Miscellaneous Useful Winter Stuff
Dec. 16th, 2007 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwen1) We're getting both snow and icey stuff today. Something we've discovered is that leaving some snow on the ground is a good thing if you're expecting freezing rain or other slippery things -- easier to remove afterward, than trying to remove ice from the sidewalk or driveway. Most northern folks may already know this, but just in case....
2) Came up with another way to insulate the walls, if you can't put holes of any kind in your walls, but have some spare poles/boards (or friends who do). I posted that over at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lady_jade_01's blog this morning. Addition to my post to her blog -- if you have baseboard radiators, make sure fabric/blankets are at least 1 foot above them -- fire hazard.
3) Cheap humidifiers -- wet/damp (wet but not dripping wet) towel hanging on the four-poster's frame (powder-coated metal). It's dry in the north in winter time, and I have asthma plus my father's fair northern skin -- my Chinese mom seems to have fewer issues with low humidity, but I only got my ability to tan from her. Or a wet towel in the bathroom and leave the door open (we always leave it open after we shower too). Or hang it on a sturdy hanger and find someplace to put the hanger -- our doors are all wood, so we can't hang anything on them that will come into contact with the wood. Or even jumbled up in a bowl, because the water will evaporate more quickly from fabric than just a plain bowl of water -- wicking action.
Another one is plants -- I both water _and_ mist mine. Misting being an area of effect thing, the livingroom gets a misting as well. Hm, may be time to start misting the curtains -- hey, if they're machine washable there's no reason you can't get them damp between cleanings.
Another good one, if you have the old-style radiators, is to put bowls of water on them. The cats may drink from one or two, but....
Another one: make tea -- get extra moisture in the air from heating the water (and a little extra heat in your space too).
4) Another insulation tip. If you can't cover the windows, roll up towels and lay them in at the base of the frames -- any draft kept out is money saved. Doorstoppers are good too, although we've found they're most useful if you're staying in for a while and at night. Really can't put them in place when there's a lot of traffic or you're all out on errands/working/at school.
If you live in a _really drafty place, consider putting any spare summer clothing, sheets, towels, etc. along the bottom of any wall exposed to outside air -- this includes the wall that lets onto the shared hallway, for those folks living in apartments. You can even use winter clothing and winter bed sheets this way, at least part of the time -- just bag things before putting them on the floor against the wall.
5) Stews and soups are starting to look better, aren't they? Heat for the room while you're making them, wonderful smells to enjoy, and longer-lasting warmth inside after eating them :)
6) Layers of clothing are good of course, because whether for monetary reasons or environmental reasons, many of us in colder climes are trying to not use as much fuel as before. Hats and fingerless gloves are great. Although I don't usually wear a hat myself. I've found that if I keep my feet/legs warm, in addition to a sweater or two, that counts for a lot. So, wool socks, fleece slippers/shoes/boots, or instead of the really warm footwear -- legwarmers. I have some leftover from my old dancing days, and one new pair I got last year -- when I'm cold I bring them up over my knees, and then later in the day I can push them down to around the ankle/lower calf area.
7) Lap blankets for whenever you're sitting still. And wrap your feet in one end of it.
8) Exercise. 20-30 minutes of walking around, indoors or out, and you'll be warmer. Hey, I lost 1.6 pounds this week just walking things from one place in the apartment to another, even with taking lots of breaks to rest. My exercise has been more like 10-15 minutes at a time, but a couple times per hour (some of my sorting doesn't require walking). Also, I've found that while sometimes my doziness is from being tired from my recovery time, sometimes it's because I'm getting winter-lethargic. So I walk up and down the hall, find some little chore to do, and it wakes me up -- which has also saved me some snacking (one of the other ways I stay awake, but not necessarily the healthiest).
