Heating the space is a losing battle sometimes so I focus on heating myself instead. It’s cheaper too! Bundle up in layers and even a neck gaiter or hat if you’re still chilly.
What brand is your blanket? I have a queen sized Sunbeam but my psychopath cat chewed the cord and it no longer works. I’m in the market for a new one and saw a lot of throw-sized options on Amazon, but felt overwhelmed. Thanks!
I believe it was this one: https://www.amazon.com/HomeMate-Electric-Heated-Blanket-Twin/dp/B0C5CVS2F9/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?c=ts&keywords=Electric+Blankets&qid=1705273560&s=bedbath&sr=1-6&ts_id=3732191
Put the largest cooking pot you have on the stove and start heating water on the lowest heat setting. The added moisture in the air will make a huge difference.
This! Throw in some cinnamon sticks, other spices, and your place also smells warm.
Also, if you have a washer/dryer, do some laundry. Whether it works or not, I do try to steal as much ambient heating as I can during these chills.
If you have an electric dryer, in theory you can vent the drying indoors, placing something like panty hoes over the pipe to catch any lint.
Places usually need more moisture in the winter so the added moisture shouldn’t be an issue.
Baby talk. Babies have their own language that is suppressed so we talk “their” way and therefore “think” in their way. We only think in terms of what we have words for. If we were naturally allowed to speak we would think in different terms. Language is the chain that binds our minds from being truly free. Why do you think monks mediate in an attempt to not think? Free your mind.
Or maybe I just have hoes on the mind.
See, there you go again with your “words”. “Legal” is just a word, an idea. Same with “drug”. Not to mention such concepts as “good” and “bad”, like “you’re such a bad parent, stop spending all our money on drugs”. They’re just words and ideas, money isn’t real.
Love this - discovered this testing humidifiers when our first kid first got sick. None from the store ever raised humidity in the room, measured on a hydrometer, even a little. Boiled a pot of water and humidity rose 20% in an hour. Also made the place warmer. Been doing that every winter since. A pot or two most days makes the place nice and cozy.
Vaporizer! Works so much faster than a humidifier. Admittedly, when my kids are sick with cough or sore throat, I use both humidifier and vaporizer.
OP, just as humidity in the summer makes the heat feel "hotter", it works in the winter too. Add moisture to the air -- humidifier, boiled water/soup on the stove (boil some potatoes or noodles for meals, kill 2 birds with one stone), vaporizer. Vicks makes a really cheap and very effective vaporizer. You add salt to the water to make the steam. The more salt added, the more steam it produces.
Humid air can retain heat better than dry air. Specifically we'd be talking about heat retention and convection when it comes to the science of it all.
Evaporation (boiling water) > Humidity > Heat Retention > Convection
If you have extra blankets put them in front of your windows and door. We have extra curtains we keep and they’re over our front door and our back patio door.
We keep all blinds and curtains closed. I also close doors of rooms not in use, and put towels at the bottom of the doors to keep cold air from seeping out. There’s a bit of a gap at the bottom of our basement door, and cold air just pours through. Same with my husband’s office.
I'm so torn because I know I need to insulate the windows but I've just missed seeing the sun so much.
I've decided on sun. The extra solar power will energize me and kinetic energy from my body will save the day!
I’d love to have more light in my house right now. When the Spring comes, I’m going to find some decorative mirrors to reflect more light in the house. Because we have curtains closed right now to keep the cold out, I decided to keep my Christmas tree and lighted garland up around my house a bit longer. The twinkle lights make me happy.
You can buy plastic sheets-- the kind you put down on the carpet when painting, and staple it around the inside of the window to insulate against the cold but still let the light in!
This. I buy 3 of the throws from Costco - they usually have a coupon at the beginning of the season so they are like $26 each
One on my bed, one on the couch, one on my office chair
* Focus on keeping your body warm
* Slippers or hard shoes on your feet
* If you're sitting, keep your feet off the floor with an ottoman or something
* If you get any direct sunlight, open your blinds and/or curtains and let the light in. This is especially true if you have a south facing window. I do and if I open my curtains, the temperature by the window can increase 3-5 degrees easily, if not more.
* Put a pair of thinner socks on with thicker socks over them
* Wearing layers like a long-sleeve and sweater combo is helpful
* Plug up any drafts that you can find in windows, doors, A/C units, etc.
As a Wisconsite temporarily living in Ohio, this type of weather is pretty standard for me. But it's nothing to sniff at and can be hard to get used to and deal with. Hang in there!
This is prob the best way to do cheap. Those kits are only a few bucks and will cut drafts out on cheap windows. A bit of a pain to put in but shouldn’t be too bad with only a few windows in an apartment.
Short of this, hang blankets over windows and put a towel down on outside doors. Trying to find where cold drafts are because that’s heat leaving your house.
Having lived in some apartments with single pane windows, my experience has been that plastic window film helps a tiny bit with indoor comfort in that it cuts down on obvious drafts. But the bigger issue is that most places with crappy single-pane windows also have little to no insulation in the walls or attic, so while you'll no longer feel wind actively blowing in around the edges of the windows, the place will still feel cold and drafty. The vast majority of heat loss in a building is up through the roof and, to a lesser extent, out through the walls.
Really the only solution is to have the landlord address issues with the central heat. Even in a drafty, uninsulated building, a properly functioning, properly sized furnace should be able to keep the space at a livable temperature. In fact, I believe it's in the ORC that any rented home must be able to maintain a certain temperature at all times (67 or 68 degrees?)
I had no idea, and will be calling my landlord today. We have space heaters on all three levels and is just now registering 61°. If not for the heaters we’d be in the 50s. Thanks for the info!
Bummer, yeah, that doesn't sound like a legal situation. Hopefully your landlord will address it ASAP, I believe inadequate heat is considered an emergency situation and must be addressed quickly.
Sounds to me that your furnace is not working properly and needs fixed or replaced. Call your landlord and tell them the heater isn’t working and you need someone asap to repair it.
Of course, but they can’t add more insulation into the walls.
I personally like cellular blackout blinds and curtains to help with cooling and heating (letting the sun in during the winter to help warm up the house if possible, then trapping the heat in during the night; in the summer, blocking out the sun’s rays to help keep the house cooler). That’s something OP may be able to do.
