Stay warm with 14 clever winter tips

It’s hard to believe it’s June already and the colder weather is setting in for winter. While some states are still warm and toasty, others are already braving the chill in the air. With the colder seasons comes the task of trying to stay warm, and that can often be difficult.

Luckily we have found some clever tips that will not only save you time, but also warm you up.

Here’s our favourites.

1. Use pipe insulation as draft blockers

Don’t let frosty air get inside your house – simply use pipe insulation to fill in the gaps.

2. Run your ceiling fan on low 

Doing this will push the warm air that rises to the ceiling back down to you. Your fan may even go a bit slower in winter.

3. Place several hot bottles on your bed several minutes before climbing in

This ensures a nice and toasty bed the electricity costs

4. De-freeze your windshield

If you need to de-freeze your windscreen, steps or driveway, mix together one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and 1 litre of hot water, and pour.

5. Use orange peels as fire starters

Orange peels are great fire starters due to the oil in the orange’s skin. To use, dry its peels on a sheet pan and toss them in a paper bag. Easy!

6. Drink water

Water is amazing at retaining body heat: the more you have in your system, the easier it is to keep warm.

7. Get some rubber soles

Ensure that your footwear has rubber soles because it is a bad conductor of heat and keeps your feet warm.

8. Increase humidity

Leave a bowl full of water in your bedroom overnight or get a humidifier. Humidity directs cold away from the body around 25 times faster than dry air. It also prevents your skin from getting dry thus cutting down on expensive creams.

9. Exercise more

Physical activity helps in increasing the metabolic rate, and accelerates body heat production.

10. Take cold showers

This may sound crazy but cold showers help improve blood circulation, in turn helping to keep you warm. A hot shower, causes the blood to move towards the surface of the skin, giving you a fleeting sense of warmth, while cold water makes the blood rush back to your vital organs.

11. Put socks on the toilet seat

This sounds silly but it’s genius when you go to the bathroom on a cold day. Simply slip a couple of socks on your toilet seat (if you have the open ‘C’ design).

12. Parking your car

When parking outside during winter, park your car facing east so that the sun will defrost your windshield as it rises.

13. Defog your windows

Spray your car windows with a 3:1 vinegar/water mixture to keep ice or frost from forming on your windows.

14. Save money on electricity

It’s tempting to use smaller heaters around the home – they’re smaller so they’ll use less energy, right? Wrong. According to CHOICE, the most economical way to heat your home is to use your reverse cycle air conditioner.

Share your other warm hacks below.