27 November 2023 , 14:41
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A savvy woman has shared her "little effort" trick for keeping warm this winter - and it's completely free.
The rising cost of living continues to put a strain on people's purse strings. Bills are set to rise again from next year, leaving many worried about how they will keep costs low while trying to stay warm throughout the colder months.
Melissa, who runs blog The Daily DIY, shares essential tips on maintenance, repair, and renovation, to help people during the difficult times. Raking in millions of views on her TikTok page @the_daily_diy, she said: "Maintaining, repairing, and renovating your home can be overwhelming. Especially if you are on a tight budget, or are a new homeowner."
Recently Melissa, who has a "do it yourself" attitude to home furnishings, shared how much of a difference utilising blinds, curtains, and shutters makes in our homes. While many people shut their curtains at night time, the TikTok star from Midwest America, says using them during the day could keep our homes warmer.
Melissa used a thermal camera on her phone to test the temperatures in each room of her house (TikTok/@the_daily_diy)
A TikToker and home hack-lover is sharing tips to keep warm for low money this winter (TikTok/@the_daily_diy)Melissa said: "Let the sunshine in and the winter chill out. Learn how the simple task of opening your drapes during the day and closing them at night can help reduce your energy costs." Showing how she tests in the heat in her home, Melissa uses a thermal camera on her phone - testing how high the temperature is in Fahrenheit.
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During her TikTok demonstration she said: "Let's begin with an easy one that shouldn't cost you any money and takes only minutes to do. We're going to use those drapes to harness the power of the sun. During the day, open those curtains and blinds wide open to let that sunlight flood in.
"Sunlight is a natural heat source that can warm up your room quickly. My thermal camera here is showing almost 74F degrees [23.3C] coming in the window. Now let's compare with the wall right next to the window - we're getting 65 degrees [18.3C]. But when the sun goes down we want to do the opposite."
Testing another window which was initially at 61F [16C] without curtains or blinds drawn, Melissa added: "When I close the drapes and take a reading immediately after I am showing like 69 degrees [20.5]- which is exactly what I have my thermostat set to. So having the drapes closed keeps that cold air out and heat inside the room. The same goes for blinds or shades too."
Elsewhere in the home, her bathroom window measured around 62F [16.6C] with no blinds or curtains. When she closed the blinds the temperature warmed up by six degrees. Melissa commented: "This takes such little effort for a big impact. Try it out tonight."
Melissa began getting into DIY when she bought a home with her husband 18 years ago. The couple spent all their savings on the home which "left us with nothing", she explained.
She added: "We didn't realise how bad it had it was until after we moved in and things started falling apart. We had to figure out fast how to fix things, as well as make a lot of corrections. Since money was tight, the only option we had was to DIY everything. This is when my love of renovation and home maintenance began."