer Your Blankets Strategically
When you’re layering blankets on your bed, arrange them so that your fluffiest blankets are closest to your skin and your thinnest and densest blankets on top (or furthest away from your skin). It might sound counterintuitive, but fluffy blankets have lots of air pockets that will help keep you warm, while layering dense blankets over them will help prevent the heat from escaping into the air.
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11. Use Your Oven Often
Use your oven to make your meals as often as possible, which will help raise the temperature of your home for a few hours. Also, leave the oven door ajar after you’re finished using it to allow the hot air out and into the room (unless you have small kids or pets who could get hurt, in which case it’s not worth the extra warmth!)
How do you keep warm during the winter?
I have used rice to make many sizes of warmers or coolers. I make small hand size for the little ones boo boo’s, keep in freezer. I take hand towels and make larger ones, these are great gifts to older folks, nursing homes or neighbors. endless uses for aching knees, shoulders, backs, feet, etc. We freeze larger ones for sprains, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful tip with us. These sound great. I can’t wait to make one. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.THIS is what makes a big difference for me inside my home: Humidity! I have a very small home and bought a humidifier that takes about 2 gallons of water at a time, and it makes ALL the difference in my warmth. When it runs out of water I start feeling cold! Get it going again, and I’m much warmer. Sleep better too. I never run it to where it steams my windows; that’s not good, but I run it to a comfort level that warms me up significantly. I would not do without it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We were a military family living in the UK and their homes over there are old and drafty and most have no central heat. We would go to the gym each night to take showers because the house we rented only had a 20 gal hot water heater and you had to burn coal to heat it. For a family of 5 it was not feasible. To keep us warm at night I used to bundle the children up then iron the sheets till the mattress was warm. They would jump in and all was fine till morning. I ran the stove in the kitchen in the morning so we had 1 warm room. Needless to say my iron got a lot of use. As for cashmere, I have to say if people knew how the material was gotten most people would be horrified and refuse to wear it. I would never own or purchase anything that tortures an animal, be it anything leather, makeup brushes, clothes or anything else made from any animal. The rest of the article was great with the other suggestions. I also use my gas dryer to warm up clothes on a cold day before getting dressed. They only need to stay in there for a few minutes and it can warm you up remarkably fast. Same with a blanket when it is cold out just pop it in the dryer for a few minutes and wrap up and you will be warm in no time. Thank you for all the awesome examples.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made a rice sock and during the winter, I pop it in the microwave for 45 seconds then toss it at the foot of the bed to get my feet warm when crawling into bed. Once there I can grab the rice sock and warm my hands. It’s easy to use and does work wonderfully.
To make a rice sock… Take one old sock and add 1 cup or dried rice. Take and either stitch or tie the end of the sock and now you have a rice sock. After telling my sister that lives in Ohio about it, she made quite a few and uses them nightly before bed. Simple and cost effective.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.a faded warm stole/ shawl under the bed sheet or below the quilt…(newspaper layers also work the same)…..is magic
Please log in or create a free account to comment.keep your head/ ears warm………as maximum hot loss seems to be from there………
use a nose mask
wear clothes in layers….(not too tight)……believe it or not sari ( dress in India) keeps one majestically warm…
I sometimes use an electric heating pad on a favorite chair if the room is chilly—on my lap, around my feet or on my back and shoulders,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Check fan manufacturer’s recommendations for fan direction…counter clockwise for summer, clockwise for winter.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I found the totally transparent IKEA shower curtains on internet – they are called NACKTEN, for a few dollars. ideal for extra insulation in doorways and windows (a layer of air is a good insulator), easy to cut to the right size too and hardly visible. So light they can be put on a simple wire.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Nice! Some Americans will need your advice, with the heavy winter I see on the news right now.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.As I live in a rather large and poorly insulated house, i use most of the tips you mentioned. Some other things. IKEA used to sell totally transparant shower curtains for just a few dollars. These are IDEAL to block off the cold and drafts (on windows and in doorway). They have already holes in them so easy to fix, and they let the light in… much more discrete than bubble plastic haha. They do not sell them in EUrope anymore but perhaps still to find on internet.
Putting a really THICK carpet under your feet (or even with a layer of cork under it) also helps. A lot!
A really old trick – used by bikers in the old times, is to put newspapers under your pullovers. Free and good insulation, may be put just anywhere I guess, even in the house.
I love the idea of the warming salve but is there any danger that your hands could get frostbite and you wouldn’t know it?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maybe in very extreme conditions, but I don’t think so!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I live in the mountains of northern Arizona, and my feet are always cold, even using Carhartt wool socks. Then I found some merino wool socks — very soft, not scratchy at all! — at Costco called Ladies’ Trail Socks, and they have done the trick! My feet are now toasty warm all the time. I am so happy with them that I gave them (4 pair for $12.99!) to all my friends for Christmas.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love my electric blanket! They may seem expensive, but we can turn the heat down at night since we have them. I turn mine on before I go do my evening routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face, and the bed is nice and warmed up when I crawl in.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another good thing: flannel sheets! Warm and soft!
