Last updated on April 13th, 2015 at 03:17 am

I love the irony of our situation: a cold apartment in a sunny city and warm geographical location. Especially taking to consideration that for the past three years keeping warm was not an issue for us. In fact a complete opposite is true. Though our current location, Tainan, is to the south of Taiwan island, is pretty warm and sunny, the flat that we rented does not face sunny side of the building. Throughout the day, it is located in the shadow. Moreover, due to the warm nature and location of the city there was no planned heater or any heating system. At one point Mr K and I were wearing our down jackets while it was 18 C outside. How did I manage to make it warm and livable? This is what I am going to share with you today: 5 steps to keeping your place warm.

If it wasn’t for that experience, I wouldn’t have gone on the internet and found all the possible and impossible tips on how to keep an apartment warm.

20150307_122929 — I barricaded vents in our kitchen.Step 1

Step 1

First things first, I got rid of all possible air loss holes, cracks, and openings. The main goal is to trap the air inside. What is the point warming up your home if the hot air is going to be lost quickly?

Step 2

I tried to create a barrier between the heat loosing windows and my location. I used everything I could find to make a barrier. Anything like old carton boxes, books, and plastic bags are good for insulation. Plastic food wrap goes really well into cracks or small openings between the door and walls. Heavy blankets, drapes, curtains, and pillows also create a good insulation between the walls and outside. I used books to barricade from the never-ending draft in Mr. K’s office. In general it should be like an extra mini wall.

Step 3

This one is my favorite. Besides wearing warm clothes, I also took an empty plastic bottle and filled it up with hot water from the tap. It was an easy mini miracle for my frozen limbs, body, and spirit.

Step 4

Cook something. Anything. Put a boiling water on in a pot and create a hot humidity. It should warm up the apartment from the inside quickly.

Step 5

Drink and eat hot food and beverages. I know, it sound obvious but it makes a huge difference between eating a pasta or a hot stew. A recipe for a sexy stew is coming up!

Another tip:

For keeping it warm, search on the internet suggested moving the furniture such as sofas, chairs, desks, and other frequently used items away from “cold” spots and walls. If the furniture stands right next to a window or an outside wall there is more chance to feel cooler or to catch a draft. In our case, it was impossible to move anything around, so I resolved to the above steps. If it works for you, let me know!

The finale? If you followed all the steps then you should have a more accommodating environment by now. Our happy end was this: we received a mini heater that we love and appreciate now more than good weather outside. The owner of the apartment was very generous and helpful and sent his heater from Taipei.

Did you like 5 steps to keeping your apartment warm? Do you find those 5 easy steps useful? Hit that “like” button or better; SHARE it with your friends! Winter is not over yet so you never know who and how much someone will appreciate those cold proofing tips.