I'm looking for a way to keep my daughter's room warm this winter. We have a space heater that will help a little, but my daughter's room has 3 exterior walls and one large window. I've heard you can put a film over the window, but I'm not sure where to get it or how well it works. So I thought I'd check here.

Other ideas....?

I'm renting, so please no major or costly construction....

 

This one's easy... find a different place to rent!



Make sure you keep that space heater at LEAST 3 feet away from anything that will burn like bedding, curtains, clothes, etc. And if she leaves the room, the space heater should get shut off.

Lowes has the plastic film you put over the inside of a window and shrink it with a hair dryer. (the hand-held blow gun type, not the type you sit under)

chaikwa.

 

3M make that film you mentioned. It is available at Home depot, Lowes, or almost any hardware store. It works by creating a dead air space, it will reduce any draftiness coming through the window. I used to use it on most of my windows, but have not needed it since replacing all of them. Be cautious with the space heaters. I go to a lot of fires in the winter because of them.

 

what kind of heat in the house? if forced hot air you can try a small fan in front of the vent to draw more heat to that room......... the film works pretty good, as does the clay kinda rope caulk. seals up any cracks around the window to stop drafts and does not mar paint on removal, brand is frost king I belive. another option is heatin the kid, electric blankets have to be about the nicest thing to have on a cold night.

 

Yes what kind of heat does it have? If it is forced hot air there should be returns in every room, if there are not then it will draw cold air in from every crack in the farthest reaches of the house.

 

I put the plastic inside and out on a few of the windows in my house.

Heavy curtains also helps

 

If you gotta have a space heater as mentioned above keep it 3 ft from all combustibles and try to go with a radiant heat type as opposed to the exposed element types. They cost a little more, but tend to be a bit safer.

 

Thanks for all the help. I have the heater in the center of the room (away from everything, drapes, furniture, blankets, stuffed animals, etc.). it is an oscillating and radiant kind. I can't do an electric blanket as she is just a little over a year old. I think the film is the way to go.

Anything I should know about putting it on?

 

About installing the plastic film, make sure the area that you stick the tape is EXTREMELY clean or it will not adhere properly and let go when it gets cold. Rubbing alcohol works best. Also make sure you give yourself enough extra film around outside so you don't come up short. When heating it to make it tight, don't get too close with the hair dryer or you'll burn a hole in it (ask me how I know). For the record, heat guns did not work that great for me. Too much concentrated heat (another hole).

They do work well and stop the drafts.

 

the plastic is great on older windows . Put I would ditch the heater you are using . I have a small room that is colder than the rest of the house because its on the end loop of the heat. I use one of those portable oil filled baseboard electric heaters. Once the temp is brought up the element goes off but it stays warm just like water baseboard heat and keeps the room warmer because the air is still circulating around the room. Forced hot air is the worst it seems like the room goes cold as soon as the fan stops

 

Got a link? I'm not sure what you're talking about. The room has forced air, but I agree - once the fan is off it gets real cold real quick....

 

A quick google searce for radiant oil filled heater brought this up http://www.heatershop.com/oil_filled_radiators.html

 

If you have a forced air furnace Check to make sure you have at least a 1" gap under the door, or if there is a return air grill in the room make sure it's not blocked. if the air being forced into the room has no place to go the room gets pressurized and no more warm air can enter.

 

There is a little temp controlled fan that goes over the furnace grate. It pulls air through the ducting from other rooms of the house and turns off when the temp is at the setting you choose. I think it is called an equalizer. When the heat is on, the air flows right through it. I had a little room that was added on to a house I had in Denver that would never heat up in the winter. The little fan actually worked pretty well. I'll see if I can find a link, but I know they have them at HD and Lowes.

EDIT - Cant believe it, I actually found it!!!! Here it is

 

Heated matress covers are safer and nicer than heated blankets...Another thing you can do to keep from heating the outside, is go to thrift stores and find you enough blankets to hang from the ceilings against the walls for more insulation...Heck do it to the ceiling if you can too....Another thing they are finding NANO paint is saving 40-50% of the energy used to heat/cool now.