Reuse This Laundry Scrap To Keep Your Home Warmer In The Winter

When winter temperatures plummet, your heating bill skyrockets. Energy costs have been rising precipitously in recent years, making it even more painful each time you have to crank that thermostat. If you've ever felt a cold draft around your exterior windows or doors, you are spending even more than you need to on those heating costs. Stopping drafts is an eco-friendly way to save money this winter, but pre-made draft stoppers can cost up to $20 or more. Instead of spending even more cash to try and cut your energy costs, you can make your own door draft-stopper for zero dollars by reusing something your clothes dryer creates with every use.

Dryer lint has clever uses around the home, and making a DIY draft stopper with this fluffy by-product of doing laundry is a quick and easy way to keep in the heat. Loyola University professor and energy efficiency expert Gilbert Michaud told Realtor.com that "people with drafty windows and doors can lose roughly 20 to 30% in heating costs." Gaps around your door frames, where they aren't properly fitted into the door jamb and older windows that are no longer properly sealed, are prime areas where heat can escape your home, and cold air from outside can get inside. While one day you may want to upgrade your home openings to eliminate drafts, a quick fix this winter using lint and an old tube sock is a great way to improve efficiency in the short term. 

All you need for this easy project are several handfuls of dryer lint and an old tube sock. Simply stuff your sock with as much lint as you can, and tie off the end. Longer socks like knee-highs or compression socks work best for door jambs, or you can attach a few stuffed tube socks together by overlapping them and securing the ends with a few stitches or fabric glue. Lay your stuffed sock creation along the drafty windowsill or bottom of the offending door, and bingo, you've stopped the draft. Adding some weight to your DIY draft stopper with dried beans, rice, or even kitty litter will help keep it in place, or you could use some double-sided tape to affix it to the bottom of your door or window. If you sew, you can make colorful stoppers using fabric scraps sewed into long tubes. 

You do need to be mindful about where you put these lint-filled draft stoppers. Dryer lint is highly flammable, which is why you need to clean it out of your dryer vent so often. Being easy to ignite means you need to keep it away from anything with a heat or ignition source, like outlets or radiators. Stick to drafty areas like door jambs and windowsills where there isn't a danger of anything catching on fire.