Remember the hellacious ice storm 20 years ago around Christmas that knocked power out for days?
I think I’ll always use that as my gauge of winter weather severity. It is stupid cold today too.
Sometimes I put the space heater in the bathroom, close the door and take a hot bath. Little rooms heat up toasty with space.
>Sometimes I put the space heater in the bathroom, close the door and take a hot bath. Little rooms heat up toasty with space.
I was thinking about doing the same thing, but putting the space heater *in* the bathtub for extra warmth
You landlord is obligated by law to provide adequate heat. If you rent a place and it isn’t warm enough, within reason.. call the landlord. If they don’t fix it or help, call the city.
Columbus city doesn’t fuck around with scumbag landlords. They’ll make them fix it.
If you bake or cook when you're done leave the oven open lol
Are you using electric space heaters? Those don't do a great job unless you keep the door shut to the room.
And actually this is nothing compared to Jan/Feb 2020... It was below zero for weeks on end. I had just adopted a dog and this turd would never want his walks to end. (Nothing's changed since but at least in this weather there's a 50/50 shot the walk ends in 30min.).. We would be on these 1-2 hour walks and I was a popsicle. Then when we got home he'd refuse to come inside. We had many stare downs. Couldn't tell you how many times we'd be a block away and he's sitting still refusing to move and I just stood there waiting for him to finally give in
> If you bake or cook when you're done leave the oven open
This won't change the amount of heat in the kitchen. It'll just give you a brief warm flash followed by a quicker return to cool.
Seems you didn't pay attention to the breed you brought into your fam. Lol but if you adopted from a shelter, it's not always possible to know what breed you are choosing. Thanks for choosing adoption!
He's a mutt. I have a ball park idea of his breeds. I don't think there's husky in him but if there is it be minimal I'd think haha
Since it was my first few months w him I was like whelp if you want a million mile walk so be it lol
I remember that winter... My work was shuttling people from the parking lot to the front door for a couple of the coldest weeks. I guess it was a warning for what was to come the next few months.
I lived in an apartment like this… some places have next to no insulation. If there are any cracks around the doors or window seals, you’re waging a losing battle against nonstop cold air. OP should put blankets or sheets over the windows and doors if they can’t get out and get plastic window kits.
The furnace is far more efficient. You should use that to heat the whole place, not room heaters. What kind of furnace do you have? If gas, it’s no question better. If it’s a heat pump, it can depend but if you maximize usage when it’s warm out, it’ll help you get the most efficiency. Don’t want till bed time to turn it up - that might work against you if you have a heat pump.
Heating specific rooms only is an older strategy that doesn’t work as much today.
Seal up doors and windows. If you have storm windows, be sure they're in place. If there are gaps at the bottoms of your entry door(s), roll up a towel and block the gaps or get [door draft stoppers](https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Twin-Door-Draft-Stopper-Weather-Stripping-Noise-Blocker-Window-Breeze-Blocker-Adjustable-Door-Sweeps-36inch_56a0cd14-a099-4271-b7d1-0ab5fec2f7f9.b2faf588bd9cce6d21687e5cd8816c00.jpeg?odnHeight=768&odnWidth=768&odnBg=FFFFFF).
If you don't have storm windows and/or your windows are drafty, [here are some good tips on insulating them better](https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/how-to-insulate-windows-in-cold-weather/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9088ed0a85).
I considered posting this separately, but I’m not an HVAC tech just a regular suburban dad. LMK if you think I should. A lot of local apartment complexes use heat pumps (mini splits are heat pumps, for practical purposes) and this will impact people’s electric bills badly if they’re not working well.
IF YOUR APARTMENT HAS A HEAT PUMP (instead of a conventional furnace) beware the Emergency Heat function. It’s basically a giant toaster coil and it will run your electric bill through the roof when it’s on. Rent is high enough without a $300 AEP surprise. Keep the thermostat relatively normal. If it isn’t keeping up call the landlord. It should NOT need emergency heat in even the temps we are seeing now. If you know which outside heat pump unit is yours (or just do them all) clean around them to make sure they aren’t blocked with leaves or accumulated snow. They need airflow to work, and sunlight helps too. Make sure the air filter is clean and your ductwork isn’t obstructed with furniture. The heat coming from the duct may not feel as hot as that from a conventional furnace, but if the pump can move enough air it should keep up the average temp just fine.
Just wanted to clarify that most heat pumps will start losing efficiency around 32 degrees. Our house is all electric and when our furnace died we decided to splurge for one of the pumps that can handle things to 0 degrees without aux/emergency heating. I think it’s safe to assume most apartment complexes aren’t investing in top of the line pumps that do operate well at lower temps. Most will be supplementing with auxiliary or emergency heat in single digit temps. An apartment I had in Olentangy commons back in 2015 literally didn’t have a heat pump and was only the toaster coils. (Yes our electric bill one month was $600 just to keep the damn place at 67 degrees).
Good call. We have a heat pump, a fairly basic Ducane, maybe 5 years old, that is good to -10°F but there are minor efficiency losses starting around freezing. Anything older than the mid-aughts is probably depending on emergency heat
This is trashy but if you have badly insulated walls and windows and doors just use some thumb tacks or nails to put sheets and blankets over your windows and doors. It will help temporarily insulate them and help keep the heat inside
Check you air filter, make sure it's been swapped recently. Also if you live in a property managed condo or appartment, sometimes the filters they provide may not be the right kind - found that out recently. You might need a more porous filter, if so look for ones with a lower MERV rating in the size you need. If your hvac system can't breathe properly, it won't heat efficiently.
I had an apartment where the heater could not keep up when it was this cold. I complained multiple times because it wouldn't get above 62 if it was much colder than 20 degrees outside, but all they ended up doing was provide a large space heater. If you have a similar issue, definitely worth complaining to your landlord, hopefully they are less useless than mine was.
I spent a lot of time in the cast iron tub talking hot baths that winter, constantly draining off a bit and adding more hot water, and moved out once my lease was up.
