While I love residing in an area which benefits from four seasons, it still doesn’t stop me moaning about winter.
As much as it can be picturesque, it can also be grueling when the temperatures plummet. I’m not talking about those days where you wake up in front of a blanket of snow on your drive, but rather the depths of January whereby frost is almost permanent.
Of course, the easy way to mitigate the cold effects of winter is to turn to the boiler. This also happens to be (in my experience as well) hugely expensive.
I’ve therefore turned to a few readymade techniques to heat up my home during these winter months. Some of them you may have heard of, but others might give you food for thought.
I’ll start with one of the lesser-known methods, tin foil. That’s right, this is one of my best friends during winter. I was recently shown a trick whereby I placed tin foil behind all radiators that were on an external wall. The science behind it suggests that it stops heat disappearing through the wall and outside, and instead means that it deflects back indoors. The results were incredible and it’s an everyday material that is probably found in most of our kitchens.
The next suggestion might not apply to all of you, but my home has a chimney. I love the charm of it and wouldn’t ever consider removing it. However, believe it or not, it rarely gets used (even in winter). It is in our home purely for decorative purposes.
This is where I discovered the shrewd chimney balloon invention. As the name suggests, this is a balloon-like structure that gets inflated and placed up in the chimney. It means that much less cold air is allowed to pass, and the room is noticeably warmer as a result. You can’t use it alongside a fire, but apparently it’s quite easy to remove (although I’ve kept mine up there for the past year!).
My next tip comes from a somewhat different line of thought – the mental effects of winter. It’s easy to get depressed and in today’s day and age, we’ve all heard of SAD. I haven’t yet opted to purchase one of the innovative lights that apparently help with this condition, but something that has helped me is Avas Flowers. Avas Flowers have been operating in our area for a while now, and every winter I try and find their most vibrant bouquets and buy them for a couple of my rooms. I’ll refresh them every few weeks, but it just provides a sense of freshness to an otherwise dull month. There are some Avas Flowers coupons here for those of you who might be interested.
Finally, let’s talk about curtains. I’m quite a traditional person normally; I’m still in the era of net curtains. However, I am also practical, and know that these do nothing for the thermal efficiency of my home in winter. As such, in the colder months, they are taken down and I instead turn to thick, bulky alternatives. The effect is transformative – while it also has the mental benefit of allowing you to feel as cozy as can be in your own home.
