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Cold Weather Survival Tips in Knox and Martin Counties

Unlike spring, summer, or fall, winter tends to be the one season most of us either love or hate, with very little middle ground for “yeah, it’s okay.” While avid skiers and snow-boarders yearn for a coating of snow, the short daylight hours, blustery wind, and frigid temps are enough to make even the hardiest of folks want to pack up and head south until spring. If only!

But since moving or hibernating for the next 4 to 5 months is not always an option, it’s time to grab your warmest blanket, a mug of hot cider, and read these tips for surviving the cold months ahead.

Prepare your home. One of the most important things you can do to stay warm and keep heating costs in check is to make sure your home isn’t allowing cold air in. Make sure weather stripping is intact, seal gaps around windows and doors, insulate exposed hot water pipes, and cover your windows with a window insulation kit.

Prepare your car. Keep a winter survival kit in your car, complete with a flashlight, a couple warm blankets, a small shovel, and a bag of kitty litter or sand to help you get unstuck. Whenever possible, park with the front windshield facing the sun to help prevent it from freezing. Give your windows a spritz with a mixture of white vinegar and water to prevent them from freezing and help melt a layer of ice faster. To unstick a frozen car door, give the lock a few squirts of hand-sanitizer.

Protect your skin. Winter skin needs extra protection, so opt for soaps, cleansers, and moisturizers that will nourish and moisturize while cleaning. Apply a body moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp after a bath or shower. And avoid long, hot showers and baths as they tend to strip your skin of its natural oils. Plus, they only make you feel colder once you get out. Don’t forget the lip balm and sun screen!

Try some tricks of the trade. Choose mittens over gloves to keep your hands warm. Make a DIY hand warmer (made of fleece or flannel and rice) and warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds before heading out in the cold. If you have ceiling fans, run them in reverse. The blades with help push warm air down to where you feel it, allowing you to turn your thermostat down a degree or two without losing even one degree of comfort. Tired of floppy boots? Stick cut pool noodles or empty wine bottles inside to keep them upright when you’re not using them.

Here’s another tip to the wise: if it’s been a year or more since your last home heating system inspection, contact Messmer Mechanical today for service so we can help your system run better with lower utility costs this winter. What’s more, annual preventative maintenance will help your system last longer, and that represents even greater savings.