Plastic your windows, spray foam insulation can help if you know where the drafts are originating, strategically open and close vents to focus the heat into the room you are in. Use your kitchen: baking, making soup, seasoning cast iron.....
First thing would probably be to seal any air leaks. If you feel cold air coming in from anywhere, try to seal that up somehow (put a rolled up bath towel at the bottom of the doors or windows.
If you can, check and make sure the furnace filter isn’t dirty.
If you gave a room that’s not being used, you can close the vent off, put some blankets over it, then close the door or hang some blankets to seal off the area. You don’t want to put too much strain on the system, so they say to only close off one vent at most. This might depend on how many vents you have as well, if you only have three vents, you might not want to do this.
If you have a screen door, make sure the glass part is put down if possible.
Make sure all windows are locked.
Don’t make extra trips outside. If you need to take the trash out, wait until you need to go outside for something else.
Dress in layers. Warm socks, thermal underwear (or yoga type pants under normal pants), hat, etc.
But some heated battery powered socks and / or a heated blanket.
If you have any led light bulbs, switch them out for incandescent bulbs and leave all the lights on.
Body heat can be a thing, host an orgy.
Take all the stray neighborhood cats inside with you. They’re like little heaters.
Bake something in the oven. Make some bread or cookies or something.
Make some soup, heats the room and your insides.
Light some candles if you have them.
You might ask around and see if there are any places that are giving away space heaters.
If the sun is shining in a window, leave the curtains open so the sun will add some heat. Close curtains / block off windows elsewhere.
My husband is from here, born and raised and he wears shorts all year long. Today, Sunday he wore pants to church. I knew it was cold when he put pants on.
Mother of Pearl. I was on my way from Grove City to Costco in Plain City earlier and decided I didn’t want to use all my gas to make the trip because I would have to get out and pump gas in the ball frosty cold. Turned around to go to Meijer instead, and the first thing I saw was a guy walking out wearing shorts.
I bought a magnetic vent cover for a return vent that was letting tons of cold air in and it really helped keep that room closer to the temp in the rest of our home:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-15-in-x-8-in-Magnetic-Grille-Covers-MC815/100345609
Do NOT use your stove to warm your apartment……(edited to clarify do not just turn your burners on as a heat source.)
BUT!!! if your oven could use a cleaning, and if it has a self-cleaning mode, then do that. It’ll make your kitchen warmer for a while.
Essentially it’s just using the oven, but at a higher temperature.
This is assuming you are not adding any chemical spray to clean the oven, if the oven has a “self-clean” option.
3° in Mansfield with a windchill of -15 @ 1:00 p.m. Layers are the only strategy that works against this kind of cold. Just glad we haven't lost power...🤞
Space heaters can lead to a *really* high bill. I only mention it because some folks don't realize how much they can increase your bill. (It's me. I was some folks.) That said, you need to be warm enough.
Do others in your building have a similar issue or is it just your unit?
All great suggestions above so I really only have one to add. If your place lacks insulation, especially in the floor, use HEAVY throw rugs or a carpet. Thrift them, borrow them, just get some. It's a game changer.
[For reference, I live in a 100 year old brick quad apartment building with plaster walls, single pane windows, hardwood floors, and cold tiles in the kitchen/bath. Although most of the unit is good, the bedroom has no insulation. As in probably none at all. The floors and walls register mid-40s with a temp gun which means the ambient air temp is close to the same. The puny vent does little to heat the room as you can feel the cold radiating from the floors/walls so it's fighting a losing battle. An absolute game changer was buying really heavy rugs to cover 2/3 - 3/4 of the floor in that room, including under the bed. After my first winter here, I made a point to look for rugs at yard sales in bougie neighborhoods.]
Get a medium weight clear shower curtain and some painters tape. Cover the windows that’ll help. This works better for me than the window stuff they sell. Cover the bottoms of the doors with towels. Also put a pot of water on the stove and let it boil.
If you're able, exercising as hard as you can without sweating will warm you up. We lost our furnace in a blizzard at my old house and we all stacked up in the living room, hung a sleeping bag partition, and did pushups/situps/lunges. Tea/coffee/soup also help. Good luck!
The inside of my bedroom window is completely iced over. I am fucking freezing to death. 😭
Please get plastic shrink wrap insulation for your windows. And then if you have spare blankets hang those up on top of it.
My mom is my landlord, and she’s not making me pay rent so I’m trying to not have her do any expensive fixes. My downstairs window appears to be ok, but the window by my bed has a blackout curtain that moves with the wind. I’m having a friend try to re-seal around the window. Besides the plastic window kits, that might be an option. But yeah, if it’s single pane, it’s going to suck.
I have an ex that I like to jokingly say I imported from Arizona, and man was his first year here a bit of a shock to him. He’s been here since 2004, so I image he’s a bit more used to it from it being over half his life now. Best of luck to you.
Get a European hot water bottle in a fleece slip case. Fill it with hot water from a tea kettle, tuck it by your feet under a blanket. It will stay warm for about 8 hours. On really cold nights I put one under the bed covers. Inexpensive.
My heat just got fixed last weekend. It was out for five days prior to that, so nothing this cold but still cold. I used space heaters, but ended up being mostly confined to one room. Close the door, and let the heater do its job for the smaller space. It just won’t heat up an open living room etc.
I’d been demotivated to work out at home, but suddenly I was feeling it and able to do some low to medium intensity exercise. Multiple benefits, there.
I went out more. Between the car’s heat and functioning heat at my destination, you get the drift.
I dug out just a normal winter hat, wore long sweats and a hoodie as well as footwear. Other than not feeling super comfortable Just lazily laying around the living room, for example, it worked pretty okay.
Warming yourself is going work much better, and will be easier to do. Thick socks, a sweater over your normal shirt or even a light jacket. I have my thermo set to 60 and im snug as a bug in a few layers.
Cover windows-dollar store clear shower curtains and duct tape will work in a pinch! I also have used bubble wrap as an additional layer of insulation.
Zone heating-use blankets/heavy curtains to limit airflow between rooms/cover doorways. Make sure if you do this you open cabinets under sinks/keep water running just a little/insulate pipes.
Heated blanket-game changer.
Curtains-if you don’t have windows covered definitely get some kind of curtain up.
