Diy Mail Slot Draft Stopper

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Want a simple way to make heating your home more efficient and less pricey? Make sure all those gaps where hot air escapes and cold air invades are closed-up! One of the most persistent culprits is the gap beneath a door, and the most popular solution is, of course, a draft stopper.

You don’t need to run out to the store for an expensive stopper or even for materials to make a DIY one. All you need are some old tights, leftover wrapping paper tubes, and this video from our friends at Rumble.

Projections

Add a door draft stopper to your front door or keep any of your rooms warm. This DIY door draft stopper tutorial has everything you need to learn how to sew your own door snake. Make as many as needed to keep the house warm and toasty! Great for leftover fabric, customize them for every room. Oct 21, 2017 - This draft stopper was the perfect tool for the job. Works way better than I expected for Sliding Glass door. The adhesive for securing the door is very sticky, perfect for the amount of opening & closing a door goes through.

This DIY should only take a few minutes of your time and you should be able to make this project for free, if you have these three simple materials already hanging around the house.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

How to Make a DIY Draft Stopper

Materials

  • Two cardboard tubes
  • Old tights
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Lay out your pair of old tights and use your scissors to cut off one of the legs.
  2. Line your two cardboard tubes next to each other and pull the tights over them, stretching them all the way to the other side.
  3. Tuck the ends of the tights into the cardboard tubes.
  4. Slide the tubes under your door so that one tube is on each side.

If you’re struggling to get the tights to stay in place, we suggest just a little piece of tape. This should keep them tucked in and firmly in place; it’s not the biggest deal if the cardboard shows a little, but it definitely looks nicer with the black tights cover what’s underneath.

The best part about this easy and cheap DIY is the idea of the two tubes. Admittedly, I was a little confused why there were two to begin with, but it makes sense once you see the final product.

Having two tubes allows for you to block the under-door gap on both sides, really keeping your heat in and keeping cold air out. This is the most efficient way to keep your house from getting drafty and to reduce your heating bill.

And with the cardboard being so pliable, it’s super easy to wedge these tubes under the door, and then remove them when winter is over.

What do you think of this money-saving DIY? Do you have a different way of keeping heating bills down the colder months? Share your thoughts on this trick and your favorite projects in the comments section below.


This week, while looking through Avista’s DIY Home Energy Savings Tips, one item stood out to me. “Find and plug draft leaks.” This is advice not only for the winter months, but in the summer, when we are trying so hard to keep the house cool while the temperature reaches 100 degrees outside.

Diy Mail Slot Draft Stopper Projections

My old 1910 house leaks like a sieve, and this is an ongoing project for me. A couple of weeks ago, I placed gaskets inside my electrical outlets and light switches. Before that, I installed door sweeps along the bottom of my front and back doors.

We moved into my house in January 2019. It was cold outside, and we kept feeling a large draft near the stairs.

Diy Mail Slot Draft Stopper Rounds

It was the mail slot on the wall next to the front door. One tiny metal flap that taps against the house when it’s windy is doing a fairly poor job of keeping out the drafts.

Our initial solution was to stuff paper towels in the slot. But after the mail comes, if we’re not home that doesn’t do us much good, since the paper towels and the mail are now on the floor.

I’ve been looking for something to cover this with since we moved in. I’ve checked hardware stores and searched on the internet, but I haven’t really found a good cover for these. I finally found something online that I hope will work.

Diy Mail Slot Draft Stoppers

It’s a mail bag. Its made from quite thick material, so I’m pretty sure it can keep out the drafts. I placed two Velcro strips above and below the mail slot. Then I attached the bag. Super easy solution—It didn’t even require me to use any tools.

Diy Mail Slot Draft Stopper Box

This solution is also pretty handy, since it collects the mail in a bag instead of all over the floor.

Lisa, an Avista customer, bought her 1910 house because she loved the old-world character, some of which doesn’t make her house very energy efficient. Lisa is sharing her experience on taking some simple do-it-yourself improvements to inspire others to do the same. You’ll find her stories right here every Tuesday morning.