23 Brilliant Hacks to Help You Weather Winter

Still breaking your back shoveling snow from the driveway? Make faster work by coating both sides of a shovel blade with non-stick cooking spray. Dig into the slush, and voila! Snow, ice, and other wintry offenders will slide off the shovel—and off your back—for good.

Leaving cabinet doors ajar may look untidy to some ways of thinking, but temporarily ignoring your inner neat freak could save you from winter’s biggest mess of all: frozen pipes. Opening cabinet doors, especially those under-the-sink units where water pipes are present, lets warm air circulate, ultimately helping to prevent pipes from freezing.

If you feel a cold draft beneath a door, don’t wait until you receive a sky-high heating bill before you insulate it with a DIY draft snake. Roll up mats, rugs, or socks and squeeze them into doorway cracks to put a stopper on air leaks.

In addition to protecting packages, bubble wrap can also be used to trap escaping air from windows. Cut bubble wrap to size, spray a film of water onto the window, and press the bubble wrap onto the window pane to bid adieu to winter window pains.

Traipsing through the dark with candle in hand may sound medieval, but to this day it remains an effective way to locate the source of a cold draft. With a store-bought or homemade candle, examine cold window and door frames. If the flame flickers, a draft is nearby!

Even sturdy pipes succumb to freezing or bursting in the dead of winter. A liberal coat of WD-40 on the exteriors and joints of pipes and taps both indoors and outdoors can help prevent freezing damage, and even set stuck taps loose again.

Piping hot rice isn’t just a hearty dinner staple in winter, but a hand-warming essential, too. You can easily create your own by filling fabric pouches with rice and blanket-stitching them together. Once microwaved, you’ll definitely want to cozy up to these hand warmers!

Even the best car alarm and security system can’t keep winter’s worst intruder from freezing your car door lock shut. If this happens to you, don’t panic; whip out a can of WD-40 and liberally spray the lock to instantly free your door and yourself from Old Man Winter.

When a scraper and elbow grease alone don’t cut through the ice on your frozen car windows or doors, prepare an old spray bottle filled with 2/3 part vinegar (any variety) and 1/3 part water. Then, spray those icy surfaces and watch them clear up before your eyes!

If you’re expecting heavy snow and sleet but can’t pull into the car park, use a ziplock bag to protect your car. Secure a large bag to the side mirrors and then secure them with rubber bands or clothespins. You’ll wake up to ice-free mirrors—and a stress-free morning commute!

Having a feline friend can work to your advantage when your car is stuck in the snow. A box of cat litter stored in the trunk or below the driving tires of your car will not only add the weight needed to help dislodge a snowbound vehicle, but after shoveling away snow from tires, the cat litter can lend a helping paw in creating additional traction.

Even DIYers who turn their clocks like clockwork forget the other important bi-annual tradition of turning their ceiling fans to optimize energy use. Run your fan clockwise to circulate warm air in winter. After the sun sets on the season, reverse the direction of the fan again!

Don’t let a tight budget foil your plans to winterize the home! Place bargain tin foil or a similarly reflective, heat-resistant material behind your radiator or space heater. The foil will reflect the heat—and warmth—back, so that you stay warm and save a bundle on your energy bill.

You don’t have to brave the bad weather and long shopping lines to snag a pair of slip-proof snow boots. Using this Instructables tutorial, fasten a T-plate with screw bolts to the base of boots you already own. After calling for reinforcements from zinc wire, you’ll be on solid footing no matter the weather!

The fleetest of feet don’t use a shovel to clear snow from their steps or driveway at a glacial pace. Light snow accumulations can easily be swept away on demand with a broom—keeping backbreaking labor, slips, and falls at bay all winter!

Known as sweater pills, the pesky clumps that form on your winter wardrobe rob make good clothes look old before their time. Fortunately, by using a shaving razor or sharp knife on a flattened surface, you can permanently cut the cord on fabric pills!

Why hide away the pool noodles until summer when they can give your drooping boots a lift this winter? If you don’t have pool noodles, roll up an old magazine; then, secure with a rubber band and slip them into your boots to make them stand up straight.

You don’t have to be a Feng Shui expert to adopt eastern wisdom into your parking ritual—simply park facing the east! The increased sun exposure will help prevent snow and ice accumulation so that you’ll have a warmer journey home.

Drawing the curtains shut all winter is a surefire way to reduce light and warmth while increasing the likelihood of cabin fever. Open curtains in high-traffic living areas by day to combat cold, dreary spells with the natural light, warmth, and energy of the sun.

Silently lurking on sidewalks and driveways, ice is an unseen threat to the safety of you and your family members. Fortunately, all you need is salt and hot water to melt away the ice—and your winter worries! Spread salt over the ice patch while pouring hot water on top. As the hot water melts the ice, the salt will prevent the liquid water from re-freezing.

The secret to this aromatic DIY kindling is as simple as it is appealing. Remove and dry orange peels, then substitute them for newspaper to create a roaring firestarter and chimney cleaner in one!

If you’re a few logs shy of a fire, gather several stacks of scrap newspaper and roll them into faux firewood logs as in this tutorial. Secured with tape and rebar wire, these hearty and hefty logs can burn for over seven hours!

For an efficient and affordable DIY space heater, overturn a terra cotta pot atop a ceramic tile base. Light a couple small candles on the heat-proof tile to invite the warmth and tradition of the old world into the modern home.