Love it or hate it, winter is a special time of the year. Tons of festivities like carnivals and fairs take place all over the country. It’s also our ‘designated’ wedding season. So there is a lot going on in winter; that much is for certain. But it’s not all outdoor fun and games when the season invades your home. This calls for the need to prepare your home for winter. Here are a few ways to keep your home well prepared for the oncoming season.
Thick Curtains to fight the cold
It gets pretty cold and many people just can’t handle it so every little step to ready your home for winter helps. Whether to avoid cold allergies or avoid getting sick, curtains may help keep a home warm. They work as a great insulator, keeping the cold out and the heat in. The thicker the curtains; the more effective they are likely to be. Best thing is, winter home preparations as simple as curtains make the place look great, so you’re getting functional while maintaining beautiful.
Cover the floors with carpets
Most houses in Dhaka have concrete, marble and tiled floors. While these look wonderful in design and are great to show off in a home for real estate photography, they are terrible insulators of temperature. What that means is, once they get cold, they like to stay cold. We know many love a cold floor in the hot summer, but imagine the shock you may get waking up on a cold winter morning, dragging your feet out from under the warm blankets and then placing them on pure ice. Let’s not… A nice carpet or rug to ready the home for winter can do wonders in keeping your toes toasty. Carpets are great for adding some grandeur to the house while keeping some warmth in the house.
window wonders
The cold can and will get in through any gap it finds; be it an open door or under it. With windows, however, we can put a stop to this properly. Windows can be shut tight, so that’s a good start. But the area around a window can ‘leak’ heat. A good way to prevent this is by refreshing the silicone caulk around it. This is the rubbery substance that already exists there, but this can, over time, start to deteriorate and may require replacement. Remembering to address this in a home for winter can keep a lot of the cold out.
Another more uncommon feature for Dhaka but very common in the western part of the world are windows spacers. These are very slowly growing in demand in households that are adopting green home designs. And if winter home preparations align with excellent home design, we love it.
deter dampness
Winters in Dhaka and all across Bangladesh are incredibly wet; wet that’s brought in by all the fog and dew formation. To some it’s a refreshing mist while for others, it’s a moisture risk. To combat things in the house from getting too damp, the window methods above really help. Silica gel packets are also great for putting in small compartments and cupboards. But do be careful that the packets are properly handled as the contents can be poisonous if consumed.
Another tool many people have started using recently is a dehumidifier. Though uncommon to be used specifically for the winter, it can be of great help. Considering Dhaka doesn’t suffer sub-freezing temperatures, there is no concern of the coils freezing over. Also note, a dehumidifier need not be used if humidity levels are below 50% but can still draw in a lot of the moisture that the season brings along.
pets need warmth
Whether furry, feathery or scaly, our pets depend on us for a lot of things and the winter calls to us to warm them as well. No winter home preparation is complete without keeping in mind all family members. Your pet friendly home may not be ready for particular seasons, so get to it. Pets aren’t too fond of hot water (especially fish), but giving them ever so slightly warmer water can be great for them. Some bird cages even have special covers for nighttime and to keep out some of the cold. As for sleeping arrangements, make sure they are sleeping in the warmest room in the house; perhaps your bedroom. Don’t forget to make their sleeping area nice and cozy with a few extra blankets.
repel pesky bugs
A major problem the season brings is all the bugs welcoming themselves into your home for winter. And among them includes our favorite nuisance, mosquitoes. The first thing that comes to mind as winter home preparations is keeping every door and window shut, both to keep out the cold and the bugs. But that’s not very practical and they will get in. Some people opt for using coils and sprays, but that can be uncomfortable. Putting netting on windows is pretty useful while still allowing fresh air in. For some really great natural ways to protect your house from the winter pest invasion, check out our article on Natural Pest Control Tricks for Apartments.
Winter can be great if handled well. With the right winter home preparations, you can focus on enjoying the season without the headache of all the cold and pests. So tell us, do you love or hate winter indoors? And what do you do to make your stay more comfortable?
