I have a bit of a thing (obsession) about making sure we’re all warm.
I think that’s because my last house was fitted with old fashioned storage heaters which were useful for heating the house but cost us an absolute fortune anyway. The house was so cold and draughty in the Winter and I used to feel awful putting the children to be in cold bedrooms. It kept me awake at night sometimes and I’d sneak in to see them in the middle of the night and although they’d usually be snug in their beds cuddled up under their blankets, sometimes their little noses would be cold which made me feel so bad.
The only picture I can find of cold children 😉
Now I hate the thought of the children being cold so I’ve got lots of ways to make sure that they’re as warm as possible – without having to resort to turning up the thermostat.
When I Googled for what temperature your thermostat should be set to, I found this that says it should be somewhere between 18 c and 21 c but that if there are elderly or young people in the house it should be 22 c. Only you know the temperature that suits your home and the people in it but these tips should help warm you and your home up so you can possibly go for the lower end of the recommended range.
Keep your home warm
- Open your curtains during the day to let the sun warm the house and close them as soon as the sun starts to go down to retain as much heat as possible.
- Use thicker curtains or make some linings for the ones you already have up.
- If it’s safe to do so, leave the oven on after you’ve used it so it’ll give you some extra heat in the kitchen.
- Make sure all your heaters and radiators are free from any obstruction as you won’t feel the heat from them as much if there’s something in the way of them.
- Check your doors and windows to see if they’re draughty. You can buy draught excluder tape from DIY stores for not very much or you could even make your own draught excluder to pop down to keep out the cold. If you’re not very creative, just put an old towel down at the bottom of the door and that should do the trick.
- Put rugs down on wooden floors.
Keep yourself warm
- Drink warm drinks – I can verify that hot chocolate with marshmallows and squirty cream is great but a cup of tea is almost as good (note that I said almost).
- We play games like Just Dance on the Wii, Simon Says (it’s not just for kids) and Twister to keep us moving and active. You can’t be cold if you’re jumping around. We also take the dog for a walk in the cold so when we come home we’re so cold that we can’t help but feel warm and toasty in the house.
- Layer it up – whether you’re sat watching TV with a cardie, socks and a blanket over you or you’re in bed covered in a couple of layers of blankets – layers are the way to go. You’ll be warmer with a couple of thinner layers than you will with one thicker layer.
- Hot water bottles are great for snuggling up with when you go to bed. By the time they lose their heat, you’ll be asleep.
- Use someone else’s heat – libraries, museums, soft play, friends or grandparents houses. Anywhere that’s warm is fine!
I know there must be loads more ideas but these should be enough to get you going….
Do you have any top tips to share?
These are really nice and amazing tips to keep oneself warm. Keeping our body warm is more important than keeping surroundings warm. One should first keep itself warm, These are really cool tips.
Wow. Such a cool and lovely blog.
During the winter, it is hard to resist the urge to keep turning the heat up. I like your idea of opening the curtains while the sun is up, and closing them as soon as the sun starts to go down. That will heat up, and help keep that room clean. Plus, it will let the sun in, which is always a nice touch.
I got my new boiler recently, I really love it though because it looks neat and tidy plus it's dead quiet too and my home get's warmer a lot faster than it used to – so am still getting used to that. I guess I'm happier still because of the price, I mean I spent time getting quotes in and I ended-up getting my Vaillant boiler from STL Heating simply because they came out with the lowest price. So yeah quids in and happy warm too !!
Excellent tips, I hate the cold and with this long extended winter we have had it has cost us a lot more in gas bills! Brilliant article.
I grew up with only the heat of the Aga in the kitchen, and no radiator in my bedroom. Can’t stand having the heating on – much to hubby to be’s annoyance. I give in when I can see my breath in the house. After all, there’s nothing better than snuggling under a nice big fleecy throw with a steaming cup of tea!
That new boiler sounds a bit technical lol.
Completely agree with your tips and you're right about shutting doors – seems impossible with my two though and I'm forever shouting at them to shut them. I mentioned it to my friend the other day and she said they must have been born in a barn!!! Don't barns have doors?
We just got a new boiler with thermostatic controls in every room and it's so efficient I can't cope – I'm too hot and sleeping with the windows open!
When the house was cold though my top tips were – cosy fleece blanket on the sofa, investing in warm socks cos if your feet are warm, everything else feels warm. I leave the oven ajar to warm the kitchen after cooking, and such a simple tip but works wonders – close the doors! I also had a big thick curtain inside the front door to keep out draughts in my last house.
That new boiler sounds a bit technical lol.
Completely agree with your tips and you're right about shutting doors – seems impossible with my two though and I'm forever shouting at them to shut them. I mentioned it to my friend the other day and she said they must have been born in a barn!!! Don't barns have doors?
Great tips! Chocolate milk before bedtime is what I love or just warm milk!
Mmmm chocolate milk x
Not sure about keeping the oven on, especially iif it's electric, as it could cost more than turning the heating up. But turning it off and leaving the door open after cooking would work. And you don't need to preheat the oven unless you are cooking cakes or pastry, so you can save money that way too.
Ha ha that's what I meant – leave the oven door open after you've turned it off x x
I have cold natured kids. We have the heat set at 70-72. Our home is drafty. We have two bay windows in the living room with old blankets across the bottom to prevent the cold air from coming/warm air from escaping. Our back door has a air draft which gets covered with a thin blanket. We have our blinds open to let the sun in, and have many small blankets on top of the sofa to keep us warm. My kids each have a comforter and smaller blankets on their beds.
Sounds like you've done lots to keep the cold out x x
funny that? When my kids were babies, we were all issued room thermometers by the health visitors and told to keep their rooms warm so they didn't die in their cots. Consequently, neither of my kids, now grown up, can cope with heating at all. I'm always cold and everyone else says they are too warm