Image via Cold weather has its perks. The nights are brisk and cool, making for perfect fire-pit weather. You can start dreaming about Santa’s yearly journey. Bugs are no longer a problem. But, Old Man Winter is not without his wrath, and cooler temperatures often mean higher utility bills and even worse, dry, dusty air swirling through your home. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to keep your home warm and healthy all year long. Here are a few suggestions, brought to you by Femto Medicine:
Clear the air and save
Your ceiling fan can do much more than keep air circulating in the summer. If you switch the direction the blades are moving to clockwise instead of counterclockwise, this could help spread warm air throughout the room. According to Bob Vila, doing this could reduce heating bills by up to 15 percent. Most ceiling fans will have a switch near the motor. While you are up there, wipe down the entire fixture so you aren’t distributing dust throughout your living space. If dust is a problem, or someone in your home has severe allergies, add an air purifier to each room. While this won’t stop respiratory issues altogether, eliminating flying debris is one simple way to reduce cold and allergy symptoms and dry skin. Finally, because disease-carrying critters can make their way into your home in the colder months, be on the lookout for rodents, which can add allergens and other pollutants to your air. If you suspect you have an infestation, do an online search for “exterminator for mice near me” to find highly reputable professionals in your area.
Combat dry air with a humidifier
Dust is not the only problem during cooler weather. Cold air is also dry. Unfortunately, breathing in nothing but dryness can also irritate sensitive nasal passages. Dry air may also cause headaches, cracked lips, and scratchy skin. A room humidifier, which you can pick up at any hardware store, can return humidity levels back to normal. Humidity between 30 percent and 40 percent is comfortable.
Seal cracks in windows
Hopefully, the glass in your windows is intact. However, the seals around your window casings likely allow warm air to escape and cool air to enter. Spend an afternoon removing old caulk and replacing it if you want a truly efficient home. Feldco notes that you need to choose the right caulking material, which is a combination of silicone and latex. Another way to keep the cold weather outside is to add a thermal window film, which reflects radiant heat back into your home.
Have roof repairs done
If you’re like anyone else, you probably haven’t considered your roof in a while. It can be easy to forget about, but your roof is one of the most important parts of your home. It’s important to make any needed repairs before harsh weather comes. Insulating your roof will help make your home more energy efficient. You should also repair any leaks immediately. A leak will allow cold air to infiltrate your home.
If you’re planning on selling your home soon, making roof repairs could help your home sell for more. Make sure you hire a professional to do any work on your roof. Trying to tackle roof repairs yourself could leave you injured.
Understand the ideal temperature
Most HVAC units were meant to keep the indoor temperature about 20°F warmer or cooler than the outdoors. Thankfully, newer units can do much more than that, but at a cost. Plan to keep your home at around 68° during the winter months. Understand, however, that if it is colder outside, your system will have to work much harder to maintain a cozy temperature. You can reduce some of this burden by blocking vents in rooms that you do not use. On particularly cold evenings, consider using a small space heater or fireplace insert to help heat your home.
Bring the outdoors in
It’s true that cold weather has no place inside your home, but plants do. In addition to serving as a focal point of any room, a bit of foliage in your house can also help clean the air. Considering that indoor air quality is much worse than that outdoors, anything you can do to reduce airborne toxins will benefit your health and well-being. Plus, as Bloomscape explains, a little bit of green can enhance your productivity and reduce stress. Before bringing your planters inside, check for pests, since you don’t want to share your space with any pesky bugs.
Keeping your home comfortable throughout the winter is not that difficult or expensive. But, if you want to save money, the solution is not to crank up the heat. Instead, make a point to reverse the airflow in rooms where you have a ceiling fan, seal the windows, and don’t have your unit operate outside of its intended capacity. The few simple steps listed above can keep you cozy, comfortable, and cough-free.