Quick Ways to Insulate Your Home This Winter

When winter comes along and the temperatures drop, your once warm and cozy home can get a bit cool and drafty. But it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable; there are many ways to keep your heating and energy bills in check. Our house is 112 years old and believe me, there are some cold spots. So I’ve done some quick and easy projects to stop the drafts and keep us snug and warm.These are three easy and affordable ways to insulate your home in just a few minutes.

Insulate Your Outlets

Outlets are one way that drafts and cold air can sneak into your house. If you go over and take off the outlet cover, you will feel it on a cold day. Outlet and switch insulators are made of thin foam and are an easy and cheap way to stop the draft from getting in where you least expect it.

Simply remove your outlet cover, put the insulator on and replace the cover. You’ll never notice it’s there and it will stop drafts from the inside of your walls. Although you can put them on every outlet and switch in the house, you’ll get the most bang if you put them on the outlets on the outside walls where the cold is felt the most.

Close Up Your Fireplace

Another place cold can sneak in is through your fireplaces. We have two unused fireplaces in our house that share a chimney.  One is in our foyer and one is in my office. Although they may look nice when decorated for the season, they can be a huge source of cold air that swoops into your rooms directly from the outside.

This can easily be stopped with regular insulation. You can get insulation at home improvement stores in small rolls which are perfect for projects like this. One roll will cover about 50 square feet and can be used around doors and windows too.

Simply measure the size of the opening in your fireplace and cut a piece of insulation just larger than your opening. Usually an inch on either side is good. It is highly recommended that you wear gloves, eye protection and a dust mask to avoid getting the insulation on your skin or inhaling it. Safety first!

Put the piece up in the opening and you are all set. If you need to adhere it, tape usually works to keep it in place. Ours didn’t need any — it fit in the opening just perfectly.

Stop Drafts at Doors

One last quick way to prevent drafts and provide some insulation in your home is to get door draft stoppers. They come in different sizes and types. We used one in the front foyer where we have a small vestibule that is not insulated at all. The floor gets chilly and of course more cold air comes into the room.

For just a few dollars, you can warm up your rooms with a draft stop. I bet you could even make your own cover with your favorite fabric, too.

Keeping your home warm in the winter is so easy that anyone can do it. And it’s affordable, too!

Have you tried any of these quick ways to keep your home nice and cozy?

All posts in the BlogHer Winter Home Projects program are 100% editorial content presented by a participating sponsor. Our advertisers do not produce the content. This post is made possible by Home Depot and BlogHer.