Woman says floorboard hack helps keep house warm: 'It's the small changes that count'
Amid the changing seasons and growing cost of living crisis, we’re all looking for ways to save money on heating this winter. Knowing the 'official' day to turn the heating on doesn't really help if you're feeling cold at home ahead of the expert-approved date. And portable heaters only do so much.
But one woman has shared a great way to keep your home warm if you have wooden flooring.
TikTok user lydsear uses a very affordable material to stop cold draughts coming through her floorboards - a hack that she demonstrated on her social media account.
In the short clip, which has racked up a not-to-be-sniffed at 125k views, lydsear shows her wooden floor with gaps between each floorboard and shared how she could feel the cold air coming through from underneath the floorboards.
Read more: The expert-approved date to turn on the heating this year
To help stop the heat from escaping and block draughts from escaping, she plugged the gaps with DraftEx, a flexible floorboard filler.
"PSA the gaps in your floorboards can easily let heat out and therefore cost more to keep your home warm," she captioned the video.
Using a small pocket knife, lydsear - real name Lydia - tucked the Draughtex in between the floorboards.
"This is a super easy and cheap way to fix that."
In the comments, she revealed that she purchased the product from Amazon for just £4.99.
"It's the small changes that count," she captioned the post.
Read more: Frugal mum shares savvy tips for slashing bills during cost of living crisis
Many people thanked Lydia for her idea, but warned other users to ensure they have proper ventilation as blocking the floorboards could create mould.
One person commented: "Be careful if u own an older house it relies on that ventilation to prevent damp and mould."
Another said: "That’s actually not a bad idea. I’d be mindful that your cavity has ventilation underneath but apart from that, great idea!"
Others shared their own hacks to prevent draughts from coming in.
Read more: Is it normal to feel cold ALL OF THE TIME?
“Try some window insulation film, you’ll be glad you did,” one user commented.
Another suggested using decorators caulk. “You can also use decorators caulk. I filled mine with brown caulk 10 years ago and they still look great and reduce draft.”