Winter can be brutal with below-zero weather, snowfalls, and more. So stay warm in winter with these must-know winter hacks! Keep yourself nice and warm, your home and vehicle protected from the harsh elements, and more with the winter hacks listed here.

winter hacks to keep you warm and stay productive

If fireplaces aren’t visible and winter weather gets you down or leaves you freezing, try these cold weather hacks! They will keep you nice and toasty this winter, and leave a smile on your face. Plus you can protect your vehicle, de-ice your car or doorsteps easily, and much more. These are tried, tested, and approved for making winter a breeze!

Some of them also allow you to save money by making the most of the heat from your recent purchases. So you save money and help the environment.

 

Easy Hacks to Stay Warm In Winter

1. Stuff Towels Around Doors

15 Simple Winter Hacks to Stay Warm and Get Things Done - winter hack towel door draft excluder

Many older houses have not been built with energy efficiency in mind. Doors and windows may have all sorts of nooks and crannies that let in cold air. In an ideal world, you want to make permanent improvements but there are times when that isn’t an option. If you are in a rental property or if you don’t have the budget for major works then you may just need some quick, easy and cheap winter hacks.

If your doors let a breeze flow in, roll up and stuff towels, blankets, fleece, rugs, and sweaters around the bottom of your doors. This will help prevent some cold airflow from coming in. It isn’t the prettiest but it will help keep you a bit warmer. Of course, you could pop to the store and buy a proper draft excluder but if you are on a tight budget or can’t get to a store then a towel is a good stop-gap (pun intended!).

If the door has gaps all around then you may want to get some self-adhesive draft excluder.

“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

– Percy Bysshe Shelley

2. Warm Your Clothes In The Drier

Nothing gives you a more cozy moisture feeling than being wrapped up in warm clothes in the winter months. After you shower, before bed, or get dressed in the morning, toss your t-shirt or clothes in the dryer for a few minutes. Let the dryer warm them up so you have warm clothes to get dressed into! They won’t stay warm forever, but it sure will feel good to give you a short-term feel-good feeling.

Of course, you will also get some heat from the drier itself. Leave the door open when you take the clothes out so that you warm the room at the same time.

While we are on the subject of clothes, it goes without saying that putting on more clothes is one of the simplest ways of keeping warm. Using layers of wool clothing will keep you warmer and don’t forget that you lose most of your heat through your head. Wearing a hat or caps will keep you warm, as will gloves. If you find yourself in a house without heat through a power cut or heater failure then reach for your hat.

3. Shrink Film Windows15 Simple Winter Hacks to Stay Warm and Get Things Done - window kit to seal out drafts

Along with doors, ill-fitting windows are one of the worst problems for letting cold air into your home. Getting new windows isn’t always an option but there is a budget-friendly alternative to adding some insulation.

Head to your local store or shop online and buy shrink film window kits. You simply cover your windows with these, to help prevent cold air from blowing into the house through cracks around your windows. Don’t forget to match it with curtains and or blinds.

Now let’s be honest, this is not as effective as double glazing but it does create a separate insulating layer of warmer air and will definitely help. It is using the same principle as double glazing so you need to have a really good seal for it to be effective. It is one of those jobs that sounds simple but is not as easy as it seems. You will definitely find it easier if you get someone to help you as it is much easier than a two-man job.

The obvious disadvantage is that you can’t actually open the windows if you need to air the room or call the kids in from the yard. You will probably want to remove it in the summer so you may need to re-apply it every year.

4. Reset Ceiling Fans

You may think that your ceiling fan is most useful in the summer months to cool you down but here is a hack for the colder times of the year.

You may remember from your school physics lessons that hot air rises. This means that the warmest area in your room is up by the ceiling. Not very useful, so here is what you can do about it.

You need to turn your ceiling fans on low and set them to spin in a clockwise direction in the winter. This will push the warm air that has risen back down to you. Most fans have a switch to change the rotation of the blades so check yours and give this a go.

