Turn up the heat, not the dial – via Shutterstock
Call me frugal, cheap or lazy, but each winter I do everything I can to stay warm without turning the heat on. I’ve been known to sleep in layers upon layers of blankets, just to avoid turning that dial. Last January, Bargain Babe listed 11 Ways to Keep Warm Without Turning the Heat On. Here’s 9 more for a grand total of twenty.
9 More Ways to Stay Warm Without Turning the Heat On:
- Use a humidifier: The more moisture that is in the air, the warmer it will feel. If you don’t have a humidifier, leave the bathroom fan off during and after a shower.
- Take a bath: A warm bath before bed will not only heat up your body, but relax your muscles and mind, sending you off on a cozy night’s sleep.
- Go old school: A few years ago, I found a vintage hot water bottle and use it to warm the bed in the winter. Etsy has a ton of adorable handmade hot water bottle covers, so your old-fashioned warmer will look like new.
- Wear a hat: It might look silly, but hopefully no one is watching when you sleep. Layer up with fleece pj’s and a stocking cap to keep warm body heat where it belongs – in your body!
- Line curtains with fleece fabric: You don’t have to be crafty for this quick fix. Buy fleece fabric and cut to just slightly smaller than your curtains. Safety pin (or sew, for a more permanent solution) the fabric to the back of your curtains to for an extra layer of insulation and to keep drafts out.
- Check your insulation: A quick look inside your attic can let you know if your house is properly insulated, or if bare spots are keeping you chilly. Use this insulation guide to help you figure out what type if best for your home.
- Let Fido on the bed: This one is hearsay, because I don’t have a dog. Apparently, your four-legged friend can radiate a lot of heat, keeping you both warm throughout the night. It might be against the rules, but it’s good to walk on the wild side every so often.
- Turn on the fan: I know it sounds like the opposite of what you’d want to do to get warm, but trust me. Heat rises, so running ceiling fans in reverse pushes warm air back down to the ground.
- Fill in the gaps: Block drafts with weather stripping, rolled up towels or draftstoppers. Use this guide to sealing and insulating your home from Energy Star for tips on how to get started.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Re: Suggestion about the bathroom fan.
You can leave it off while your bathe or shower but unless that moist air is being circulated through to the rest of the house, you should turn ON the fan when you leave the bathroom. Trapping all of that humidity could leave you vulnerable to peeling wallpaper, deteriorating paint and a very dangerous to your health and expensive to eradicate mold problem.
Great reply, @Myke. You wouldn’t want to trap the humidity, that’s for sure. Leave the bathroom door open and let the humidity spread through the house. And for a limited amount of time.
Cooking soup or heating water will put humidity in the air and will knock off some of the chill. Instead of a water bottle, heat up a sock full of rice in the microwave and place that at the foot of your bed before calling it a night; no chance of a water leak.
I love the rice in the sock idea, @Fran. Thanks!
An electric blanket uses very little energy and will focus all the heat on you not the air. You can also use it when your not in bed. Here’s how. Carefully cut a slit in the middle avoiding the wires. Put your head through slit and wear like a poncho. Attach long extension cord and your good to go all over the house. Do not wear it outside in the rain.
@Steve, I think you owe us photos of this in action.
Beware: If you live in a humid area (like the Gulf Coast), unless your heater is over drying the air, it’s best to avoid adding any excess humidity. There is nothing more dreadful, painful, and sickening than living in a wet/humid house especially during winter; it’s very bad for one’s health, especially for those with arthrtis, bursitis, rheumatism, asthma, thyroid issues, etc., and it creates dangerous mold and mildew problems as well. Once your air, walls and textiles are moist, it becomes very difficult (and much more expensive) to heat the house thoroughly, and even more difficult/expensive to maintain a warm/cozy house.
*This is an especially troubling problem in cinder block or cement block houses (very common on the Gulf Coast) in both winter and summer; typically you must run a dehumidifier along with your A/C and/or Heater in order to maintain a healthy/safe humidity level (not more than @62% humidity indoors).
So true, @Kay. What work for some, may not for others.
An empty 2 liter soda bottle refilled with hot tap water can pre-warm the foot of your bed. Not your vintage hot water bottle, but wrapped in a towel it retains heat longer. Same bottle, only partially full (due to weight) can be used as a hand warmer. This was the only thing that helped keep my mom’s hands warm last winter. She held it in her hands under her lap throw in her wheelchair. Like Goldilocks and the porridge you have to monitor that it is neither too hot or too cold. Rethinking the hand warmer thing, I’ll probably try an empty water bottle full of hot water stuffed in an oven mitt this year. Wonder how that will work? Certainly clasping a hot mug of soup, coffee, tea or cocoa warms your hands and your tummy.
@S.Moi, you had me at “cocoa”. That makes me want to curl up with a good book!
Thanks for the tips! it’s going to be a cold winter so these tips will definitely come in handy.
I’ve never thought about turning on the ceiling fan to bring warm air back down to our level. Thank you for the idea!
want to say thanks for all the comments I have a drafty old log home built in the 1800s and have several children staying with me so the body heat from them helps and yes my oven on a lot lol to feed them all> My house is not insulated well but I do like the fleece idea and am going to work on that today again thanks
If you take a bath, leave the water in the tub til it’s cool. The water is roughly 100 degrees, so draining the tub right after you get out just sends the heat down the drain.
@Dan Austin Very inventive! I love lingering in the bathroom after a hot shower to enjoy the warmth, especially in the winter.