How to winterize your windows

If your home is like mine, in the winter months you see a spike in your heating bill. To cut costs, I keep heat on very conservatively. When my family is home or I have company I keep my thermostat at 63 degrees. At bedtime, I turn it down to 58 degrees and we sleep with extra covers and warm night clothes.  I'd like to reduce my costs even further and decided that this year I'd winterize my windows. With all of the windows in my home winterized, it is said that I can save up to $190.00 in heating bills with a simple investment of $11.50! I quickly took a trip to Walmart and purchased the Duck Window kit.

                                                                                                                     

 

The kit comes with 2 films of plastic and double sided tape. I simply needed a tape measure, scissors, rubbing alcohol and a  blowdryer to complete my project. I started by cleaning the edges around the window with rubbing alcohol. This is a suggested step to help the tape adhere to the surface. 

Next, I placed the double-sided tape along the border, this is where my plastic film would be attached.

 I measured my windows and added an additional two inches to my measurements. I found that the film was approximately the same length as my windows so I only had to measure on the horizontal. This was quite helpful because I didn't have to completely unfold the plastic.

 After cutting the film, I proceeded to attach it to the window frame. Tip: remove the liner from the double sided tape ONLY when you are ready to attach the film. I started by removing the liner along the top. This enabled me to easily make adjustments to the positioning if needed. I then removed the left, right and finally closed it up on the bottom.

 The next step was to take a hairdryer and heat the plastic. This shrinks it and completes the seal. And here is the final result. The plastic shrink wrapped window should keep out the pesky drafts and save on my heating bill. Although I am not handy, I found this to be a very simple project and as I progressed from window to window my technique improved and I was able to quickly complete the task.

Have you winterized your windows? Have you seen an improvement in your heating bill? 

Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.