Winter has arrived, and it's here to stay! The temperatures are dropping heavily, and with it come some true delights, like snuggling in the couch with a steaming mug of tea or, if you're lucky enough to get it, some wintery fun in the snow.
But cold also has its downside, and no one likes to feel it inside their own home. These cold snaps can make it difficult to keep the inside of the home warm and comfortable, so we thought we'd give you few tips on how to make sure you keep your home as comfortable as you possibly can.
1. Block all draughts
This may seem like an obvious point, but we really mean block all draughts. Remember Newton's laws of thermodynamics (yes, we are very geeky here at senseslinen): the system will always seek equilibrium, so if the inside of your home is warmer than the outside (as it should be), then the hot air is actively trying to escape. Make sure you insulate all windows and doors. Even something as paltry as a sausage dog draught excluder makes a real difference.
2. Move your chair
Is your sofa right next to your radiator?
It is?
We knew it.
It may feel like you are keeping yourself warmer by doing this, but what you're actually doing is getting a very hot chair. Any object that is too near to the radiator is absorbing its heat, which keeps it from effectively warming the entirety of the room. If you keep stuff away from the source of heat (this includes the washing!), you'll warm up the entire room much more effectively.
3. Insulate, insulate, insulate
Some of these measures can be cheap (insulating your water heater can save you hundreds in a year), others can be more expensive (almost a third of your house's heat is lost through uninsulated walls).
But maybe the most important thing you can do is the roof. 25% of your heat is being lost through an uninsulated roof, and it's actually quite inexpensive to instal a mere 25 cm of insulation throughout your loft. Seriously consider it.
4. Invest in good blankets and throws
Heating is fundamental, and insulation is great, but sometimes all you need is to cuddle up on the couch with a proper throw. It's better and cosier than artificial heating and if you can just do that, then maybe you can lower the thermostat one or two degrees (which translates into surprising savings throughout a whole year). We have some delightful suggestions in that department, so make sure you check them out.
5. Use rugs
This evidently won't warm up your house, but they will do something else entirely: they will keep your feet from freezing when they touch the floor. Our bodies respond severely to sudden changes in temperature. This is why a cold drink feels so good in the Summer. The body is tricked into believing it is colder. The same happens when your feet touch the cold ground in winter.
6. Use a reflector panel behind your radiators
This one is very simple: you don't need to warm your walls. Most radiators do exactly that, though. Radiator panels are quite cheap, and they reflect the heat right back into the room. And even if you don't feel like buying one, you can very easily make one yourself with aluminium foil.
7. Make the most of your curtains
Sunshine will warm your home during the day. Pretty obvious, right? So open your curtains. Let the sunshine in. It does make a real difference.
But here's the part most people forget: close them at sundown.
Curtains add an extra layer of insulation against your windows and are remarkably good at stabilising temperature inside your home.
8. Shut up unused rooms
If there's no one in a room, keep the door closed. Let it be cold all by its lonesome. Again, with Newton's thermodynamics. The heat will always try to escape to the coldest places it can find to restore equilibrium. You want to stop that flow and keep heat where it's needed. Even if the door to, say, your living room, is already closed, whatever heat escapes will then try to make its way to the coldest spot it can find. Make it stay put.
9. Buy adequate bed sheets
Do you already have really good quality bed sheets? That's great! But are they warm?
Ah!
Not all fabrics are the same when it comes to maintaining heat. For winter, you probably won't want linen, for example, which is crisp and cool for Summer months. What you'll want is the finest cotton in the market: Egyptian Cotton™. It's soft, gentle on the skin, and its natural structure preserves heat. Not only that, but it's also highly permeable to moisture, meaning it will keep beautifully dry throughout the night.
Check out our selection. We use only the very finest materials, and our craft is unrivalled. Make your nights truly comfortable. You deserve it.
