How to Properly Insulate Your Windows for the Cold Weather

If you’re a homeowner who’s spent many winters in your current house, you’ll already know the ins and outs of keeping your home winterized and warm for several months. What you might not know is how keeping your windows uninsulated or improperly insulated is exposing you to a lot of serious issues over time. Even if you have brand new windows courtesy of Renewal by Andersen window replacement, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to put in the time each and every winter to seal and properly insulate windows from drafts and air leaks. It might not seem necessary to go through the motions of weatherstripping and weatherproofing each year, but trust us. Putting in the time now will protect your home from a lot of damage over time. If you’re struggling to think of ways to better insulate your windows, look no further.

Get Rubber Seals

If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to seal up your windows for the winter, purchasing adhesive rubber seals are a great way to go for a homeowner who doesn’t want to spend a ton of time on extra weatherstripping. They come pre-cut, and you can find them in a variety of sizes. Using these seals can save you some time applying caulking, which seals better but is messy and tends to erode over time. They can also be used in other ways to seal your home: You can apply them as door lips or use them to seal or reinforce poorly-caulked bathroom cracks. Since they’re rubber, they’re ready to protect any surface and won’t create a huge mess. One thing to be aware of, however, is that the adhesive that comes with rubber seals could create a problem when you’re removing it, especially newly-painted areas that chip easily. Make sure you lay these down on areas where they can stay installed for a long time to avoid making a mess.

Use Window Film

Another favorite in the realm of cost-effective insulation options, window film is super inexpensive and can be applied to any home window without a ton of effort. All you need to do is purchase a large roll of film, tape it to a window, and use heated air, such as the heat from a blow dryer, to shrink the film to create an airtight seal. Creating this type of seal is easy and can be applied all over the house in less than a day. The drawback? It’s not exactly the most effective unless you’ve already weather-stripped beforehand. As you may have already guessed, putting a layer of plastic film over your window isn’t the most foolproof plan if your windows already tend to be leaky and old. What this technique is great at is creating an extra barrier so that literally nothing can get through your window cracks.

Weatherstrip and Caulk on the Inside

The most important, tried-and-true way to prevent drafts and create perfect insulation for your windows is to go in and actually insulate. Whether you plug up your window’s border with insulation foam, install weatherstripping and caulking, or seal with rubber, making sure you’ve plugged up any available space where a breeze could get through will make your window sturdy and help your home stay protected from drafts all winter long. However, taking the time to weatherstrip and caulk each and every window is time-consuming. This is a project best taken on in the late days of fall when it’s not cold enough for this to become a painful endeavor. Since this project might take all day, try to set aside a few hours each day for each room or floor of your home to break up this monotonous work.

Purchase Drapes

Much like window film, thick, winter-ready drapes won’t do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to insulation. What they will do, however, is trap heat inside a room and stop any potential leaks in their tracks before they find their way to you. Purchasing drapes made of a thick, luxurious material like velvet won’t just add a touch of class to your home. They create a heavy-duty barrier against any potential wind tunnel that could spring up at the site of an old, leaky window. You can use drapes to shut out the sun on hotter days, as well. In terms of temporary fixes for leaky windows, drapes are a great option to last the whole year round, and they come with the extra benefit of looking great in your home.