Twice the Free Heat

I was reminded this morning when I was up with my son that fall has definitely arrived...it was cold!

Instead of turning on the heat, which its not THAT cold to do (but these tips will help even when its snowing out!), what I decided to do was some laundry. Laundry?

I learned this first idea from the Sears man when he came to fix our washer/dryer shortly after our son was born. It works best if you have a small home, but would probably help in just about any circumstance.

Remove the silver vent/tubing/duct from the wall which is connected to your dryer. Instead of blowing all that hot air out into the cold, have it heat your home. Place at the end a cut piece of pantyhose to catch the lint and make sure the air is blowing out. You will notice an immediate difference in temperature and it will help cut back your heating bills (not to mention your whole home smells like fabric softner).

The second idea comes from my mom. When I was home and we would make cookies or cakes or anything in the oven, unless it was summer, she always left the door down when we turned the oven off. "Free Heat," is what she called it...and it was! I do this now in my own kitchen and especially in the cold winter, this is a huge help.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.