5 Ways to Stay Warm in Drafty Spaces
Every home has that one room that never feels quite warm enough. Maybe it’s a basement that’s always chilly, a sunroom that loses heat through the windows, or a garage home gym that feels cold no matter how high the thermostat climbs. The good news? You don’t have to live with cold corners and drafty spots all winter long.
With a few simple changes and the right heating solutions, you can take control of your comfort and make every part of your home feel cozy again. Here are five smart ways to stay warm, even in the draftiest spaces.
1. Seal Out the Drafts
Before you plug in a heater or add extra blankets, start by tackling the source of the problem. Drafts sneak in through gaps around windows, doors, and vents, letting precious heat escape. Sealing those leaks is one of the quickest and most affordable ways to keep warm air where it belongs.
Use weather stripping or caulk to close small gaps, and try draft stoppers along the bottoms of doors—an old rolled-up towel works in a pinch. For larger problem areas like older single-paned windows, consider using insulating window film to add an extra barrier against the cold.
Pro tip: On a windy day, run your hand along window and door edges to feel for leaks. If you notice cold air coming in, that’s where you’ll want to start sealing.
2. Add a Space Heater Where It Counts
When central heat isn’t enough, a portable space heater can make all the difference. They’re ideal for rooms that never seem to stay warm—like basements, garages, or add-on spaces—and let you heat the area you’re actually using without overworking your furnace.
Not all heaters warm the same way, so it helps to know what type suits your space best. Fan-forced or ceramic heaterscirculate warm air throughout the room, making them perfect for heating larger areas evenly. Radiant infrared heaters, on the other hand, provide direct warmth and are best for spot heating—like keeping your toes warm at a desk or workstation.
Choose a model with adjustable heat settings and built-in safety features like tip-over and overheat protection for peace of mind. And remember, keeping the heater away from fabrics and high-traffic areas ensures safe, consistent comfort. For energy savings, try lowering your thermostat and using a space heater to warm only the room you’re in. You’ll stay cozy while cutting down on whole-house heating costs.
3. Pair Heat with Circulation
Warm air has a habit of rising and staying put—especially in rooms with high ceilings or uneven airflow. That’s why pairing your heat source with a little air movement can make a big difference in how warm a space actually feels.
If you’re using a space heater, look for fan-forced models with oscillation. The built-in fan pushes warm air outward instead of letting it collect in one spot, while the oscillation feature helps distribute that heat evenly throughout the room. The result is a more comfortable, balanced warmth that reaches every corner faster.
Ceiling fans can help too. Set them to rotate clockwise on a low speed during winter to gently push warm air back down toward the floor. For smaller rooms or garages, a simple box or pedestal fan on a low setting can help move heat from one area to another.
4. Insulate and Layer Your Space
If your room still feels cold after sealing leaks and adding heat, it may be time to layer up—your space, that is. Small insulation upgrades can go a long way toward trapping warmth and helping your space heaters work more efficiently.
Start with the basics: use thermal curtains or insulating window film to block drafts from cold glass, and add area rugs to cover bare floors that draw heat away. In rooms like basements or garages, hanging an insulated curtain over an unused doorway can help retain warmth and reduce heat loss.
A portable heater or mini-split will warm these spaces more effectively when the heat isn’t escaping as quickly. And if you’re dealing with damp, chilly air—especially in basements—a dehumidifier can help reduce that clammy feeling by removing excess moisture and letting your heater do its job better.
5. Try Zoned Heating for Hard-to-Warm Rooms
Some spaces are just naturally harder to heat—think detached garages or add-on rooms without ductwork. For these problem areas, zoned heating is a game changer. Instead of relying on your central system to push warm air where it struggles to reach, you can heat each space independently and more efficiently.
A Perfect Aire DIY ductless mini-split heat pump is one of the best ways to do it. These systems are designed to heat or cool a single room or zone, giving you precise temperature control where you need it most. They’re energy-efficient, quiet, and simple to install with standard household tools—no ductwork or special equipment required.
If one area of your home always feels colder than the rest, a mini-split can balance your whole-home comfort without overworking your main HVAC system. By targeting heat directly to the spaces you use most, you’ll stay warm without wasting energy on unused rooms. And when the weather eventually warms up, your mini-split doubles as an air conditioner, keeping comfort within reach all year long.
Bring the Warmth Wherever You Need It
Drafty rooms and stubborn cold spots don’t have to make winter uncomfortable. From sealing out chilly air to adding the right kind of heat and circulation, a few smart changes can make every corner of your home feel cozy again.
Whether you’re warming a garage, basement, or sunroom, Perfect Aire has a solution that fits your space and your season—from portable heaters and dehumidifiers to DIY mini-splits built for year-round comfort.
Explore our full lineup of heating solutions at perfectaire.us and find the perfect way to stay warm this winter.