Some Like It Hot: 8 DIY Winter Warming Tips for Your Apartment

No matter where you live in the United States, chances are you've been in a deep freeze lately. Even Florida has received measurable amounts of snow for the first time in 30 years.

Cranking up the heat in your Springs luxury apartment home is bad for both the environment and your budget. Here are some great DIY ideas for staying warm this winter. A few of them may surprise you!

1. Cover Up

Did mom tell you to wear a hat because that's where you lose most of your body heat? Medical research has pretty well debunked that popular myth.

The truth is that you lose body heat equally through any part of the body that's uncovered. It's all about keeping the heat in, so go ahead and put on sweaters, sweat pants, socks AND slippers. And yes, it's perfectly fine to wear a hat inside your own home.

2. Close the Door(s)

Of course, keeping the front door closed is a no-brainer. But this also goes for closets, cabinets and the doors of any rooms you're not using. There's one exception to this rule: if any cabinets are covering pipes, leave those open during a freeze warning.

3. Dodge the Drafts

You might be surprised at how much cold air can come in underneath a closed door or window. Fleece draft guards are relatively inexpensive, or you can simply roll up a blanket or towel and put it in place. If you want to insulate the whole window, shrink-wrap kits are easy to install and remove.

4. Insulate the Outlets

It's hard to believe that heat could escape through something as small and unobtrusive as an electrical outlet, but it's true. While the loss may be minor, it becomes major when you multiply it by the number of outlets in your home. Electrical outlet and switch plate insulating kits are less than $2 and take only minutes to install.

5. Something's Cookin'

• It's more efficient to heat your body from the inside. Soups, stews and casseroles are perfect for warming body and soul. As a bonus, all that activity with the stove and oven will heat up your home as well.
• How about cooking up a batch of rocks? Hot stones are a popular accessory for massages, but they also make effective bed warmers.

6. Start at the Bottom

Our hardwood-style floors are attractive and low-maintenance, and they also accommodate a wide variety of area rugs to help keep you warm and add some winter style.

7. Flip the Switch

The ceiling fans in our Springs luxury apartment homes are a benefit in the winter as well as the summer. Running the fan in reverse draws cooler air upward, which pushes warmer air down.

8. Build Your Own Heater

Space heaters use a lot of energy, and they can be dangerous to boot. It's amazingly easy to make your own eco-friendly clay pot heater. They also come in handy during emergencies, such as power outages.

Share your best winter heating tip in the comments!