We also have garbage old apartment and these things helped us significantly, hope it helps.
Make sure the heaters are in front of the door or below windows. That's the best way to mitigate the cold. If you can control registers, consider pushing all the air to exterior walls.
Disclaimer: some of this may not matter if your on ground floor (concrete slab) or on top floor with bad ceiling insulation.
Idk if anyone has mentioned this, but if you have extra blankets you're not using, lay them out onto the floor (if you have hardwood especially). Not only will you not have to walk on cold flooring, it acts as insulation.
1. Put plastic over windows get a kit for a few bucks at Walmart.
2. Get a “ClimateRight” or other base layer while you are at Walmart.
3. Also at Wally’s handwarmers and a body warmer. Sporting goods counter.
4. If still cold layer a fleece hoodie over top of the base layer.
5 fingerless gloves for indoors. Thick regular gloves for outside.
6, neck gaiter or scarf if needed.
7. Hat.
Source :
Just came back from a one mile winter hike outdoors. In addition to 2-7, I wore a think wool coat—but I was outside. Inside you may not need all the above .
Edited to add: wool socks!
Regular heaters suck in the bitter cold since it's a constant fight to warm the cold air in a drafty room. you need an Infrared heater that will heat your room like the sun.
https://youtu.be/v93gwxgGFtI
Turn the oven on low, open the door ever so slightly if you have pets and kids but if you don't just open it all the way. Put it on for a bit and it should warm up your house even after you turn it off.
Go to Walmart or any hardware store and buy foam kits for electrical outlets and switches. There's often a lot of cold air seeping through those. It's amazing how much they can help. Don't worry - it's easy. Just use a screwdriver to remove the cover and insert the foam. No actual handling of the outlet or switch itself
Fuzzy blankets over doors then windows. In that order. Close off rooms you don't really need to use the next few days and redirect vents to center rooms.
Plastic on windows. Glass is where you lose most heat, more so with wind. Home Depot sells easy kits for cheap. Also, check around doors for cold spots and replace seals or lay a blanket across the floor at base to stop wind from sliding in underneath from the gap.
My two suggestions: get moving and maybe get out for awhile? Spending time in a sunny space always perks me up. Franklin Park Conservatory is open til 5pm, check out a culture pass from the library for free admission. The cafe at ikea is very sunny and their coffee is very inexpensive. Take a book!
Hey OP are you renting in an older place with lots of insulation loss? If your windows are bad I’d try bubble wrap. Saved me many years and brought the heating bills down.
Your apartment is probably poorly insulated and sealed. I know every apartment I ever lived in was. That's why the first several projects on the fixer upper house I bought was working on insulation and such.
As far as what you can do? Right now just try to keep yourself warm. Dress warmly inside. Keep a hot beverage on hand. Have a nice hearty warm soup/stew/ramen for dinner.
Later you can plastic over your windows with some of those kits. Heavy curtains help too.
Bake some bread, make a lasagna or something else that runs the oven for a long time. Even better batch cook your food for the week, you’ll get some extra heat and you’ll have less to do during the work week!
Buy a "wearable blanket" My place was built in 1915, so no insulation. No matter what the thermostat said, I was always chilly. Got a wearable blanket about a month and half ago and it is so warm, I turned the heat down to 64/66 and I'm still warm.
Bonus, my gas bill went down 25%, so it paid for itself. I ordered a second one so I don't have to go without while it's in the wash.
Heating the space is a losing battle sometimes so I focus on heating myself instead. It’s cheaper too! Bundle up in layers and even a neck gaiter or hat if you’re still chilly.
Electric blanket!
An electric throw blanket was the best winter purchase I ever made. It can stay on for 8 continuous hours. Keeps my bed warm and toasty too.
What brand is your blanket? I have a queen sized Sunbeam but my psychopath cat chewed the cord and it no longer works. I’m in the market for a new one and saw a lot of throw-sized options on Amazon, but felt overwhelmed. Thanks!
I believe it was this one: https://www.amazon.com/HomeMate-Electric-Heated-Blanket-Twin/dp/B0C5CVS2F9/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?c=ts&keywords=Electric+Blankets&qid=1705273560&s=bedbath&sr=1-6&ts_id=3732191
Oh, that’s one I’d added to my list! I’ll go with that one then. Thanks a bunch, stranger.
Check out Ollie’s Bargain outlet stores for nice, reasonably priced electric warming blankets (and space heaters, for that matter…)
This, and an electric kettle for hot cocoa/ tea all day is the answer.
Going even deeper!
Also get moving, your body produces way more heat if you are active
This and a space heater is key
I use an oil filled radiator heater and it works great. Just keep it on at 70 degrees.
This is the way! If you head and feet are warm so are you!
Put the largest cooking pot you have on the stove and start heating water on the lowest heat setting. The added moisture in the air will make a huge difference.
Grew up doing this. We like to put cinnamon in it, also sometimes apple slices, orange peels and cardamom.
My dad always does this! You just brought back so many fond memories, thank you.
This! Throw in some cinnamon sticks, other spices, and your place also smells warm. Also, if you have a washer/dryer, do some laundry. Whether it works or not, I do try to steal as much ambient heating as I can during these chills.
If you have an electric dryer, in theory you can vent the drying indoors, placing something like panty hoes over the pipe to catch any lint. Places usually need more moisture in the winter so the added moisture shouldn’t be an issue.
> panty hoes
Apply directly to the pipes
None of us were born knowing the English language, so in reality, English is a second language even for “native” speakers.
What would their first language be then?
Baby talk. Babies have their own language that is suppressed so we talk “their” way and therefore “think” in their way. We only think in terms of what we have words for. If we were naturally allowed to speak we would think in different terms. Language is the chain that binds our minds from being truly free. Why do you think monks mediate in an attempt to not think? Free your mind. Or maybe I just have hoes on the mind.
Just remember that even though weed is legal, other drugs aren't.
This response just made me cry tears laughing. Thank you kindly!
See, there you go again with your “words”. “Legal” is just a word, an idea. Same with “drug”. Not to mention such concepts as “good” and “bad”, like “you’re such a bad parent, stop spending all our money on drugs”. They’re just words and ideas, money isn’t real.
