Door draught excluders are a great way to keep the warm air in, and the cold air out of your house.
Make your own draught excluder cushion with our easy instructions.
Benefits of using a draught excluder
Using a draught excluder has a lot of benefits, not only will it keep your energy bills down and keep you warmer, they also help to keep insects out of your room, and prevent damp as rooms are kept at a more consistent temperature rather than fluctuating.
There are lots of different types, including draught excluder cushions that lie in front of your door, or fit under the door frame - handy for doors that get a fair amount of use, to draught excluder tape and brush strips.
How to make a cushion draught excluder
You will need
- A sewing machine/sewing kit.
- 2 x fat quarter pieces of fabric, a little longer than the length of your door. Cotton works well, but you can use thicker fabrics such as linen if you prefer - these will be harder to sew by hand so if you're a beginner or haven't got a sewing machine, stick with cotton.
- Wadding
- Buttons and ribbon to decorate
- An iron
Instructions
Step 1: Take the 2 x fat quarter pieces and lay them with the right sides together (the sides that will become the outside of your draught excluder).
Step 2: Pin along shorter line and sew, creating one extra long piece.
Step 3: Iron the seam flat.
Step 4: Fold in half lengthways, and again. Cut a curved edge on both shorter sides. Fold out so it is just in half once lengthways again.
Step 5: Cut 2 x lengths of ribbon.
Step 6: Fold in half and slide into the middle of each curve with the loop inside on the right side of the fabric, and the ends sticking out of the wrong side. Pin all in place.
Step 7: Sew the whole way around leaving a 6cm gap near the join in the middle of the long length.
Step 8: Cut notches around the curves.
Step 9: Turn through and iron nice and flat.
Step 10: Open your bag of wadding and tear it up so that you can have some fun stuffing it into the tube / draught excluder… so go ahead! Making sure you get it to the ends first and then disperse.
Step 11: Once you are happy with the stuffing amount take your hand-sewing needle and thread and sew up the hole.
Step 12: It’s time to embellish! Get creative with the buttons and ribbon, you could make the buttons eyes and the ribbon a tongue! It's also a handy loop for hanging up when not in use.
If you'd rather buy one than make your own, there are lots of options available, here's our pick of the best on the market.
Best draught excluders to buy
This cute draught excluder comes in a range of animals, including dogs, cats and sheep, in lots of different colours/breeds too!
At only £6.99 this is a great budget option that still works great to keep the cold air out. There's a range of colours so you can choose the one that fits with your decor.
Keep warm in style with a luxurious draught excluder from The "Phillips Park" Collection. Made from herringbone wool fabric, and in range of patterns including stags, foxes, flamingos, pheasants, floral, tartan, spots and stripes, you're sure to find a design that you love. It's machine washable and has a handy loop for storage.
With a draft stopper for the door, you can easily and effectively avoid draft, insulate the cold, save energy and reduce noise. The door seal with two insulating rollers ensures that heat stays inside and keeps cold out - plus you get two to use wherever you need them. Simply push the draft stopper without drilling, screwing or gluing under the door leaf and the door insulation is done. Thanks to the double-seal pull-through stopper, less heating is required, which saves energy and protects the environment.
www.next.co.uk
Who doesn't love a sausage dog! Can you feel a draught? Not with Don the Dachshund! Practical, and pretty cute, this polyester-filled draught excluder is styled as a sausage dog in a patterned jumper. Height 24cm, Width 14cm, Depth 102cm Sponge clean only. 100% Polyester.
This is a great option for garage doors as well as house doors. It comes in a range of lengths, can be cut to size, and includes fixings and pre-made holes to screw the strip wherever it is needed.
If you're looking for something that will help stop draughts around windows or sliding doors, this foam tape is an easy to install option that works great. It's solvent free and self-adhesive, so really quick to install without drilling and screwing, and can be cut to different sizes according to your need.
If it's your chimney that's causing you draught issues rather than your doors, did you know you can also buy chimney draught excluders, like the one below:
Having an open chimney is like leaving a window open all the time. We don't always notice the warm air escaping, but that air has to be replaced so it pulls in cold air from around doors and windows, in fact any leaky part of the building, causing the draughts that we do notice. If you block the chimney then you keep the warm air in the home and stop the cold draughts from getting in. The Chimney Sheep is a thick wad of felted Herdwick wool on a handle. It lodges in the chimney, preventing the warm air from your home escaping while the fire isn't lit. If you want to light the fire, it's easy to take out. Then pop it back in again when the fire has gone out. It is breathable and durable and will save energy, save money, and keep your home more comfortable for many years to come. Available in a range of sizes (this one is 13" x 13")