Struggling with the cold this winter? Here are a few ways you can increase your indoor temperature without breaking the bank. With a few easily accessible materials, you’ll be able to combat those chilly nights. Fourier’s law of heat conduction gives the heat flow for one dimensional cases only.
An old-school trick for heating your home is to take a pan of hot water and place it inside a cardboard box which you cover with tinfoil. Place the box in an area where heat is escaping from the winter air and you’re good to go!
1. Leaky window syndrome:
Why does this work? One reason why this works is because your heat escapes from the building because of the windows. What happens when it escapes? That warmth gets leaked into your home speedily leading to a chillier atmosphere in your own place. We can avoid this easily by putting cardboard over our windows on cold nights or those whose windows might have damaged seals due to cold weather.
2. Making bins warmer:
Why does this work? This hack is more of a trick than a solution but who says that working with old and new tricks is bad! What is the actual purpose of these containers for carrying warm items? They are meant to contain the heat lost from an object stored in them. In essence, these bins require warmth to trap heat within them. Instead of buying a heated bin, you can use a regular cardboard box to do the job! All you have to do is cut holes in it to let in air and make sure it’s tightly covered with towels or blankets. Keep your storage boxes secure with metal tins or cans on top of them if you want the biggest effect.
3. DIY fireplace:
Why does this work? This is another way to get a fireplace without having to spend an arm and a leg on purchasing one. We all know that heat rises, which is why we stand in front of the fire and not behind it. If you want to achieve the same effect using just household items, all you have to do is take a box, place it near your heat source, stuff it with newspaper, and light it up! The heat will rise from the box and lead to an increase in temperature in your room (just make sure you put out the fire before going to sleep).
4. Using water bottles as heating pads:
Why does this work? Water bottles are an amazing way of keeping warm. It’s a cheap and easy way to keep warm at your place as they have the capacity to retain heat for a long time without losing any of it quickly. It can be used anywhere around the house! Why not put it in your bedroom? It’s like having an extra heating pad without needing one! How can you do this? Just cut off the top portion of the water bottle, fill it with hot water, and place it on your body! It will retain heat for a long time and let you enjoy what is available in this harsh weather outside.
5. Carpet heating:
Why does this work? Carpets are not just for decoration! They are also a great way to keep warm in the winter. All you have to do is cut the carpet into pieces and fit them into your fireplace. Keep adding layers of carpet until you end up with a fully heated room while spending nothing on it! Just make sure that you alternate hot water with cooler water when heating each layer of the carpet to avoid burns or create hot spots. You may want to wear gloves when handling the firewood.
6. Pre-heating the footwell:
Why does this work? This is a great hack to solve the problem of heating your house in a colder climate. To do this, you need to take a hot water bottle and place it underneath your car’s petrol tank. You can also use a heated blanket but the water bottle is easier to deal with! Once you start driving, you’ll notice an increase in temperature in your car. This hack works because the heat from under your car is then transferred to where you are sitting. The petrol tank is just like any other container that absorbs heat and releases it in areas where it would be more useful like our gusset!
7. Using a humidifier:
Why does this work? Humidity and cold weather can be a bad combination for our respiratory system. It can lead to many illnesses such as the common cold or even more serious conditions like asthma. There’s no need to spend lots of money on special heating products that only increase the humidity in your home. A simple humidifier is enough to do the job! You can use a bowl of hot water, place it inside a fan, and leave it at one side of your home. The second step is to activate your humidifier so that air is being pushed through it and then blown out by the fan into all corners of the room.
8. Using a heated blanket:
Why does this work? A heated blanket is a great way to get rid of the chill in your home. All you have to do is switch it on and it will fill your entire living area with warm air. You can also easily adjust the temperature to make sure that you’re comfortable and nothing goes wrong while you’re asleep. If you want to make one of these blankets, all you need is a car battery which powers up an old microwave oven. You may want to be careful when using the blanket as it can easily cause fire accidents or simply overheat your home if not adjusted correctly!
Conclusion:
Although this list of hacks you can use in harsh weather has been just a summary, the number of ways to make the cold bearable is almost endless. This is why you need to always follow safety precautions and be careful so that nothing goes wrong. If you have any other ideas for how to keep warm this winter, please share with us all!
