Preparing for winter III

pinkmami

I'm a sucker for scented candles....my local garden centre sells them & I try to avoid it! I do tent o buy the Glade/airwick ones when on offer though. I have 9 in the cupboard!

Rainy-Days

I haven't been in here for a while but just having some time reading and catching up. I love Yankee candles and that lucky bag that Pooky got well what a bargain!!! I use my candles allot during the winter months as I love the scent of them, especialy when I cannot have the windows and back door open to freshen the house through.

I have not done much more with the winter prep. I have nearly done it all bar the cars! I bought some pansies from Aldi on Thursday morning on the way to work so I have been planting some of those up in baskets and containers. In fairness I said I was reluctant to buy any winter plants this year, but they were a reasonable price and when we stripped the garden back, well it looked so bare and it needed something just to give it a little lift, no matter how small. The rest of the pots I will finish off tomorrow now.

I have not put any food out for the birds just yet as there are still berries on the trees and hedges for the moment and they can still get the odd bug and worm!

I got some washing out on the line today, it has nearly dried but we have just had a small rain shower so I have brought it all in with the towels in the tumble dryer finishing off as I type this!

I am loving the flannelette sheets on the bed they are just so cosy and I have not needed to use a hot water bottle at all, which has been a boon. Hope you are all tickety boo and nearly finished with your winter prepping. The weather is still very mild at the moment so not too sure how it's all going to pan out this winter. I suspect this is a mere lull before the white stuff decends!

helen_jelly

prepareathome wrote: »

I know this is really off topic in one way, but not in another - here is the link to all the energy companies offering help on the Warm Home Discount Scheme

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/funding/whds/whd_broader/whd_broader.aspx

- if you are accepted you will receive a one off payment sometime between Jan and March - so not exactly preparing for winter as in stocks but is in way of ensuring you can pay winter fuel bills. I just phone British Gas who we are with and have been told I am accepted on scheme due to low income ( and if I do not get ESA - form arrived today it will be even lower gulp). So worth a look by everyone, even if you think you are not entitled you might find you are.

Good Luck

If this should be posted to another board can someone point me in the right direction, there are so many boards I just get lost trying to find my way around and never seem to put in the right search terms to find the boards I want to - although at last managed to find the monthly grocery challenge one for November )

Thanks for the info - I've just filled in the form - took 2 mins, waiting to hear but worth the time it took to fill in the form to see if we are able to get it - going to tell my Mum too

Thanks
Helen

FarmersWife_2

Just come back from the woods with OH and DD... OH with the chainsaw and me with the axe... thats the log burner sorted for a while... I ache all over though lol

VJW87

Hello! I am a long time lurker here on MSE, but as I have now recently found myself in a more awkward financial position I have become addicted to the site! I do plan on commenting a lot more in the various topics (wow, I even found one involving knittting, this site is HUGE!)

Last year we had serious issues with mould at our door. We live in a 'four in a block' ex-council property. We tried (cheap) anti-mould sprays, dehumidifiers, putting towels down etc. This year we've purchased a slightly more expensive anti-mould spray from Wilkinsons, and I plan on using a sealant around the glass pane. There still seems to be draft/air coming in from letter box but obviously closing this properly would prevent my mail getting through! Suggestions?

Hot water bottles are seriously undervalued! Some nights last winter I found myself throwing mine out the bed because I was too warm!

Read something about adding vinegar to the washing machine to prevent musky smells rather than using conditioner? That one will definitely be investigated! I dry the majority of my clothes inside on a rack/on doors (I'm in Scotland, I have to - rain!!)

We have two halogen heaters that were donated to us last year when we moaned about mould/cold air but since then we've had cavity wall insulation (I'm skeptical) and increased our roof insulation too, so hoping our energy bills shouldn't be too high this year.

Biggest preparation for winter in my eyes? Stock up on the teabags!! Nothing a good cup of tea can't solve (for a few minutes at least!).

MarilynMonroe_2

I noticed this morning condensation on my front door and just checked the little window and I've got mold So got to sort that out.

next year I am going to make sure evreything is done alot earlier so nothign to do or stock up on come November.

Sunnyday

Could the mould be coming from where there is a lot of condensation?

Around our front door in the old house it was bad and there was no easy way to stop it, warm on the inside and cold outside - where they met we got lots of condensation and had to mop it up several times a day.

In this house we sealed up the letterbox and put a postbox on the wall instead, this has made a massive difference and aslo stopped the dog from shredding the mail

Welcome to MSE this site is fab and has saved our bacon several times.

SD

Rainy-Days

VJW87 wrote: »

Last year we had serious issues with mould at our door. We live in a 'four in a block' ex-council property. We tried (cheap) anti-mould sprays, dehumidifiers, putting towels down etc. This year we've purchased a slightly more expensive anti-mould spray from Wilkinsons, and I plan on using a sealant around the glass pane. There still seems to be draft/air coming in from letter box but obviously closing this properly would prevent my mail getting through! Suggestions?

You need to be looking at a sealant that has anti mould treatment in the sealant. If you need to establish where the draught is coming from the best thing you can do is use an incense stick, the smoke coming off in a certain direction will tell you where you draught is coming from and you can act on it. You can use those brushes for the letterbox which help with draughts, they are a pain to fit but are so worth it.

To clean off the mould spores you need one heaped tablespoon of biological washing powder, a good squirt of bleach and hot water, mix it thoroughly and scrub it on, the bleach will kill the moulds spores and the biological powder will kill off any enzymes left behind. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area when doing it, use gloves and a scourer. Wash with clean water afterwards!

la_farfallina

The Yankee candles sound divine but they are a bit pricey for me.
Does anyone know of any similar, but cheaper alternatives?
At the moment I am preparing my nest in readiness for tonignt's Fix Factor.
Wish I had some lovely smelly candles.

Farf x

Rainy-Days

la_farfallina wrote: »

The Yankee candles sound divine but they are a bit pricey for me.
Does anyone know of any similar, but cheaper alternatives?
At the moment I am preparing my nest in readiness for tonignt's Fix Factor.
Wish I had some lovely smelly candles.

Farf x

Look on Ebay for some bargain finds!