Seriously, what is up with this weather? Spring is allegedly officially upon us, yet it’s miserable outside and even snowing in some places! I’m especially upset by this bitterly cold start to the season because I was planning on saving some money by turning my thermostat down. Those few days of sunshine and warmth were just a tease!
Instead of cranking the heat up to 80 degrees and pretending you’re on a tropical vacation (trust me, you’ll never get rid of the sand), why not try making you home more cozy without the high cost? The Instant Chair Warmer (Taylor Gifts, $14.99) attaches to any chair and uses your own body heat to instantly warm you. That’s right, no batteries or electricity needed because the soft fleece-like outer shell of the chair warmer traps your body heat and reflects it back to you. And unless you’re a cold-blooded reptile, that’s a balmy 98.6 degrees of delicious body heat for you to snuggle up in.
What I wouldn’t give for a sofa-sized blanket of this material!
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 60″ x 27″
-Traps body heat to warm you instantly
-No batteries or electricity needed
-Save on energy costs
-Secures to chair with elastic band
-Mylar backing and fleece like outer shell
-Made of acrylic fleece
Have you been outside lately? If you haven’t let me let you in on a little secret: it’s cold out there! Seriously though, it’s more than a bit chilly outside as we coast into the tail end of winter. One of the worst things about cold weather (besides freezing your butt off) is how hard it is to breathe in that frosty air. And if the wind picks up, forget about it. Remember the last time you had the misfortune of breathing at the same time as the wind whipped by your face? It’s like choking on air – wonderful, right?
You could probably get away with wearing a ski mask or a scarf that covers your face, but even then you can’t fully escape the clutches of winter air. The Subzero Warm Breath Mask (Hammacher Schlemmer, $59.95) not only protects your lungs from cold, dry air but it also heats it. Using a microbe-resistant ventilation chamber, the mask keeps moisture off your face while at the same time warming it up to temperatures 40 to 60 degrees warmer than outside air. The mask allows you to take full breaths, which then traps small pockets of warm exhalation and allows you to breathe normally.
Sure, you’ll look a little strange (ok, a lot strange) wearing this contraption, but at least you’ll be able to breathe easy, right? Anyway, it’s got to be better than wearing a ski mask and having people stare at you like you’re gonna rob them.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Humidifies and warms winter air
-Up to 80% humidity
-Temperatures 40° F to 60° F warmer than outside air
-Mask is wind resistant Polartec fleece
-Hook and loop flaps fit over goggles and helmets
-Made of medical grade microbe resistant polyurethane
-One size fits all
Yesterday we talked about being cold, specifically being outside in the cold weather and what you can do to remedy that situation. Today I thought we’d discuss how to eliminate that winter chill whilst inside the comfort of your own home. You know what I’m talking about, how some rooms in your place just won’t get warm, no matter how high you crank up the thermostat. It might be a drafty window or a poorly insulated door, or perhaps something as simple as furniture placement. That’s right, a couch placed directly over a heating vent is going to prevent you from receiving any of that heat. Crazy, right?
Because it can be a pain to rearrange your entire living room according to where the vents are located, the Vent Extender (Taylor Gifts, $9.98) is key. This extender fits over basically any vent and redirects the air, meaning you can put your couch right over top a vent and still feel the heat. It easily fits beneath furniture and can extend anywhere from 20 to 36 inches, allowing you to set your heat at a lower temperature that’s not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet.
The only kind of vent I can safely say this definitely won’t work for is a ceiling vent. Then again, you’re not putting your furniture on the ceiling, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And if you are, I think you have a whole other set of more pressing issues.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 11″ x 1″
-Extends vent area and redirects air
-Extends from 20″ – 36″
-Fits beneath furniture
-Clips to vent
-Energy saving
-Made of clear plastic
Why is it that no matter how warm the rest of your body is, your ears and nose will always be cold in the winter? Now, a nose you can’t really do anything about because it’s smack dab in the middle of your face and it’s not like you can cover it. Tough break on that one. However, your ears are a different story. When your ears get cold, they get super cold. And then when you finally get in a warm place, it’s even worse because your ears start to burn as if they were taunting you for complaining about not being warm enough. The easiest way to avoid all of this is pretty obvious: cover your damn ears before going out in cold weather!
Most of us know we should cover up in the winter, but we don’t because we’d rather be, for lack of a better word, cool. I mean, how are you supposed to listen to your tunes when you’ve got to maneuver your beanie over your earbuds or good ole fashioned headphones? It’s practically impossible to get comfortable that way! The Midland SubZero Headphones (Firebox UK, £34.99) allow you to listen to music and keep your ears from getting frostbitten at the same time. These high tech earmuffs have it all, with earphones built flush inside the lining and a remote on the cable that allows you to pause/play, skip tracks, and take calls. That’s right, not only can you listen to music but you can also hook this baby up to your smartphone so you don’t lost touch with the outside world, even if you’re trekking through the tundra. Cotton fur lined and fully adjustable, these headphones will keep you as fashionable as they do warm.
Gift givability factor: High. Who likes being cold? No one. Who’s cold in the wintertime? Everyone. I would file this one under “Duh.”
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 10cm x 10cm x 1.5cm
-Cable measures 1.2m long
-Headphones and earmuffs all in one
-Flush earphone built inside lining
-Microphone on cable to take calls
-Remote on cable to pause/play and skip tracks
-Voice command functions
-Fully adjustable
-Gold plated 3.5mm standard headphone jack fits most music players
-Available in black, camouflage, white, and black leather
-Cotton fur lined
-Made of faux fur
-Not washable
Have you looked outside today? If you haven’t you could just go online because pretty much everyone is on their social network of choice complaining about the weather. I don’t blame them – it’s pretty miserable outside. Two seconds out there and you’ll be soaked like it was monsoon season. This time of year, once you get cold, it’s hard to warm up unless you’re literally standing in front of a roaring fire (not a luxury most of us have).
With the Pajamas Warming Pouch (Hammacher Schlemmer, $39.95), you can be roasty toasty just about anywhere that has an outlet. Yes, it might seem a little excessive to purchase a pouch to warm your clothes in when you could probably just as easily throw them in the dryer and get the same results. What about when you’re on a business trip? Or maybe you live in an apartment and aren’t lucky enough to have a washer and dryer even in the same building, let alone your own place? Then you’d be begging for this pouch to heat your pjs in just 10 minutes with its integrated heating element that reaches 118º F. The pouch can hold more than just pajamas, including towels, hats, etc. and it folds to half its size for convenient storage.
I’m thinking about keeping one of these next to my bed so I can warm up my robe in the morning before I get out of bed. It would make having to get up for work a hell of a lot easier.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 20″ x 16″ x 2″
-Warms pajamas in 10 minutes
-Integrated heating element reaches 118º F
-Can also accommodate towels, hats, or gloves
-Folds for convenient storage
-Thermal satin interior
-Plush fleece exterior
-Plugs into AC
-Only uses 50 watts of power
