No Power, Sub-Zero Outside: 7 Cheap Items That Keep Any Room Warm (No Electricity), by Sketchsurvive on YouTube. 14 min 36 s.
- Video length
- 14 min 36 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pick one small room with few windows and close it off from the rest of the house. Shut the door and block the gap under it with a rolled towel.
Lay corrugated cardboard over the cold floor, fluted side down, and tape the sheets together so no bare floor shows where you sit or sleep.
Cut bubble wrap to the window glass, mist the glass with water and press the bubble side against it. Smooth it flat so the water holds it in place.
Hang the Mylar blanket on the wall beside your seating or sleeping spot, shiny side facing the room, so it bounces your body heat back at you.
Stuff crumpled newspaper into gaps around the door frame, window edges and any draughty vents to trap pockets of dead air.
Fill a hot water bottle with hot water, wrap it in a thin cloth and hold it against your inner thigh near the groin to warm your core.
Set up a small tent or drape blankets over a table to make a snug sleeping space, then sleep inside it so your body heat warms a small volume.
Warm clay paver bricks near a heat source, let them cool enough to touch, wrap them in cloth and place them in the micro-tent before bed.
Tips and common mistakes
Never bring a propane stove, barbecue or generator indoors, and do not burn candles for heat, because carbon monoxide can kill you in your sleep.
Wrap the hot water bottle in cloth so it does not burn bare skin, and check it before you fall asleep.
Leave a small vent gap for fresh air even when sealing the room, and keep a battery carbon monoxide alarm nearby.
Put on a hat and dry layers before adding heat sources, since trapped body heat does most of the work.
Questions
Will these items really warm the room?
They slow heat loss rather than create heat. In a small sealed room they can keep you noticeably warmer, but the main gain comes from trapping your own body heat.
Is it safe to sleep with a hot water bottle?
Yes, if it is wrapped in cloth and not pressed against bare skin for hours. Refill it with hot, not boiling, water and check the cap for leaks.
Can I use a candle or camping stove for heat?
No. Open flames and fuel burners indoors produce carbon monoxide and a fire risk. Stick to body heat, hot water and pre-warmed bricks.
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.
