Prepping Your Apartment for the Winter Season
Winter is quickly approaching, so it would be wise to start prepping your apartment now. While the community staff is responsible for dealing with snow, you need to make sure you have all the proper supplies that will help you keep warm. Failing to do so could leave you in the cold if any issues pop up in your apartment.
Use the following tips to prepare your apartment before the winter season begins.
Insulate Your Windows
Cold air can get into your apartment from many places, and a lot of it will come in through the windows. Take a few minutes to check your windows and make sure there are no drafts coming in. Feeling a draft means the window isn’t properly insulated, and cold air could flow in during the winter.
Window insulation film can help you stop drafts from getting into your apartment. Stick the film to the window frame with tape, and heat the film to shrink it into place. Bubble wrap can also be applied to keep the cold air from getting in.
You should also consider buying some insulated curtains to hang during the winter. These thermal curtains are made from acrylic foam, and can help keep the frigid air outside. That way, you don’t have to worry about raising the heat too high inside your unit.
Check Your Heating System
It would also be a good idea to test your apartment’s heating system early to ensure it is working as it should. Even if it’s too warm to use it properly, it’s important to check for any problems before winter rolls around. You don’t want to find out there’s a problem with your heater when it’s freezing outside.
If you find any problems, be sure to contact your landlord as soon as possible. That way, you can get a mechanic to deal with the issue before it gets too cold out.
If you have a filter in your apartment you should check that as well. Make sure you replace the filter if it seems to be acting up at all. Contact your landlord for help if you aren’t sure about how to do this.
Shop for Warmer Clothes & Bedding
While your heating system will keep you warm, relying on it too much will waste energy and cost you money. This is why you should stock up on winter clothes you can wear in your apartment. Go out and buy some heavier clothes so you can stay toasty without raising the heat.
It would also be a good idea to swap out your current bedding for something a little heavier. This will help you keep warm at night without having to crank the heat up. If you don’t have thicker bedding to use, go out and buy some so you are ready when the chill sets in.
Doing these things will let you stay warm and conserve energy at the same time.
Grab a Portable Heater or Humidifier
As an extra precaution you may want to pick up a small portable heater to use in your apartment. Heaters are great for warming up rooms that are significantly colder than others. They are especially great to have if your apartment’s heating system starts acting up, even after taking the precautions mentioned above.
Humidifiers are also helpful during the winter. The air gets pretty dry during this period, and this can cause problems like dry skin and nasal congestion. With a humidifier, you can put some extra moisture into the air, which can help keep you healthy. They also work in tandem with the heating system, which helps keep the apartment nice and warm.
Reverse Your Ceiling Fan
Do you have a ceiling fan in your unit? On it there should be a switch that can reverse the direction the fan will spin in. Use this function to warm up your apartment.
When the fan reverses its direction, air will be pulled upward, rather than downward. The result involves the cold air being pulled toward the fan, and warmer air being forced downward. This will warm up the room, so be sure to use this functionality if you have a ceiling fan.
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