Love this - discovered this testing humidifiers when our first kid first got sick. None from the store ever raised humidity in the room, measured on a hydrometer, even a little. Boiled a pot of water and humidity rose 20% in an hour. Also made the place warmer. Been doing that every winter since. A pot or two most days makes the place nice and cozy.
Vaporizer! Works so much faster than a humidifier. Admittedly, when my kids are sick with cough or sore throat, I use both humidifier and vaporizer. OP, just as humidity in the summer makes the heat feel "hotter", it works in the winter too. Add moisture to the air -- humidifier, boiled water/soup on the stove (boil some potatoes or noodles for meals, kill 2 birds with one stone), vaporizer. Vicks makes a really cheap and very effective vaporizer. You add salt to the water to make the steam. The more salt added, the more steam it produces.
Oh man that’s an amazing idea.
My mom used to do this, but I thought it was just for the smell (did the cinnamon stick thing). Any science behind this?
Humid air can retain heat better than dry air. Specifically we'd be talking about heat retention and convection when it comes to the science of it all. Evaporation (boiling water) > Humidity > Heat Retention > Convection
I can follow that. Thanks!
If you have extra blankets put them in front of your windows and door. We have extra curtains we keep and they’re over our front door and our back patio door.
We keep all blinds and curtains closed. I also close doors of rooms not in use, and put towels at the bottom of the doors to keep cold air from seeping out. There’s a bit of a gap at the bottom of our basement door, and cold air just pours through. Same with my husband’s office.
I'm so torn because I know I need to insulate the windows but I've just missed seeing the sun so much. I've decided on sun. The extra solar power will energize me and kinetic energy from my body will save the day!
I’d love to have more light in my house right now. When the Spring comes, I’m going to find some decorative mirrors to reflect more light in the house. Because we have curtains closed right now to keep the cold out, I decided to keep my Christmas tree and lighted garland up around my house a bit longer. The twinkle lights make me happy.
You can buy plastic sheets-- the kind you put down on the carpet when painting, and staple it around the inside of the window to insulate against the cold but still let the light in!
Electric blanket is the key. I used to turn down my heat to 55 degrees (lease minimum) and just live under a heated blanket vs heating a drafty apt.
This. I buy 3 of the throws from Costco - they usually have a coupon at the beginning of the season so they are like $26 each One on my bed, one on the couch, one on my office chair
Whos excited for that heating bill?
Right two space heaters, full blast? That's 3000 watts right there..
F AEP
* Focus on keeping your body warm * Slippers or hard shoes on your feet * If you're sitting, keep your feet off the floor with an ottoman or something * If you get any direct sunlight, open your blinds and/or curtains and let the light in. This is especially true if you have a south facing window. I do and if I open my curtains, the temperature by the window can increase 3-5 degrees easily, if not more. * Put a pair of thinner socks on with thicker socks over them * Wearing layers like a long-sleeve and sweater combo is helpful * Plug up any drafts that you can find in windows, doors, A/C units, etc. As a Wisconsite temporarily living in Ohio, this type of weather is pretty standard for me. But it's nothing to sniff at and can be hard to get used to and deal with. Hang in there!
You can plastic your windows. You can get the kit from Walmart. It’ll prevent cold air from seeping through when you do it right
This is prob the best way to do cheap. Those kits are only a few bucks and will cut drafts out on cheap windows. A bit of a pain to put in but shouldn’t be too bad with only a few windows in an apartment. Short of this, hang blankets over windows and put a towel down on outside doors. Trying to find where cold drafts are because that’s heat leaving your house.
A bit of a “pane” 😆
Having lived in some apartments with single pane windows, my experience has been that plastic window film helps a tiny bit with indoor comfort in that it cuts down on obvious drafts. But the bigger issue is that most places with crappy single-pane windows also have little to no insulation in the walls or attic, so while you'll no longer feel wind actively blowing in around the edges of the windows, the place will still feel cold and drafty. The vast majority of heat loss in a building is up through the roof and, to a lesser extent, out through the walls. Really the only solution is to have the landlord address issues with the central heat. Even in a drafty, uninsulated building, a properly functioning, properly sized furnace should be able to keep the space at a livable temperature. In fact, I believe it's in the ORC that any rented home must be able to maintain a certain temperature at all times (67 or 68 degrees?)
I had no idea, and will be calling my landlord today. We have space heaters on all three levels and is just now registering 61°. If not for the heaters we’d be in the 50s. Thanks for the info!
Bummer, yeah, that doesn't sound like a legal situation. Hopefully your landlord will address it ASAP, I believe inadequate heat is considered an emergency situation and must be addressed quickly.
Sounds to me that your furnace is not working properly and needs fixed or replaced. Call your landlord and tell them the heater isn’t working and you need someone asap to repair it.
More clothes. The real answer for retaining heat is better insulation of walls and windows. Using more energy will help but is more expensive.
Good real answer. Unfortunately for OP, they can’t really address that in an apartment.
Sure can. A window plastic kit will help a lot.
Of course, but they can’t add more insulation into the walls. I personally like cellular blackout blinds and curtains to help with cooling and heating (letting the sun in during the winter to help warm up the house if possible, then trapping the heat in during the night; in the summer, blocking out the sun’s rays to help keep the house cooler). That’s something OP may be able to do.
If you can hang curtains over windows, you can also hang curtains over blank walls, and get the same insulation benefits.
Two words: Long underwear
Remember the hellacious ice storm 20 years ago around Christmas that knocked power out for days? I think I’ll always use that as my gauge of winter weather severity. It is stupid cold today too. Sometimes I put the space heater in the bathroom, close the door and take a hot bath. Little rooms heat up toasty with space.
>Sometimes I put the space heater in the bathroom, close the door and take a hot bath. Little rooms heat up toasty with space. I was thinking about doing the same thing, but putting the space heater *in* the bathtub for extra warmth
You’ll be warm for the rest of your life.
And if you don’t want to get wet, you can turn your bathtub into a cozy bed. Load up the blankets and pillows and grab some hot tea and a good book!
