As autumn temperatures drop, a rolled-up towel can serve as a homemade draught excluder to keep rooms warm without adding to energy bills. The tip is backed by the British Red Cross, which recommends it as a cost-effective way to lock in heat without using central heating.
How the Towel Trick Works
The key to locking in warmth is to prevent heat from escaping through gaps and cracks around doors and windows. A clean, dry towel from the bathroom cupboard can be tightly rolled into a cylinder shape, with the ends wrapped in a rubber band or string to hold it in place.
Placing the rolled towel against the bottom of a draughty door or along a windowsill helps prevent heat from escaping, effectively keeping rooms warmer at no extra cost.
Advice from the British Red Cross
In its online advice, the charity said: “We tend to lose a lot of heat through gaps around windows and doors. Reduce draughts by lining your windows with rubber seals and use a homemade draught excluder by doors - this could even be an old towel, tightly rolled.”
Switching to a Higher Tog Duvet
Another easy, cost-effective change is to switch to a duvet with a higher tog rating. This helps keep you warm on cold nights when temperatures drop overnight, meaning you don't have to unnecessarily crank the thermostat and add to your energy costs.
In general, a duvet with a seven to 10.5 tog is good for the autumn season, while a tog of 12 or higher is designed for the winter months.
Josh Branigan, Furniture and Home Interiors Expert at Bedkingdom, said: “Daytime temperatures can stay surprisingly mild well into autumn, which is why many people put off changing their duvet, but it's the overnight temperatures that matter most.
“Once nights are regularly dropping into single figures, a summer duvet often won't hold enough warmth to keep you comfortable until morning. The coldest part of the night tends to be the early hours, so if you're falling asleep comfortably and then waking up cold at 4am, that's usually a good indication your duvet isn't doing enough.”
Josh added: “Bedrooms are often recommended to sit at around 16 to 18C for comfortable sleep, so if yours is regularly dipping below that once autumn sets in, particularly in older homes, north-facing rooms or bedrooms with large windows, warmer bedding will make a noticeable difference.
“A simple room thermometer can help you judge this more accurately than guesswork, and a higher tog duvet is one of the easiest ways to stay warm without turning up the thermostat.
“Switching to a higher tog duvet is one of the simplest ways to make your bedroom feel warmer and more comfortable as the seasons change. Rather than going by the calendar, pay attention to how you're sleeping, whether you're waking up cold, and how warm your bedroom feels at night. Getting the timing right can make a real difference to how well rested you feel through the colder months.”
