It's the middle of January, and if you're anything like me, you're craving summer already. Here in Japan, summer is unbearably hot, so I thought that winter would be more enjoyable for me. I like winter, normally. It's cold, but you can curl up inside and read a book under a nice, thick blanket. I always have these ideas of how I'm going to spend my winter warm and cozy, only occasionally going outside to play in the snow or walk to a friend's house.
Every year, I think the same thing, and every year, I'm smacked in the face with the icy, winter wind. This year was no exception. In fact, this year might be the most challenging winter yet for me, because I'm no longer living with my family or in a college dorm, so heating and maintenance responsibilities fall on me. I've had to learn pretty quickly how to prepare myself, and my apartment, for winter. If you're in the same boat as me, read on! While most of this advice is not of my own creation (thanks, Mom, Dad, and the Internet!) I'm hoping that my compilation of it, paired with my own experiences, can be useful to you for this year and whatever may come in the future.
Start Early
Probably the best advice I can give you is advice that won't really apply to this year. I made the mistake of waiting to weatherproof my apartment until now (January), and I'm hurting for it. Part of the reason I waited was because I went on a trip back to the States for almost three weeks, and I missed the transition from baby-winter into real, proper winter. Coming back was a shock! Temps have been hovering around freezing or below-freezing for the past few days, snow has been falling, and I've been trying to find ways to keep myself warm when I get home from work every day. Everyone says hindsight is 20-20, so now I can see that taking time when it was still somewhat warm (like in October or November) to prepare my apartment for winter would have been much less stressful than it was to wait until now! So for all of you out there, start early! If it's still comfortable enough to open your windows and let air in, it's the perfect time to start preparing for winter!
Fill in the Spaces
Air is pretty tricky. If there's an opening, it will seep in (or out!), no matter how small that opening is. The best thing we can do to prevent hot air from going out or cold air from coming in is to make the spaces as small as possible. Windows, especially, will let a lot of air in and out. Some people (myself included) live in apartments where we can't make any major or minor changes to the layout. I can't put in new windows to make my apartment more structurally sound. Instead, I need to work with what I have: a few small windows, and two huge sets of sliding doors that are all-window. The first thing I did was buy foam insulator strips and put them in the spaces between my windows and their sills. I found the thickest, widest strips I could to fill as much space as possible. In fact, it's difficult to lock those windows now, because the fit is so tight. As soon as I made the change, I could feel how much warmer my apartment was. The strips can also be used to soundproof your apartment, which is an added bonus where I live because we're all so close to each other.
Spaces under doors can also cause issues with air retention. For these, my family used to always use long tubes of fabric filled with rice or beans to stop up the gaps. If you're a crafty person, they're pretty easy to make, and you can use whatever fabric you want! If not, you can also buy foam or fabric versions pretty cheap. These are on my to-do list for the next day-off, especially because rice is so easy to come by in Japan!
Depending on how lenient your landlord is (or, you know, if you own your house), you can also get insulator foam or caulk and just fill in all of the gaps yourself. If you fill in as many spaces as possible in your home or apartment, you can prevent air from escaping, lowering your heating bill and keeping yourself warm!
Cover your Windows
The glass on your windows lets in the cold as well, just like cracks. One way to prevent this is to cover windows with a plastic film and/or bubble wrap. Bubble wrap can be cut to the size of the glass pane and attached by spraying water on the glass to go between the glass and the wrap. This works well as a first layer of defense, as bubble wrap is thick and has multiple layers. Some people choose to just use bubble wrap because it is cheap and can be peeled off of the window once spring arrives. I also tried another method, which is to attach plastic wrap to the window frame with double-sided tape. Because I waited until the last minute to prepare, I used saran wrap on my windows, but you can also buy a kit that includes the plastic and tape. Like with the foam inserts, I noticed a difference almost immediately. One thing to be careful of, especially if you only use the plastic wrap, is that condensation will gather on your windows and drip down onto your floor. I think using the fabric draft stoppers on windows is a good idea here, because they can catch some of the water.
A benefit of using only plastic is that you can keep your curtains open during the day to let sunlight in. If you don't want to do that, you can also get thick curtains for your windows that will block more air transfer. In dark places especially, this is a good option. I like to use a combination of plastic and thick curtains--during the day, I leave the curtains open and let sunlight help heat my apartment, and at night, I can close the curtains and keep out some of the cold air.
Get a Kotatsu
Okay, so this is kind of Japan-specific, but a great way to keep warm during the winter without having to heat your entire apartment is to use a kotatsu. A kotatsu, for the uninitiated, is a low table with a heating attachment of some kind on the underside of the table. You cover the table with a blanket to keep the heat in, and then sit with your legs--or, for some people, your whole body--under the table. It's a great way to keep your body warm, but as soon as you leave the safety of the kotatsu table, you have to walk around your cold apartment. However, using a kotatsu during the day, or while you wait for your apartment to heat up, is a great way to keep yourself warm during the winter. Plus, watching Netflix or, say, writing an Odyssey article is so much nicer when you're cozy under your kotatsu.
Use a Portable Heater
So, if you can't easily get your hands on a kotatsu table, you can also use a portable heater to heat the room you're in, rather than trying to heat your entire apartment. I like to use a combination of my heating unit and a portable heater to heat my own apartment, because the portable heater can be placed on the opposite side of the room from the heating unit to help heat the room faster. Plus, the portable heater is (as the name suggests) portable, so I can bring it with me and place it wherever I want to provide the best heat. Mine is a little convection and steam heater, so it also acts as a humidifier. I usually keep it in my living room during the day, and move it to my room at night to heat the room. I suggest turning them off during the night, just because they can sometimes be a little dangerous, especially if they're an older model. Also, be extremely careful if your portable heater uses gas, because the fumes can be dangerous if you're exposed to them for a long time. We use a gas heater at my work, and I have to leave the room to get fresh air throughout the day.
When All Else Fails, Go to a Café
Sometimes, it's just too cold to stay in your apartment and suffer alone. In that case, go to a local café or restaurant and take advantage of their heating and Internet while having a hot drink or soup. Not having to pay for your own heating, aside from the cost of your meal, is the best. Be careful when you leave, though--make sure your heat is turned off, your pipes are exposed to warm air or are covered to protect them from freezing, and your curtains are open to let sunlight in! That way, when you return to your apartment at night, you can go to sleep without worrying about damages.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on weatherproofing houses or apartments, this is just what has worked for me and other people that I know. I am very lucky in that I live in an area where the temperature doesn't regularly drop too far below freezing, so this is more about comfort than actual home protection. If you live in a much colder climate, check with professionals about preparing your home for the winter.