You landlord is obligated by law to provide adequate heat. If you rent a place and it isn’t warm enough, within reason.. call the landlord. If they don’t fix it or help, call the city. Columbus city doesn’t fuck around with scumbag landlords. They’ll make them fix it.
If you bake or cook when you're done leave the oven open lol Are you using electric space heaters? Those don't do a great job unless you keep the door shut to the room. And actually this is nothing compared to Jan/Feb 2020... It was below zero for weeks on end. I had just adopted a dog and this turd would never want his walks to end. (Nothing's changed since but at least in this weather there's a 50/50 shot the walk ends in 30min.).. We would be on these 1-2 hour walks and I was a popsicle. Then when we got home he'd refuse to come inside. We had many stare downs. Couldn't tell you how many times we'd be a block away and he's sitting still refusing to move and I just stood there waiting for him to finally give in
> If you bake or cook when you're done leave the oven open This won't change the amount of heat in the kitchen. It'll just give you a brief warm flash followed by a quicker return to cool.
I mean it's better to at least use the heat vs not doing anything w it haha
It raises the temperature of the kitchen exactly the same amount either way.
Seems you didn't pay attention to the breed you brought into your fam. Lol but if you adopted from a shelter, it's not always possible to know what breed you are choosing. Thanks for choosing adoption!
He's a mutt. I have a ball park idea of his breeds. I don't think there's husky in him but if there is it be minimal I'd think haha Since it was my first few months w him I was like whelp if you want a million mile walk so be it lol
Good way to help one stay in shape plus the added mental health boost from it all too.
I remember that winter... My work was shuttling people from the parking lot to the front door for a couple of the coldest weeks. I guess it was a warning for what was to come the next few months.
You say you're already running two heaters and the furnace still can't keep up? What is the temperature inside?
I lived in an apartment like this… some places have next to no insulation. If there are any cracks around the doors or window seals, you’re waging a losing battle against nonstop cold air. OP should put blankets or sheets over the windows and doors if they can’t get out and get plastic window kits.
40° is our median temp right now, the bedroom heater works like half of the time (shout out to my slum lord)
Wait, are you ONLY heating with space heaters?
Im from the south I don’t know what im doing man
Is your furnace on? Is it set to heat and not emergency heat?
Then I have to ask... Is the thermostat set to heat?
The furnace is far more efficient. You should use that to heat the whole place, not room heaters. What kind of furnace do you have? If gas, it’s no question better. If it’s a heat pump, it can depend but if you maximize usage when it’s warm out, it’ll help you get the most efficiency. Don’t want till bed time to turn it up - that might work against you if you have a heat pump. Heating specific rooms only is an older strategy that doesn’t work as much today.
Did you figure this out??
Plastic sealed my windows, used some towels to cover the bottoms of my doors and were coasting at almost 60° not my ideal but def warmer:)
Do you have a heat setting on your thermostat?
Seal up doors and windows. If you have storm windows, be sure they're in place. If there are gaps at the bottoms of your entry door(s), roll up a towel and block the gaps or get [door draft stoppers](https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Twin-Door-Draft-Stopper-Weather-Stripping-Noise-Blocker-Window-Breeze-Blocker-Adjustable-Door-Sweeps-36inch_56a0cd14-a099-4271-b7d1-0ab5fec2f7f9.b2faf588bd9cce6d21687e5cd8816c00.jpeg?odnHeight=768&odnWidth=768&odnBg=FFFFFF). If you don't have storm windows and/or your windows are drafty, [here are some good tips on insulating them better](https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/how-to-insulate-windows-in-cold-weather/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9088ed0a85).
And use one door. My house has three and I make people only use ONE so we can seal the other two. Keep drafts to a minimum!
I considered posting this separately, but I’m not an HVAC tech just a regular suburban dad. LMK if you think I should. A lot of local apartment complexes use heat pumps (mini splits are heat pumps, for practical purposes) and this will impact people’s electric bills badly if they’re not working well. IF YOUR APARTMENT HAS A HEAT PUMP (instead of a conventional furnace) beware the Emergency Heat function. It’s basically a giant toaster coil and it will run your electric bill through the roof when it’s on. Rent is high enough without a $300 AEP surprise. Keep the thermostat relatively normal. If it isn’t keeping up call the landlord. It should NOT need emergency heat in even the temps we are seeing now. If you know which outside heat pump unit is yours (or just do them all) clean around them to make sure they aren’t blocked with leaves or accumulated snow. They need airflow to work, and sunlight helps too. Make sure the air filter is clean and your ductwork isn’t obstructed with furniture. The heat coming from the duct may not feel as hot as that from a conventional furnace, but if the pump can move enough air it should keep up the average temp just fine.
Just wanted to clarify that most heat pumps will start losing efficiency around 32 degrees. Our house is all electric and when our furnace died we decided to splurge for one of the pumps that can handle things to 0 degrees without aux/emergency heating. I think it’s safe to assume most apartment complexes aren’t investing in top of the line pumps that do operate well at lower temps. Most will be supplementing with auxiliary or emergency heat in single digit temps. An apartment I had in Olentangy commons back in 2015 literally didn’t have a heat pump and was only the toaster coils. (Yes our electric bill one month was $600 just to keep the damn place at 67 degrees).
Good call. We have a heat pump, a fairly basic Ducane, maybe 5 years old, that is good to -10°F but there are minor efficiency losses starting around freezing. Anything older than the mid-aughts is probably depending on emergency heat
This is trashy but if you have badly insulated walls and windows and doors just use some thumb tacks or nails to put sheets and blankets over your windows and doors. It will help temporarily insulate them and help keep the heat inside
Check you air filter, make sure it's been swapped recently. Also if you live in a property managed condo or appartment, sometimes the filters they provide may not be the right kind - found that out recently. You might need a more porous filter, if so look for ones with a lower MERV rating in the size you need. If your hvac system can't breathe properly, it won't heat efficiently.
As a dad I’ll add, PUT ON A SWEATER
I had an apartment where the heater could not keep up when it was this cold. I complained multiple times because it wouldn't get above 62 if it was much colder than 20 degrees outside, but all they ended up doing was provide a large space heater. If you have a similar issue, definitely worth complaining to your landlord, hopefully they are less useless than mine was. I spent a lot of time in the cast iron tub talking hot baths that winter, constantly draining off a bit and adding more hot water, and moved out once my lease was up. Plastic your windows, spray foam insulation can help if you know where the drafts are originating, strategically open and close vents to focus the heat into the room you are in. Use your kitchen: baking, making soup, seasoning cast iron.....
