Dodging a Winter Draft with a Door Draft Stopper

When the winter chill starts seeping into your home, it is time to consider adding a draft stopper to the bottom of your exterior doors and drafty windows. Using a draft stopper will help save money on your heating bills during the winter months.

If you can’t find a ready-made draft stopper to coordinate with your decor, do what I did, cover a store bought draft stopper with fabric so it will also add cheery color that fits your home decorating style.

Save-money-on-heating-bills with a draft stopper

If you live in a southern climate, then you probably don’t need to find ways to dodge the chill of winter from seeping through your doors and windows. But if you live anywhere where it gets cold in the winter or in an old house or one that is not sealed properly, you are going to feel a draft when the outside temperature drops.

What Is a Draft Stopper or Draft Dodger?

I first learned what a draft dodger, door snake or draft stopper was when I was in college living in an old dormitory with very drafty windows. My roommate and I used to roll towels into a tube shape and place them along the sill of the windows. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped keep the chill out of our room.

Then upon returning from home one weekend, my roommate brought a ready-made fabric filled tube in a box labeled “Draft Dodger“. Genius!!!! It was made with corduroy fabric and filled with rice. It was specially made for one purpose only and that was to block the gap between the bottom of a door or window and the sill preventing cold air from entering a room and warm air from escaping.

Since then I have always had one or two draft dodgers at the ready in my home to place by a door or window in the winter.

Why You Should Consider Using a Door Draft Stopper

Incorporating draft dodgers into a home will help prevent warm air from escaping and get rid of cold spots near doors and windows, creating a more comfortable living space. 

Draft dodgers not only keep the drafts out, but can also become a decorative element, adding a personalized touch to any room.

An added benefit is their ability to minimize sound transmission through gaps, providing a quieter indoor space.

For vertical gaps around doors and windows the most effective and simple way to keep the winter drafts away is adding stick-on weatherstripping. See more on this at the end of the post.

A Few Ways to Make a Draft Dodger for Doors and Windows

A draft stopper can be made in a variety of ways – sewn, no sew and also by repurposing items you already own.

How to Make a Colorful Cover for an Existing Door Draft Stopper

Many ready-made draft dodgers are made using neutral colors, but if you would like a more decorative one to coordinate with your room’s decor, here are a few easy ideas to make one yourself.

Before-&-After-Draft-stopper

supplies needed:

  • Draft stopper – I found mine at a local store in the bargain basement – see list of places to buy one below
  • Fabric yardage
  • Thread to match
  • Yarn
  • Cardboard
  • Scissors
How-to make a draft stopper

1.  Measure the length and width of draft stopper. Cut 2 pieces of fabric to those measurements and add about an inch all around for seam allowance. Lay the fabric right sides together on work surface and pin one short side and two long sides together. Sew together on a sewing machine. Remove pins, turn right side out. Place draft stopper inside. Sew open end together by machine or hand.

How-to-make-a-pom-pom

Optional:  I made a pom-pom for each corner.

To learn how to make pom-poms, see this post: A Little Bit of Chic, Warm, and Snuggly

Pom-pom-trim for a draft stopper

Hot glue or hand stitch a pom-pom to each corner.

Make-your-own-draft-stopper

Place in front of door.

Winter draft stopper

How to Make a No-Sew Door Draft Dodger

When making your own door draft stopper you don’t even need fabric yardage. One can be quickly made by cutting off a leg from an old pair of jeans or an arm from a sweater to the width of your door or window and fill with rice or other fillers (See more below).

Close cuts ends by sewing by hand or tie off ends securely with ribbon or string. You can even use fabric glue to close the ends.

What to Fill a Draft Stopper With

  • Rice – Fits easily into gaps and provides good weight.
  • Dried beans, peas or buckwheat – Offer similar benefits to rice.
  • Kitty litter – Inexpensive and absorbs moisture.
  • Sand – Provides the right weight but can be messy if the fabric cover opens or gets ripped.

Where to Buy Door Draft Dodgers or Stoppers

Ready-made draft dodgers come in various styles, colors, patterns and sizes. They are designed to fit any door or window. Here are a few different styles I found that will help you keep the chill out of your home.

How To Add Weather Stripping to a Door or Window

If your doors or windows have gaps along the vertical sides, adding weatherstripping is a cost-effective way along with a draft dodger to keep the cold air from getting in.

