Can someone give me a very easy way of winterizing my windows? I just have to save some money this winter! Someone told me you can do it with thick painter drop cloths. Anyone have some really good ideas?
I bought rolls of clear heavy plastic like you can use for drop cloths or covers at Big Lots and some white Duct Tape... It actually works Better than that shrink wrap stuff.
I read in a magazine to use cardboard cut to fit windows and press in with your hands this they said was also good for children and pets because they couldn't poke holes in it. May be on the dark side though I bet you could use plexiglass and then reuse every year.
I heard that you can use bubble wrap, instead of the plastic that they sell. Several people said it really worked well, and they recommend the larger bubbles.
When it's really cold, we hang up spare blankets over the windows AND the doors. If we have rooms we don't use, turn off vents and close doors or hang blankets over the doorways. It makes the house dark, but warmer.
Make curtain liners .. great for summer and winter
I used old acrylic blankets at camp, but at home I bought new ones. You can either line the curtains, or sew directly to curtain, or put in button holes and slip hooks into the holes, or use safety pins and pin them up till you have time to fix properly
I have to say the window kits are marvelous. They work well, are inexpensive, and very easy to "clean up" when winters over. I also think that the Dap tip sounds really good also. Good Luck
You can buy the plastic window kits made by 3M,Frost King and others at Home Depot and hardware stores. The tape has adhesive on both sides. Place tape around window, apply plastic sheet and use a hair dryer to remove wrinkles. Come the spring the tape will peel off and not remove paint. Or you can use silicone. That is a product that is used to make gaskets and should peel off in the spring.
Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback (if you are a registered user). If you have not yet registered, click here to do so. It's FREE!.
Archives:
Request: Winterizing Windows
Archived on 12/23/2008
I have double paned, double hung windows but they still leak some cold air where upper and lower windows meet, even when they are locked. Last winter I put in some cotton batting, which was a real pain and time consuming. I am now thinking of using weatherstripping that has the sticky tape on the bottom and just run it across the joint.
I am concerned about pulling up the paint (I have white woodwork) when I will remove it next spring. Any other suggestions for plugging up these air pockets? Is there any spray stuff that can be used which is easily removed? With heating costs going through the roof, I need to do all that I can to eliminate drafts. Thanks for your input.
Monica from PA
Answers:
RE: Winterizing Windows
The very BEST way to keep air out of leaky windows is to use a truly incredible product made by DAP, called "Seal and Peel." It used to be called "Removable Caulk." It comes in a caulking tube so you must use a caulking gun to extrude it. It comes out of the tube as a clear, wet, thick viscous material. It cures to a clear rubbery material overnight.
I recommend a good caulking gun made in England that costs about $25 that is worth the price if you have a large number of windows to caulk. A cheap $3 caulking gun will do if you just have a few windows. "Peel and Seal" cures CLEAR. You can barely see it after it is installed. It can stay in permanently OR you can "peel" it off when you want, next summer or 5 years from now! It is quite rubbery after is cures and it comes off in a long strip, by pulling it off with your fingers after disengaging a small piece that you can pull. If everyone used this product, replacement windows would become obsolete! I have gone through 30 or 40 tubes of this marvelous product in the past 10 years!
In Ohio, I get it at Meijers. You may find it at a hardware store or a home improvement store but I was at Home Depot a few days ago and they don't have it. If you can't find it contact DAP for a source.
Lee S.
OHIO (09/19/2005)
