Welcome Wednesday :: Come on in out of the cold!

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The whole country, it seems, has been gripped by this arctic blast. It seems as though there’s no place to run and hide from this. While visions of palm trees and and warm sandy beaches may have us thinking of booking a trip down south, even those of us in the south want to run away … Texas, Georgia, Florida… No one, it seems is spared! So what should we do instead? We should run away to our homes! We should run to the warmth and comfort of our homes. We should build fires (those of us who can) and wrap ourselves in blankets, fur throws, and warm duvets. We should sip warm mugs of cocoa, tea and coffee… and bask in long luxurious baths. We shouldn’t fear the cold, we should embrace it!

There are a few things you can do to make your home more comfortable when the temperatures take a dip. It’s preferable to have your furnaces checked before the cold season starts so that you know that it’s running at optimal capacity, but if you’re even slightly worried, it’s certainly not too late to call now. Keep your floors covered – hardwood floors, marble, terracotta tile are all lovely to look at but they get quite cold. A few area rugs will do wonders. If you have drapes or curtains be sure that they are not covering any heat source; pull them to the sides or pin them up. Furniture should be pulled several feet away from heat sources. Cook some soup or place a pot of boiling water on the stove and let it boil and evaporate. Not only will this help warm your home but the additional moisture created by the steam will help retain your heat. If you have a self cleaning oven, turn it on! If you feel like baking, bake… but do so before you decide to clean your oven! Finally, and something many people do not know, when the temperatures are really cold, it’s best to keep the house heated at the same temperature day and night as opposed to turning it down at night and then back up during the day. You’ll use much more energy trying to play catch up to get your home to a comfortable temperature. And while fireplaces are romantic, lovely and gorgeous, they’re not always a savvy energy source. The flue must be left open long after the fire has been put to bed to ensure that the fire is completely out. Unless you can completely close off your fireplace with glass doors, you could be letting valuable heat out your chimney!

Stay warm and be safe!