The shrink-wrap defense

Back on the MLK holiday, it was so cold in my apartment that I donned two pairs of yoga pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, two cashmere sweaters, wool socks, shearling slippers, and a hat. And I still needed to sit on the couch under a blanket. Granted, it was hovering around 20 degrees outside, but I could clearly hear that tea-kettle hiss of steam coming from all three of my radiators. You couldn't possibly pump any more heat into the room.

The problem is that I live in an old building. With a giant wall of divided-light casement windows. Single pane, metal frame, and one of the windows is a little warped so it doesn't close tightly. I also can't remove my air conditioner, because someone cut away the window to make room for it.

So it's drafty. By last weekend, I'd had enough, and finally took some action.

Heading over to see my pals at the hardware store, I picked up some caulk and a Frost King window insulation kit. Basically this is just plastic sheeting and double-sided sticky tape. You tape the plastic over the windows, then run a blow dryer over it to shrink it taut.

I'd done this before when I lived in the backhouse, where none of the back rooms had heat. But it was a little more difficult covering a 5-by-10-foot area. I had to do it in two pieces. It looks a little funny over the air conditioner, but basically, as long as I keep the sheer curtains closed, you can't tell it's there. And it's definitely warmer now.

Next I'm going to do my office windows. It's freakin' cold in here!!