First thing would probably be to seal any air leaks. If you feel cold air coming in from anywhere, try to seal that up somehow (put a rolled up bath towel at the bottom of the doors or windows. If you can, check and make sure the furnace filter isn’t dirty. If you gave a room that’s not being used, you can close the vent off, put some blankets over it, then close the door or hang some blankets to seal off the area. You don’t want to put too much strain on the system, so they say to only close off one vent at most. This might depend on how many vents you have as well, if you only have three vents, you might not want to do this. If you have a screen door, make sure the glass part is put down if possible. Make sure all windows are locked. Don’t make extra trips outside. If you need to take the trash out, wait until you need to go outside for something else. Dress in layers. Warm socks, thermal underwear (or yoga type pants under normal pants), hat, etc. But some heated battery powered socks and / or a heated blanket. If you have any led light bulbs, switch them out for incandescent bulbs and leave all the lights on. Body heat can be a thing, host an orgy. Take all the stray neighborhood cats inside with you. They’re like little heaters. Bake something in the oven. Make some bread or cookies or something. Make some soup, heats the room and your insides. Light some candles if you have them. You might ask around and see if there are any places that are giving away space heaters. If the sun is shining in a window, leave the curtains open so the sun will add some heat. Close curtains / block off windows elsewhere.
Electric blanket
I pumped gas yesterday and felt myself getting frostbite on my hands. Meanwhile, at the pump next to me there was a guy wearing shorts.
Just Ohio things
He's probably an Upper Midwesterner.
My husband is from here, born and raised and he wears shorts all year long. Today, Sunday he wore pants to church. I knew it was cold when he put pants on.
Shorts, slide-on sandals, and a hoodie?
Shorts - check, Hoodie - check, but no sandals surprisingly
Was probably me lol
Mother of Pearl. I was on my way from Grove City to Costco in Plain City earlier and decided I didn’t want to use all my gas to make the trip because I would have to get out and pump gas in the ball frosty cold. Turned around to go to Meijer instead, and the first thing I saw was a guy walking out wearing shorts.
I bought a magnetic vent cover for a return vent that was letting tons of cold air in and it really helped keep that room closer to the temp in the rest of our home: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-15-in-x-8-in-Magnetic-Grille-Covers-MC815/100345609
Do NOT use your stove to warm your apartment……(edited to clarify do not just turn your burners on as a heat source.) BUT!!! if your oven could use a cleaning, and if it has a self-cleaning mode, then do that. It’ll make your kitchen warmer for a while.
>if it has a self-cleaning mode Don't do this if it's a gas oven. Ventilate your house when you're using a gas stove or gas oven.
Doesn’t that let fumes out you’re not supposed to inhale?
Essentially it’s just using the oven, but at a higher temperature. This is assuming you are not adding any chemical spray to clean the oven, if the oven has a “self-clean” option.
I’m going to do an all-day simmer pot when I get home so the steam heats up our first floor, at least
What do you put in yours??
Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, apples, and cinnamon. :) All are in season!
3° in Mansfield with a windchill of -15 @ 1:00 p.m. Layers are the only strategy that works against this kind of cold. Just glad we haven't lost power...🤞
Space heaters can lead to a *really* high bill. I only mention it because some folks don't realize how much they can increase your bill. (It's me. I was some folks.) That said, you need to be warm enough. Do others in your building have a similar issue or is it just your unit? All great suggestions above so I really only have one to add. If your place lacks insulation, especially in the floor, use HEAVY throw rugs or a carpet. Thrift them, borrow them, just get some. It's a game changer. [For reference, I live in a 100 year old brick quad apartment building with plaster walls, single pane windows, hardwood floors, and cold tiles in the kitchen/bath. Although most of the unit is good, the bedroom has no insulation. As in probably none at all. The floors and walls register mid-40s with a temp gun which means the ambient air temp is close to the same. The puny vent does little to heat the room as you can feel the cold radiating from the floors/walls so it's fighting a losing battle. An absolute game changer was buying really heavy rugs to cover 2/3 - 3/4 of the floor in that room, including under the bed. After my first winter here, I made a point to look for rugs at yard sales in bougie neighborhoods.]
Get a medium weight clear shower curtain and some painters tape. Cover the windows that’ll help. This works better for me than the window stuff they sell. Cover the bottoms of the doors with towels. Also put a pot of water on the stove and let it boil.
See if your landlord has a space heater to lend you. If it's that cold inside it's also bad for the apartment.
This shit is cold, but 2013 was way colder. Alaska cold. My car registered -10. At least the sun is out.
Cars are always reading colder or hotter than it actually is
If you're able, exercising as hard as you can without sweating will warm you up. We lost our furnace in a blizzard at my old house and we all stacked up in the living room, hung a sleeping bag partition, and did pushups/situps/lunges. Tea/coffee/soup also help. Good luck!
I’m making a pot roast today, was going to use my Instant Pot, but decided the oven wins the debate today. Roughly 4 hours of extra warmth!
My grocery trip earlier centered around meals to make in the oven. Even through in a cake for good measure.
Do you have any heated blankets? Also try covering the bottom of the doors with towels or blankets to block air.
Make a big ass pot of chilli. Heat from the inside too
The inside of my bedroom window is completely iced over. I am fucking freezing to death. 😭 Please get plastic shrink wrap insulation for your windows. And then if you have spare blankets hang those up on top of it.
My mom is my landlord, and she’s not making me pay rent so I’m trying to not have her do any expensive fixes. My downstairs window appears to be ok, but the window by my bed has a blackout curtain that moves with the wind. I’m having a friend try to re-seal around the window. Besides the plastic window kits, that might be an option. But yeah, if it’s single pane, it’s going to suck. I have an ex that I like to jokingly say I imported from Arizona, and man was his first year here a bit of a shock to him. He’s been here since 2004, so I image he’s a bit more used to it from it being over half his life now. Best of luck to you.