There are many types of weatherstripping sold at most home improvement stores from caulks to self adhesive foam and rubber styles.

When I needed to seal a door to my deck, I wanted to use something that would look good. I found EPDM Rubber Self-Sticking Weatherseal tape. It is made of rubber and has adhesive on it already. I had it around the door jam in less than 5 minutes.

How-to-apply-weather-stripper
Home-Depot-Weather-Sealers

Caulk can also be used around drafty doors and windows, but can look messy.

The rolled foam or vinyl types of weatherstripping with adhesive backings are also easy to use.

To Apply Self Adhesive Weatherstripping: Simply measure around the door jam and cut a piece of the tape to that measurement. Remove paper backing and press right up against the door jam or into the door jam if the gap is large.

Rubber-weather-seal-for-door

No handyman or contractor needed.

Draft dodgers are a simple yet effective solution for improving home comfort and energy efficiency.

Whether you cover one you already own with a new fabric or make a no-sew one from the leg of jeans these easy-to-make draft stoppers offer both a decorative and practical way to keep cold drafts at bay and reduce heating costs. 

If you would like to find out more ways to winterize your home, check out the tips from Home Depot.

Before-&-After-Draft-stopper

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13 Comments

  1. Diane! How cute is this?!?! It’s so cheerful and whimsical, but most of all, USEFUL! Thank you for sharing. We live in a great OLD house. There are 5 different entrances into this old house. As much as we’ve worked to improve the house’s energy efficiency, when winter blows, each of those 5 doors has a draft. We’ve talked about getting new doors, but the current doors are original to our house and nothing else would be quite the same. Now all of the doors will have a charming winter accessory and out toes will always stay warm!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Judy – The front door of my previous house had such a drafty door. Since it was a focal point in the foyer I had to come up with something colorful. :-) Placing them in front of the doors, really does help keep the cold out.

  2. Sheryll & Critters. says:

    I love the colors and print you chose and the pom pom’s are just too cute to mention.

    I can not afford to buy one ready made and I ADORE the smell of Cedar. I sure do miss my Cedar lined closets for winter wool coats and such. If I had the money, I would line every closet in this tiny house with planks of it.

    I love Pine also and I recenty (last month) stumbled upon a feed store a few miles from me that sells Stall Master. It is 100% Pine wood pellets and an American product. I bought a 40 lb bag for I believe it was less than $6 including tax. I bought it primarily for kitty litter and I love it!!! It also works for neck pillows, the draft dodgers and anything you want…. it is just wonderful.

    Have a wonderful day everyone and try to keep warm.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Thanks Sheryll – another reader told me about using cedar chips. That is new to me, but I bet it smells wonderful.

  3. Hey, cute fabric! I make my own draft dodgers without buying a pre-made one. The best stuffing I have found is cedar shavings (that you would use for pets). They smell good, are good insulation, and are much cheaper than poly batting. The shavings are usually sold in large bags that would fill lots of draft dodgers (you know, if you need a lot of them, I’m in Maine :)) If you sew the end so that you can open and re-close it, you can empty the shavings at the end of winter in order to wash the cover, save it, and refill for the next winter.

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Dawn – thanks for the idea. I bet yours smell wonderful. Glad I made mine when I did, as it has been pretty chilly the past two weeks.

  4. Al Home Blogs says:

    The makeover draft stopper looks great and a little project that will keep my kids busy for at least an hour!! Winners all round!

  5. Katharine from Kat's Almost Purrfect World says:

    Believe it or not but some places in the Southern part of the country need draft dodgers too. I’m in the suburbs of Los Angeles but it gets a bit cool in the winter. Of course nothing like Pennsylvania or anywhere back east. The housing that I live in was built for quick housing needed for the Aerospace employees during the late 50’s, early 60’s. My house was built in 1960 and no insulation and old windows. We haven’t upgraded to newer windows etc yet and it gets really cold. My husband messed up when he was fixing the front door threshold so a draft dodger would be good. I love the draft dodger you made because of the fabric and the pompoms. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Diane,

    I had a draft stopper like that before….but yours is so much prettier! Love the polka dots!

    Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!

    blessings,
    karianne

  7. They’re both so pretty!

  8. Love this! So pretty and useful!
    Jo-Anna

  9. Lynda @homelealass says:

    The draught stopper is a bit pretty. They also come in handy keeping mice out of old homes.