How to Insulate Your Windows with Plastic, by Howcast on YouTube. 1 min 49 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 49 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Buy an indoor window insulation kit from a hardware store. It should include double-sided tape and clear shrink-wrap plastic sheets.
Wash and dry the window glass and frame. Plastic clings and tapes better to a clean, dry surface.
Measure the window frame and cut the plastic to match, leaving a little extra all around. Trim the excess later with a craft knife.
Press double-sided tape along the outside edge of the molding. Keep the tape on the molding, not the wall.
Press the top edge of the plastic onto the tape, then work down the sides and bottom. Smooth the sheet as you go.
Run a hot blow-dryer back and forth over the plastic until it shrinks tight. Keep the dryer moving so the plastic does not melt.
For a simpler layer, mist the glass with water and press bubble wrap against it. It will stay until you peel it off.
Always leave one window in each room unwrapped as a fire escape.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep plastic sheeting away from babies and children because it can cause suffocation.
If visibility does not matter, slit open plastic dry-cleaning bags and tape them over the window with duct tape.
Do not tape the plastic to the wall; press the tape onto the window molding instead.
Use a craft knife carefully and cut away from your fingers when trimming excess plastic.
Questions
Can I use plastic bags instead of a kit?
Yes, if you do not care about visibility. Slit dry-cleaning bags open, cut them to size and tape them over the windows with duct tape.
Does bubble wrap need tape?
No. Mist the window with water and press the bubble wrap on. It will stick until you take it off.
Why should I leave one window unwrapped?
It gives you a fire escape route. Leave one window in each room free of plastic.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
