With colder weather hitting us daily, we realize how many little cold areas we have in our homes. The living room window? Or maybe the back door? Over time, there are so many places that can begin to allow cold air to enter your home. We’re here to help. Use these five steps to keep your family warm this winter.

1. Check for cold air coming in from doors and windows

You can run your hand around the edges of a door or window that leaks and feel the cold (or warm) air just bursting through. Granted, it may not seem like a ton (or it may), but over time, the amount seeping through can add up and cause issues with your home’s overall heating. If you locate a leak around your window, it is okay to go ahead and use some caulk from your local hardware store and put a nice bead around the window. However, if you do not feel comfortable doing this or dealing with the weather stripping around a door, you can contact your landlord for assistance.

2. Insulate outlets throughout your home

Like windows and doors, power outlets, internet/cable, or phones may also allow unwanted hot or cold air to enter your home. If you do the hand test by moving your hand slowly around the outlet, feeling for hot or cold air, you can tell if you need to insulate the outlet. Despite what some people may say, if you want to insulate the outlets in your home, you DO NOT wish to use self-expanding foam. THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD. Do not, for any reason, put foam inside the outlet box. Instead, you want to visit your local hardware store and get some insulating gaskets for your outlets. They are generally universal and take only about 5 minutes to install. They go behind the existing outlet cover and provide some insulation.

3. Using curtains to curb airflow

If you have an older, drafty window that seems to be leaking from the panes themselves rather than around the window frame, a great trick to try is using thick curtains. This will absorb the cold (or warm) air entering your home. Opening the curtains during the day to let the sunlight in will also help add some natural warmth to your home.

4. Reversing your ceiling fans

A ceiling fan works by sucking up the warm air from your home while pushing down the cold air. Essentially, keeping you cooler throughout a warm day. Well, what happens if you use the reverse feature on the majority of household ceiling fans? This will reverse the process of pushing warm air down and sucking cold air up. Over time, this will help the heating efficiency in your home.

5. Using window insulation kits

We’ve all seen these kits at the store. They usually feature a person’s hand holding a blow dryer or something of the sort. They are everywhere and most certainly in your local hardware store. If you feel like the air is coming in from the window panes themselves instead of the area around the window, you will need to find an alternative. If curtains are not an option for you, or there is too much airflow, you can use one of these insulation kits. They go around the entire window (on the inside) and work to trap the air in a pocket between the window and the film. Follow the instructions on the box.

In a world of skyrocketing electric and gas bills due to winter heating, it is very important to try and take some of the simple matters into our own hands. However, if you don’t find yourself up to completing some of these tasks or are simply unable to do so, do not hesitate to contact your landlord for assistance. At Buckeye Northwest Realty, we are always available to assist our tenants when in need, so contact us now to find out how we can help you.