This last one, exercise, is probably one of the least popular ones, but it's a very important one. Many folks tend to not exercise in the winter except for going out to shovel, clean off the car, etc. Not exercising even a little bit during the rest of winter time is a great way to ask for increased chances of injury and heart attack. Also a good way to gain weight, especially with all the holiday parties many people attend.
2) Came up with another way to insulate the walls, if you can't put holes of any kind in your walls, but have some spare poles/boards (or friends who do). I posted that over at
lady_jade_01's blog this morning. Addition to my post to her blog -- if you have baseboard radiators, make sure fabric/blankets are at least 1 foot above them -- fire hazard.3) Cheap humidifiers -- wet/damp (wet but not dripping wet) towel hanging on the four-poster's frame (powder-coated metal). It's dry in the north in winter time, and I have asthma plus my father's fair northern skin -- my Chinese mom seems to have fewer issues with low humidity, but I only got my ability to tan from her. Or a wet towel in the bathroom and leave the door open (we always leave it open after we shower too). Or hang it on a sturdy hanger and find someplace to put the hanger -- our doors are all wood, so we can't hang anything on them that will come into contact with the wood. Or even jumbled up in a bowl, because the water will evaporate more quickly from fabric than just a plain bowl of water -- wicking action.
Another one is plants -- I both water _and_ mist mine. Misting being an area of effect thing, the livingroom gets a misting as well. Hm, may be time to start misting the curtains -- hey, if they're machine washable there's no reason you can't get them damp between cleanings.
Another good one, if you have the old-style radiators, is to put bowls of water on them. The cats may drink from one or two, but....
Another one: make tea -- get extra moisture in the air from heating the water (and a little extra heat in your space too).
4) Another insulation tip. If you can't cover the windows, roll up towels and lay them in at the base of the frames -- any draft kept out is money saved. Doorstoppers are good too, although we've found they're most useful if you're staying in for a while and at night. Really can't put them in place when there's a lot of traffic or you're all out on errands/working/at school.
If you live in a _really drafty place, consider putting any spare summer clothing, sheets, towels, etc. along the bottom of any wall exposed to outside air -- this includes the wall that lets onto the shared hallway, for those folks living in apartments. You can even use winter clothing and winter bed sheets this way, at least part of the time -- just bag things before putting them on the floor against the wall.
5) Stews and soups are starting to look better, aren't they? Heat for the room while you're making them, wonderful smells to enjoy, and longer-lasting warmth inside after eating them :)
6) Layers of clothing are good of course, because whether for monetary reasons or environmental reasons, many of us in colder climes are trying to not use as much fuel as before. Hats and fingerless gloves are great. Although I don't usually wear a hat myself. I've found that if I keep my feet/legs warm, in addition to a sweater or two, that counts for a lot. So, wool socks, fleece slippers/shoes/boots, or instead of the really warm footwear -- legwarmers. I have some leftover from my old dancing days, and one new pair I got last year -- when I'm cold I bring them up over my knees, and then later in the day I can push them down to around the ankle/lower calf area.
7) Lap blankets for whenever you're sitting still. And wrap your feet in one end of it.
8) Exercise. 20-30 minutes of walking around, indoors or out, and you'll be warmer. Hey, I lost 1.6 pounds this week just walking things from one place in the apartment to another, even with taking lots of breaks to rest. My exercise has been more like 10-15 minutes at a time, but a couple times per hour (some of my sorting doesn't require walking). Also, I've found that while sometimes my doziness is from being tired from my recovery time, sometimes it's because I'm getting winter-lethargic. So I walk up and down the hall, find some little chore to do, and it wakes me up -- which has also saved me some snacking (one of the other ways I stay awake, but not necessarily the healthiest).
This last one, exercise, is probably one of the least popular ones, but it's a very important one. Many folks tend to not exercise in the winter except for going out to shovel, clean off the car, etc. Not exercising even a little bit during the rest of winter time is a great way to ask for increased chances of injury and heart attack. Also a good way to gain weight, especially with all the holiday parties many people attend.