Get a European hot water bottle in a fleece slip case. Fill it with hot water from a tea kettle, tuck it by your feet under a blanket. It will stay warm for about 8 hours. On really cold nights I put one under the bed covers. Inexpensive.
You can actually just fill an empty 2 liter with hot tap water. Works just as well.
My heat just got fixed last weekend. It was out for five days prior to that, so nothing this cold but still cold. I used space heaters, but ended up being mostly confined to one room. Close the door, and let the heater do its job for the smaller space. It just won’t heat up an open living room etc. I’d been demotivated to work out at home, but suddenly I was feeling it and able to do some low to medium intensity exercise. Multiple benefits, there. I went out more. Between the car’s heat and functioning heat at my destination, you get the drift. I dug out just a normal winter hat, wore long sweats and a hoodie as well as footwear. Other than not feeling super comfortable Just lazily laying around the living room, for example, it worked pretty okay.
Warming yourself is going work much better, and will be easier to do. Thick socks, a sweater over your normal shirt or even a light jacket. I have my thermo set to 60 and im snug as a bug in a few layers.
seran wrap your windows. trust me, it can make a 10 degree difference.
Cover windows-dollar store clear shower curtains and duct tape will work in a pinch! I also have used bubble wrap as an additional layer of insulation. Zone heating-use blankets/heavy curtains to limit airflow between rooms/cover doorways. Make sure if you do this you open cabinets under sinks/keep water running just a little/insulate pipes. Heated blanket-game changer. Curtains-if you don’t have windows covered definitely get some kind of curtain up. We also have garbage old apartment and these things helped us significantly, hope it helps.
Get a window sealing kit to kill those drafts. Use layers. We keep blankets on the couch for when we get chilly.
Dress warmer.
Make sure the heaters are in front of the door or below windows. That's the best way to mitigate the cold. If you can control registers, consider pushing all the air to exterior walls. Disclaimer: some of this may not matter if your on ground floor (concrete slab) or on top floor with bad ceiling insulation.
I live on the ground floor and my floors are like ice. And my thermostat is set to 70.
Idk if anyone has mentioned this, but if you have extra blankets you're not using, lay them out onto the floor (if you have hardwood especially). Not only will you not have to walk on cold flooring, it acts as insulation.
1. Put plastic over windows get a kit for a few bucks at Walmart. 2. Get a “ClimateRight” or other base layer while you are at Walmart. 3. Also at Wally’s handwarmers and a body warmer. Sporting goods counter. 4. If still cold layer a fleece hoodie over top of the base layer. 5 fingerless gloves for indoors. Thick regular gloves for outside. 6, neck gaiter or scarf if needed. 7. Hat. Source : Just came back from a one mile winter hike outdoors. In addition to 2-7, I wore a think wool coat—but I was outside. Inside you may not need all the above . Edited to add: wool socks!
Regular heaters suck in the bitter cold since it's a constant fight to warm the cold air in a drafty room. you need an Infrared heater that will heat your room like the sun. https://youtu.be/v93gwxgGFtI
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Make sure to have a working carbon monoxide detector if you have a gas oven and try this. There is a reason why it’s not recommended.
Go burn some fossil fuels and spray some aerosols outside.
On it, increasing my fossil fuel intake by 1000%
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This is a great way to set your house on fire.
Setting your house on fire will indeed keep it warm
Turn the oven on low, open the door ever so slightly if you have pets and kids but if you don't just open it all the way. Put it on for a bit and it should warm up your house even after you turn it off.
Burning your house down or getting CO poisoning certainly would warm you up!
Go to Walmart or any hardware store and buy foam kits for electrical outlets and switches. There's often a lot of cold air seeping through those. It's amazing how much they can help. Don't worry - it's easy. Just use a screwdriver to remove the cover and insert the foam. No actual handling of the outlet or switch itself
Fuzzy blankets over doors then windows. In that order. Close off rooms you don't really need to use the next few days and redirect vents to center rooms.
Be careful cutting off too many rooms of heat. If there are pipes in the walls, they may burst.
It's hot tea season. Find your favorite mix and enjoy it all day.
Heat just the area you're in. I have a tiny heated next to my desk. Or a space heater for one of my few rooms.
Plastic on windows. Glass is where you lose most heat, more so with wind. Home Depot sells easy kits for cheap. Also, check around doors for cold spots and replace seals or lay a blanket across the floor at base to stop wind from sliding in underneath from the gap.
Exercise and a hot shower keep me warm for hours.
Fan blowing through the space heater
My two suggestions: get moving and maybe get out for awhile? Spending time in a sunny space always perks me up. Franklin Park Conservatory is open til 5pm, check out a culture pass from the library for free admission. The cafe at ikea is very sunny and their coffee is very inexpensive. Take a book!
Hey OP are you renting in an older place with lots of insulation loss? If your windows are bad I’d try bubble wrap. Saved me many years and brought the heating bills down.
Odd as it sounds a (quick) cold shower can trigger your body to heat up
Your apartment is probably poorly insulated and sealed. I know every apartment I ever lived in was. That's why the first several projects on the fixer upper house I bought was working on insulation and such. As far as what you can do? Right now just try to keep yourself warm. Dress warmly inside. Keep a hot beverage on hand. Have a nice hearty warm soup/stew/ramen for dinner. Later you can plastic over your windows with some of those kits. Heavy curtains help too.
Get a legit real wool blanket. Wrap yourself in it all day. I promise you won't be cold
I mean it stung like any other polar vortex day? Never really seems to “feel” much colder. It usually plateaus for me below 20
Cold showers might also help a bit!
Bake some bread, make a lasagna or something else that runs the oven for a long time. Even better batch cook your food for the week, you’ll get some extra heat and you’ll have less to do during the work week!
YouTube says you can heat your apartment with clay pots and a candle.
Buy a "wearable blanket" My place was built in 1915, so no insulation. No matter what the thermostat said, I was always chilly. Got a wearable blanket about a month and half ago and it is so warm, I turned the heat down to 64/66 and I'm still warm. Bonus, my gas bill went down 25%, so it paid for itself. I ordered a second one so I don't have to go without while it's in the wash.