Corn feed is actually what my mom used to make the bed buddies. Also when it’s cold I wear under armor type pants under my work pants. There not the name, but my mom found them at a Walmart. A co- worker had told me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made two bags out of jean pant legs, and filled with rice. They stay warm all night under the covers. One at my feet and one at my back. The fleece sheets that I found at a yard sale for $10 (king size!!) helps too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Mattress covers with heating elements are the wonderful. Buy a good quality and you won’t feel the coils. They have dual controls, my husband uses his all night, I just warm up the sheets then turn my side off. Highly recommend and we live in Florida.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I so agree. We have a heated mattress pad and we couldn’t winter without it. Ours is going on five years and is supposedly energy saving. Can’t say enough good things about it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.me too..i turn the number up to 6 then shut it off…warms the bed up great and
pretty fast!
I make corn bags that I heat up in the microwave every night and put In between the sheets just before climbing in. They last for a few hours. And the other thing I make are wool blend socks which keep my families feet warm all winter long.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite tip: put on fresh (ideally heavy) socks! As your feet sweat during the day, your socks get just a little damp and that means cold feet. Fresh socks are a little piece of heaven!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good wool socks, merino is softer and not as itchy, can keep your feet warm and dry. I used to go through two or three pair of socks a day. Since I’ve switched to Darn Tough socks which are made in Vermont and have a lifetime Guarantee (If they get a whole or defect of any kind the company replaces them, no questions asked) my feet are good to go all day long. I’m a hiker and hike year round and these really work! During the summer they perform just as well and let you hike without sweaty feet. Sound like I work for the company? Nope, just happy to have found a great product.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We started wearing Darn Tough socks two years ago and LOVE them. Summer or winter, they are great in my work boots, and my hubby lives in his. My feet haven’t been cold, and I work near the loading docks at work. The rest of me has had three layers to keep warm the past week.
One thing you didn’t mention was using flannel sheets. They are really nice and soft and not as cold as regular sheets.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Fleece sheets are even warmer and softer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yep, I agree with Linda. Fleece sheets are very warm. We use them in our Motorhome in the cold months so we can lower the temp at night and save on propane.
Great tips.. Our family uses the rice bags too. We call them bed buddies. I use a small space heater at night before bedtime..The handwarmer packets are great if you have jobs that require you to go outside. It has been so darn bone chilling cold in the Midwest where I live.Another great tip , when we had our Cat she loved to sleep with me in the cold weather..Also the extra body heat from them is a great way to stay warm.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.To warm my car, I boil water in my dutch oven pot and place it on the back seat floor. I also heat up my heating pad and put it on the seat next to me. I keep the back windshield defroster “on”. In the house, I always have my biggest pot steaming; the warm steam permeates the house and holds heat and keeps it comfortable.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ceiling fans should run counterclockwise in the summer and clockwise in winter because warm air rises and this direction will force it back down.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOL. It’s going to be 43c(approx 108f)in Melbourne tomorrow. I’ll have no issues staying warm
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A down comforter is wonderful for staying warm at night. It doesn’t take but a minute for it to warm up when I get in bed at night and I sleep like a baby. When it’s really cold, I put a lightweight blanket on top. My husband doesn’t want the extra layer as he’s not as cold-natured as I am.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really enjoy your blog and have gotten many wonderful tips from it. I do find it annoying, though, that I have to go through three steps before reading – the subscription request, the video, then the video pop-up.
Our family loves and uses homemade “rice bags” for extra warmth. You can make them as simply as taking an old (or new) man’s tube sock, preferably white, and fill halfway or more with uncooked rice. Tie off the top of the sock, or sew closed. Put the rice-filled sock in the microwave for a moment or two and place wherever you feel cold…hands, feet, neck, bed, etc.
We also made flannel bags in different sizes and shapes, ready to be filled with rice and kept close at hand. They also make great gifts for your perpetually cold friends and family.
Tip: Don’t overfill the sock or bag. If you get it too full there is no flexibility. Better to keep a little less rice in the sock so it remains flexible…like to wrap around your neck when chilly.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hand warmers in your sweater or jacket pockets are wonderful for cold fingers and help make any robe, sweater or jacket toasty. You can buy them in camping sections of Discount department stores, and of course outdoor store.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I really wish that I could put some of these into effect, only it’s 41c (106f) here. I hate the hot weather, give me snow any day! Thanks Jillee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Merino wool socks! I live in Manhattan and walk most everywhere I go. I wish I had discovered merino wool sooner. It keeps my feet warm and dry, and for some reason my merino socks don’t get smelly so I can wear them several times before they go in the wash. I haven’t even worn my winter boots this year unless it’s snowy. And this has been one heck of a brutal winter so far!
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