Draught Excluders

brassmonkey001 · 20 October 2006 at 10:22PM

You know the ones - look like a snake or a sausage dog etc. I've decided instead of buying some I'll make some out of old sleeves or trouserlegs. But what is the best thing to stuff them with?

Sujamjen · 20 October 2006 at 10:25PM

I don't know about the best thing but I used old jumpers in the last one I made! Hope that helps

Quasar · 20 October 2006 at 10:35PM

I use old towels. Just roll them up and the job's done.

rainbowrisin · 20 October 2006 at 11:10PM

I use odd socks (as we have lots of those) - old tights are also good, as they're light and dry easily when you put the excluder in the wash. The smaller the "bits" the more "excluding" the excluder is.
I've also used polystyrene packing chips - there's usually some knocking about on your local freecycle if you're short of them.
HTH

Queenie · 22 October 2006 at 6:27AM

brassmonkey001 wrote:

You know the ones - look like a snake or a sausage dog etc. I've decided instead of buying some I'll make some out of old sleeves or trouserlegs. But what is the best thing to stuff them with?

Scrunched up old newspapers

Years ago, "gentlemen of the road" (

) would use old newspapers as their "blankets" and fish and chip shops would use them to wrap the food to keep warm.

If you are using old sleeves/trouser legs, don't sew the ends of your sausage closed; secure the ends with rubber bands and then tie a ribbon over the elastic band to hide it. That way, if the newspaper stuffing gets flattened or (heaven forbid!) damp, it's very easy to remove/replace/fluff up. Plus, makes it easier to launder.

The wool in old jumpers can be unpicked, rolled into balls and reused for knitting/crochet/whatever.

sashacat · 11 November 2006 at 4:27PM

I have recently put curtains up behind my back and front doors and they have made an enormous difference to the heat retention in the house. However there is a small gap at the bottom of each door and I want to make matching draught excluding snakes for each door but I can't remember how to make them. Any ideas please?

PurpleDuck · 11 November 2006 at 5:44PM

do you have an old pair of trousers? Cut the legs off. Sew one end up on each leg and stuff with what ever you have - odd socks, carrier bags, the rest of the trousers you've not used etc. Sew the other end up and volia! you have 2 draft excluders

thriftlady_2 · 11 November 2006 at 5:47PM

My mum used to make them from a length of 2 by 4 which she padded with old blankets. She then covered it in fabric (red for some reason). The result was a sausage about 4-5 inches in diameter. They were very effective.

I wouldn't have them in my home though as my sons would use them as weapons.. bless.

jimsmum · 11 November 2006 at 6:04PM

if you have any left over carpet from when it was layed roll it up into a sausage and tape it round with clear tape.

pipkin71 · 11 November 2006 at 6:12PM

I've just made draught excluders out of my DD's old school trousers, but rather than cut the legs off, I turned one leg inside the other and sewed up all the joins then stuffed with clothes from the rag bag. the finished effect looks really good and has stopped the draught from the downstairs wc.

sashacat · 12 November 2006 at 4:21PM

thriftlady, do you mean a 2x4 piece of timber because I have some in the garage which would do, but I hadn't thought of it, I had it in my head that you started with a tube of fabric and stuffed it.

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Draught Excluders

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