Everyone loves a good life hack. Everyone loves to stay warm. Everyone loves to save money. These are indisputable truths. When someone put these all together in one tight bundle, you’ve got a winner.
Step right up
A YouTube user named Alaska Granny posted an easy hack in January 2014 to keep your house warm in the winter, and the wonderful goodness of this simple trick is still circulating today. “This is a trick that I do to insulate the window,” says Alaska Granny.
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You need a spray bottle
Step 1. Fill a spray bottle with water.
You probably already have Bubble Wrap in the basement
Step 2. Find Bubble Wrap and cut it to the size of the window you want to work with. It appears Alaska Granny is using bubble wrap with the larger-sized air bubbles, not the mini ones that sound like little firecrackers when you pop them.
Snuggle up that Bubble Wrap
Step 3. Spray the window with some water, then spray the bubble side of the wrap with the water. This step doesn’t seem too scientific; actually, none of this seems scientific, but that’s what makes it such a great hack. “Then I just snuggle it in there,” she says as she places the plastic over the window.
And it does look super-easy.
The smooth side should face you
Step 4. Put the bubble side of the Bubble Wrap against the window so that the smooth side faces you.
Around and around we go
Alaska Granny assures us, “It’s gonna stay for a long, long time,” and adds the bubble wrap is easy to remove once the weather gets warmer, and doing this trick doesn’t harm the windows. There you have it — as if we needed another reason to love bubble wrap. It’s already one of the world’s greatest inventions. And it’s so. much. fun. to. pop.
More hot heat tips
Shared.com recommends other tricks to keep your house warm in the winter, like running a fan to circulate air around the room or house rather than turn up the heat; using a humidifier; and letting cold water run from your faucets while keeping open the cabinet doors to those pipes. You don’t need to turn on the faucet for a flood of water; just a trickle will prevent the pipes from freezing.
Furniture switcheroo
One more thing—if you’ve got furniture blocking vents or radiators, it’s time to rearrange that furniture. You need to allow the warm air to flow freely around the room and not stay trapped behind desks and sofas.
Bubble Wrap Yourself
Even if using Bubble Wrap on your windows is not right for you at this time, there are plenty of other hacks offered by the genius creation. For instance, you could just buy some and step all over them – that’s just plain fun.
Doomsday Preppers Take Note
Some just have Bubble Wrap hanging around in case of life emergencies, and that’s a piece of advice we should all take to heart. “I have an emergency stash of bubble wrap and that’s probably all you need to know about me,” wrote @lalalisapisa.
Go Ahead, Try Not To Pop ‘Em
The urge to pop Bubble Wrap is nearly impossible to ignore. Over the years, this urge has not waned. Advances in technology, video games, texting — these things pale in comparison with the satisfaction of popping those little bubbles of air.
School Hack
Just listen the sound of these bubbles simultaneously popping. These kids, who were celebrating their 100 days of school, are having a blast.
It May Even Save Your Life
Bubble Wrap may even be the ultimate life hack, as @qikipedia notes on Twitter.