This simple tip means you are utilizing the warm air which makes your heating more cost-effective. With the cost of heating going up every year, the last thing you want is to be wasting the heat.

 

5. Leave Oven Door Ajar

15 Simple Winter Hacks to Stay Warm and Get Things Done - winter hack oven door

Here is another way to make use of the heat you have paid for. After you finish cooking dinner, turn the oven or microwave off and leave the oven door open. The heat from the oven will escape into the room, and help warm it up.

Obviously, if you have young kids this will not be a safe option if they will be around the oven or stove area.

6. Shower/BathTime Winter Hacks

In the bathroom, taking a warm bath is one way to get warm when you are feeling cold. Make sure the water temperature is not too hot for your body temperature and to avoid hypothermia.

When you take a bath don’t pull the plug immediately after you get out. Leave the water in the tub until it cools down to room temperature. as the water cools it will provide warmth to the room and also much-needed dry air humidity!

If you shower simply plug the drain as if you were taking a bath. Then you can do the same trick and don’t drain until the water is at room temperature.

Winter Hacks to Get Things Done

7. De-Ice Walkways/Drive

Mix 1 cup rubbing alcohol and 2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid, and add to a 1/2 gallon of hot water. Splash this on your drive or walkway to dissolve the ice in a hurry. One of the most useful winters hacks to prevent accidental falls!

Another easy way to de-ice your walkways is to sprinkle with salt.

8. Gain Traction in your Vehicle

If you find you are stuck in the snow and have some plastic floor mats in your car, take them out and place them under tires to help gain traction. It is not a guarantee it will get you unstuck, but worth a try.

9. Stop Car Doors Freezing

To prevent your car door from freezing shut, just apply cooking spray to the cracks of the door and along with the rubber. This will help prevent water from getting in and freezing them shut.

10. Unfreeze Key Holes

15 Simple Winter Hacks to Stay Warm and Get Things Done - hand sanitizer on a key to de-ice locks

Have you been out to your vehicle and found the lock completely frozen. Here is a simple hack to free up the lock and get you on your way. Put hand sanitizer on your key and then stick it in the hole to unlock. This works for house doors, car doors, padlocks, and more.

11. Dry Boots

If you come in from the snow you don’t want water thawing all over the floor. DIY a heating pad! Take a cheap cookie sheet that has edges around it. Put some small rocks inside to line the whole bottom of the cookie sheet or tray. Then you can place your winter boots on the rocks and let them dry. The water will drip down to the tray, and not leave a wet mess on your floor.

12. Winterize Bike Tires

If you take your bike out in the winter, winterize the tires with zip ties. Just every few inches place a zip tie and cut off the excess. This will act as tread and prevent you from slipping as much. it’s like adding chains to your car or van tires. Be careful that you don’t leave too much excess or you will end up with a puncture.

13. De-Fog Mirrors

15 Simple Winter Hacks to Stay Warm and Get Things Done - defog mirrors

The last thing you need when you take a hot shower on a cold day is to get out to find your mirrors are fogged up. Prevent that by cleaning mirrors with shaving cream and then buffing with a clean towel. It will keep them from fogging up for around 2 weeks.

14. Windshield Wiper Winter Hack

When it’s freezing you can find that your windscreen wipers freeze solid against your screen. When you are expecting the temperatures to fall below freezing you should stick your windshield wipers in the air, and cover them with old socks. This will prevent them from sticking to your windows, and you can remove the socks and put the wipers down before you head out.

15. Make Your Shovel Non-Stick

If you have to shovel snow from the drive or sidewalk, spray your shovel with a non-stick cooking spray or silicone-based lubricant. This will help stop the snow from sticking on the shovel.

15 Simple Winter Hacks to Stay Warm and Get Things Done - winter hacks to keep you warm and productive

“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.”

– Anton Chekhov

What are your favorite winter hacks? Let us know in the comments.

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