The Heat Treats Top 10 Unconventional Winter Hacks

Desperate times call for desperate measures and if the weather this winter is as cold as expected, you may just need to get creative for some frosty defences.

Putting on another jumper is fine, or cranking up the heating but sometimes the avantgarde methods can be the most effective!

Here are our top 10 unconventional hacks for this winter.

Wool inserts inside your shoes

Preventing your feet from getting cold is crucial to keeping warm in winter.

Rather than doubling up on socks, double up on insoles.

Take out the insole of your shoe to use as a stencil on a sheet of wool. Cut round it to create the perfect cosy insole.

Cardboard on your windscreen

One of the most dreaded tasks of winter; having to get up early to de-ice your car whilst you freeze over yourself.

Utilising an old cardboard box, you can save yourself the hassle. Place a piece of cardboard the size of your windscreen underneath your wipers.

Not only will this prevent the dreaded de-icing, but it will stop your windscreen wipers from freezing to the windscreen.

Tin foil behind your radiator

Heating your home in winter can be an expensive task. It is essential to make sure you maximise your usage.

Placing a sheet of tin foil behind your radiator can have astounding benefits.

The foil will reflect the heat back in to the room rather than allowing it to be absorbed by the wall for maximum warmth.

Use screws for traction

As long as you are wrapped up and cosy enough, a winter walk in the frost or snow can be a wondrous thing.

Nonetheless, there is always the risk of some pesky ice standing in your way.

A few short screws in the sole of your trainers (with less of a depth than that of the tread of your shoes) can massively help improve their traction for safe and sound strolls!

Make your own mittens

Before discarding your old sweaters, get creative! You can use them to make your own, perfectly sized mittens.

Using your own hand as a template, draw around the ‘stencil’ and cut it out.

Sew the two pieces together and you have your own, custom-made mittens!

Stop your jumpers from piling

The cold weather can be damaging for our clothing and you will often see your jumpers suffer from piling.

Using a razor, you can eradicate this easily by simply shaving them off the jumper.

The result? A jumper that looks good as new!

Get creative with the cat litter

If you are struggling to get your wheels turning in heavy snow, cat litter is the perfect hack for you.

Place some cat litter behind each of your wheels and start them spinning.

The litter will help your wheels gain traction and send you on your way!

Use your fan to keep you warm

If you have a ceiling fan, you may find it to be just as useful in winter as it is in summer.

Put the fan on the lowest speed and make sure it is spinning in reverse.

The mechanism will draw the cold air to the top of the room and help keep it warm!

Clear up your headlights

Steamed up headlights can be a real issue in winter and difficult to avoid.

Rub some toothpaste over your car headlights and rinse with warm water.

This will improve the clarity of your headlights which is safer both yourself and other road users!

Keep the fire burning

Keep your fire roaring this winter without going through an excessive amount of wood.

Orange peel is an excellent fire-starter and can help maintain flames for a long time, whilst leaving a much nicer scent!

The oil in the skin fuels the fires and releases less creosote than paper or wood.