Preparing for winter II

sb44

hmc wrote: »

some of my kitchen cupboards have no backs on(rented house) so the ones on the back of the house have just brick. surely this is making my kitchen colder? i can only keep tins or cleaning stuff in them cos of damp
what could i do? i was thinking maybe somehow getting some cardboard to stay up?

How about getting some polystyrene tiles (the type that used to be on ceilings in the 70's!) to put at the backs of the cupboards.

You could cut them to fit and they could be wedged in so you wouldn't need to use any glue.

If you can't get them from a diy place you will be able to get them from an aquatics shop as they are used underneath aquariums to make sure they are level.

See this site here for an example and they cost about 50p each.

http://www.cdaquatics.co.uk/aquarium-polystyrene-tiles-p-1315.html?utm_source=Google-Shopping&utm_medium=Free-listings&utm_campaign=All

jackieglasgow

sb44 That's exactly what I was thinking of, but I wasn't sure if they make them any more. My grandmother had those in her kitchen cupboards for the very same reason many moons ago!

hmc

Dippypud wrote: »

Hi Hmc,
saw your post and it got me thinking,
If your allowed paste some cooking foil on to the wall,(acts as a damp-proof membrane), and you can paper over with lining paper or WHY. Failing that, stick some bubblewrap to a suitable size of cardboard and hold that to the cupboard top, sides etc. with either duct tape or wide sellotape.

Regards, Pud.:cool:

thankyou! what would i paste cooking foil with? and what is why? thankyou for the tips, im sure it makes the kitchen cold or is that just daft

hmc

sb44 wrote: »

How about getting some polystyrene tiles (the type that used to be on ceilings in the 70's!) to put at the backs of the cupboards.

You could cut them to fit and they could be wedged in so you wouldn't need to use any glue.

If you can't get them from a diy place you will be able to get them from an aquatics shop as they are used underneath aquariums to make sure they are level.

See this site here for an example and they cost about 50p each.

http://www.cdaquatics.co.uk/aquarium-polystyrene-tiles-p-1315.html?utm_source=Google-Shopping&utm_medium=Free-listings&utm_campaign=All

thankyou,what a good idea

NualaBuala

jtz wrote: »

For those wanting to make rice/wheat bags, I've bookmarked these instructions from a crafty blogger for ages as it just looks so comfy:

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2009/08/hotcold-rice-bag.html

HTH

Thanks a mill jtz, that looks great!

TITEASCRAMP

Nuala,

Just wondered if you'd thought of ebay for the hot water bottles. I've looked and they seem quite reasonable.

I still have two Boots one's that I used as a child when I was at my grandmothers. They have the Boots logo on the front. Very retro. Must be nearly about 40 yrs old, or maybe more I don't know how long she had them before she gave them to me. They still work brilliantly. I would of thought the rubber would have perished but no they're fine.:)

missychrissy

NualaBuala wrote: »

Brilliant! Thanks CC, that's good to know.:T Since wheat isn't easy to come by round here, I'll give it a try with a pack of rice I have here and use the water when I heat it. I have some dried lavender too I can add too.

Hi Nuala Buala

You can buy wheat from the homebrew places. I occasionally make wheat wine and I always use Hop and Grape online because their customer service has been excellent.

NualaBuala

TITEASCRAMP wrote: »

Nuala,

Just wondered if you'd thought of ebay for the hot water bottles. I've looked and they seem quite reasonable.

I still have two Boots one's that I used as a child when I was at my grandmothers. They have the Boots logo on the front. Very retro. Must be nearly about 40 yrs old, or maybe more I don't know how long she had them before she gave them to me. They still work brilliantly. I would of thought the rubber would have perished but no they're fine.:)

I bet the new ones wouldn't last 40 years - they felt very sharp and plasticky. I remember the super quality ones we had as children - they were still fine but got thrown out at some stage, what a waste!
I looked on Ebay a while back when I was considering the microwavable ones but I hadn't looked at the normal ones - good idea, thanks!

missychrissy wrote: »

Hi Nuala Buala

You can buy wheat from the homebrew places. I occasionally make wheat wine and I always use Hop and Grape online because their customer service has been excellent.

I never would have thought of that - thanks! I noticed a new homebrew shop had opened up near town so I will check that out. I'll get an idea of prices online first so I'll know if it's reasonable value. Is wheat better than rice I wonder? I'm guessing if it has more oil in it than rice it would retain the heat better.

At this rate I won't need the heating on I'll be so well tucked-up with hot water bottles, wheat bags etc thanks to you guys! :T:T:T

Dippypud

hmc wrote: »

thankyou! what would i paste cooking foil with? and what is why? thankyou for the tips, im sure it makes the kitchen cold or is that just daft

Fix kitchen foil with either wallpaper paste or diluted PVA glue.
WHY means, "what have you", old wallpaper, wrapping paper.

The cooking foil acts as a barrier to the damp from within the wall, whether it is from outside, maybe a leaking downpipe, or even a bad dampproof course. Or to give a thermal barrier from a cold wall to the warmth of the kitchen which would give condensation on the surface inside.

If that makes sense.
Regards,Pud

Dippypud

sb44 wrote: »

How about getting some polystyrene tiles (the type that used to be on ceilings in the 70's!) to put at the backs of the cupboards.

You could cut them to fit and they could be wedged in so you wouldn't need to use any glue.

If you can't get them from a diy place you will be able to get them from an aquatics shop as they are used underneath aquariums to make sure they are level.

See this site here for an example and they cost about 50p each.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but these tiles are highly flammable, if, heaven forbid, there were a fire in your kitchen your landlord could hold you responsible because you introduced a flammable material.

Regards, Pud