4 tips for a clean,
warm, cozy home
this fall and winter.

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but summer is coming to an end. That means it is time to dig out the fuzzy socks and start getting the house ready for the cooler months.

There is nothing better than coming home after a long day out in the cold, turning up the heat, and settling in front of the TV. There is also nothing worse than opening an inflated heating bill at the end of winter. This stretch of the year can be uncomfortable and costly, since heating is the largest source of energy use in most homes. Fortunately, there are steps that keep a home clean, warm and cozy this fall and winter while keeping heating costs down.

1. Limit the buildup of dust and dirt.

Already thinking about Thanksgiving and the holiday gatherings that come with it? Consider asking guests to leave their shoes at the door. According to a study from the University of Arizona, there are more than 400,000 units of bacteria on the outside of one shoe, and 90 to 99 percent of that spreads to the floors in a home.

Beyond the cleanliness of a home, dirt and dust buildup in the vents can also get in the way of heat circulating the way it should. Preventing dirt from getting inside in the first place is a good place to start. Mats at each entrance and shoes left at the door go a long way. Vacuuming and mopping consistently catches whatever dust and dirt is bound to accumulate anyway.

2. Rearrange your furniture.

Has it been a while since the furniture was rearranged? This might be the time to do it. A sofa, chair, bed or other bulky piece of furniture blocking a radiator or vent also blocks the warm air from flowing freely, which means the room takes longer to heat and the energy bill climbs. Moving furniture away from heating appliances, even just a little, goes a long way toward keeping a home warm and saving a few dollars this winter.

3. Do not forget about the windows.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 30 percent of a home's heating energy is lost through the windows. The warm air in a house is, quite literally, going out the window.

It does not have to be that way. Seal cracks around windows with caulking or weatherstripping to stop cold air from getting in. Thermal curtains, thick drapes and other window coverings help too, as long as they stay closed at night. During the day, open them back up and let the sunlight in.

4. Install heated tile floors.

One of the most effective, energy-efficient ways to keep a home warm and cozy is heated floors. Also known as radiant floor heating or underfloor heating, these floors warm a room evenly from the ground up, unlike radiators or forced-air systems, which depend on where the ducts and vents happen to sit.

Heated floors keep feet warm when you climb out of bed, head down to the basement, or step out of the shower onto a cold tile floor, and they warm a room faster while holding that heat longer once the system shuts off. The Radiant Professionals Alliance puts the potential energy savings at 10 to 30 percent, which adds up over the course of a Missouri winter.

Thinking about heated tile for the season ahead? Get a free estimate → · See tile →