Preparing the house for winter. Spam me please!

**Kellili** · 09-01-2008, 10:57 AM

Can someone explain the plastic on the windows thing to me? We will need to do some serious winterizing of the house this year, since gas prices are already up 24%. What kind of plastic? Something you get at home depot or plastic like saran wrap? I have no clue lol. Also, any other tips would be appreciated. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats in the house while we are away at work, so although we have a setback thermostat, I'm afraid to let it get too cold. What's a good temp to set it back to? Any other tips and advice super appreciated!

**Mom23boys** · 09-01-2008, 11:15 AM

I purchase the kits at Wal-Mart. They are just a couple of bucks and I can get at least 2 windows done with each kit. They contain the plastic and the sealing strips. They are very simple to put up. Just follow the directions and you will notice a difference. I put them on all my windows that face the north wind. I also put up a big, heavy duty quilt over the backdoor that faces the north wind. It also helps keep the cold out.

You could find these kits at Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target...just about anywhere. If you can't find them, ask an associate where the window seal for winterizing your home is located. Most of the time it is in the same place they place the a/c's and fans.

**MoonMommy** · 09-01-2008, 11:18 AM

It is a thicker plastic than saran wrap. You can buy kits of it at home depot, but I would just go and ask them about it. If you have a lot of windows, they might have something comparable that you can buy in a larger quantity.

Do you have heavy drapes/curtains on your windows? That can also help with drafts. If you are able to sew, they are really easy to make, although you can buy some fairly inexpensive lined drapes at places like K-mart or Home-Depot.

I keep my thermostat at 62 in the winter all the time. If we leave for any length of time like on vacation, then I might put it down to 50 or 55. I don't want it so cold that pipes freeze, but I also have a big, old house with high ceilings and I don't want to heat space that isn't being used. We also close off any and all rooms that we don't need to use (like the guest room). I make sure heat can't leak into it by stuffing old towels at the bottom of the door. I do the same with the attic door. If you have a basement and a door to that, check if it is drafty, if so, you can either stuff towels there or you can make/buy one of those draft blockers.

**Lady_V** · 09-01-2008, 11:23 AM

They sell the kits... or you can just go to the store and ask them where the plastic is. JoAnnes sells clear plastic on a roll which may be cheaper if you have a lot of windows or they are larger than the kits they sell.

The plastic really isn't much thicker than a garbage bag (before you open it) so, if money is really tight, that's an option as well.

I put on the plastic, secure it down and then heat it up with my hairdryer. Do NOT put it too close or you will melt it!!! For whatever reason the heat from the hairdryer helps tighten the seal.

As far as the animals, no matter how hard you plan, you could keep the heat at 80... go to work... and lose power. Animals aren't dumb. They even have their own coats

They will find a way to keep warm... even if it means climbing under your bed covers.

**Kellili** · 09-01-2008, 11:49 AM

The dogs stay in their crates though, unless I want to come home to a mess. Gracie tends to get into things if we leave her to her own devices. She still has to much puppy in her. I don't mind them in the bed though, they sleep with us at night. We got a King bed b/c of them

They even get covered up in their own fleece blankets in the winter. One of our cats sleeps at the foot of the bed, one usually crawls under the covers and sleeps w/ me too. So we have 2 people, 2 dogs, and 2 cats in our bed. It's hilarious. And they are all pretty much on my side. DH actually has room on his side!

Our house is pretty small though, not a lot of windows to cover. A double window in the living room, sliding glass doors in the kitchen, and 1 window in each of the 3 bedrooms. That's it, that's our whole house! It's not big, but we have super high ceilings in the livingroom/ kitchen, it's a one story ranch. It won't take much plastic I guess. Thanks for the tips!

**Edna_E** · 09-02-2008, 09:03 PM

The logic behind the plastic is much like that of double-hung windows - it makes an airspace between the inside of your house and the outside, which tends to insulate well. I also hang quilts and blankets against the exterior walls of my house, which does the same thing. I had a friend who used heavy drapes that way - same purpose.

Another trick to help you feel comfortable with the thermostat set lower is to raise the humidity slightly - like with a vaporizer or by putting a steamer on the stove (if you have a wood stove that you use, that works great, but if you don't you can just put a large pan of water on the stove in your kitchen and it will help - and you can add things like cinnamon to make it smell good too)

**MomToTwoBoys** · 09-02-2008, 09:32 PM

I've never heard of any sort of kit, but I do know that vapor barrier (the same stuff used when you're putting up new walls and need to barrier between the insulation and the drywall) and some Tuck Tape would do awesome for insulating the windows and keeping out any drafts. If you can't deal with the red color of Tuck Tape, perhaps you can get an adhesive tape that's translucent. Vapor barrier is pretty thick and if done right, it'll keep out any drafts into your house.

**EnergyBoomer** · 09-04-2008, 07:31 PM

You asked about setback temperatures. We use 68 when some one in home and awake. 62 at night for sleeping and 58 or lower when no one will be home for 4 hours or more. The dogs and cats will grow fur to as needed to keep them warm. May even stop shedding for a time. Ha Ha HA. Lucky for all of us natural gas prices are falling now.

**Starlight9803** · 09-04-2008, 09:32 PM

We used to use the window kits, as they were inexpensive, but the cats always clawed them to pieces (I know, bad kitties!!) Now, I use the clear plastic "drop cloth" material that you can find at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. It's a bit thicker than what is in the window kits and stands up pretty well to my cats. We use double sided duct tape (it is translucent) to attach to the window frame. We keep out thermostat at 60 whenever someone is home, only raising it to around 65 for bathtime. 55 when no one is going to be here for awhile. I have 3 cats and 1 dog indoors, and though I'll sometimes find them curled up in one big heap together, they haven't ever acted "cold" at those temps.