# Plastic and tape for a single drafty window > One drafty window, a roll of plastic, and a few minutes with tape. A focused fix that keeps cold air out of the room you actually plan to shelter in. Part of the [Shelter](https://bordernest.com/silo/shelter.md) guides. Most homes lose a surprising amount of heat through a single neglected window, and that one pane is often the difference between a room that holds warmth and one that never quite does. The fix is the same plastic film kit you would buy for an ordinary cold snap, so the skill transfers whether the reason is a winter storm or a longer grid-down stretch. The point is to seal one window you have already identified as drafty, not to wrap the whole house in plastic and tape. ## Why one window is enough In a real shelter-in-place scenario you are picking one room and staying there, which means you only need to control the air in that room. A single cold window can pull warmth out faster than the rest of the room can hold it, so sealing that one pane gives you the biggest return for the least effort. Think of it as choosing your battles: the draftiest window in the room you have already chosen, sealed with a kit that takes about ten minutes. ## How to do it Start by cleaning the inside of the glass and the surrounding frame so the tape has a dry, dust-free surface to grab. Apply the double-sided tape around the perimeter of the frame, leaving the backing on for now, then press the plastic film across the tape so it spans the whole opening with a little slack. Use a hair dryer or a warm cloth to shrink the film tight, which pulls out the wrinkles and draws the plastic into a clear, drum-tight seal. Trim the excess at the edges and you have a sealed pane that blocks drafts and holds a layer of still air against the glass. ## Do this today Walk to the draftiest window in the room you would actually shelter in and measure the width of the frame. That single number tells you which kit to buy and confirms the job is small enough to finish in one sitting. ## Gear **Gorilla: Gorilla Waterproof Patch & Seal Tape.** Check the tape width on the Amazon page against the gap you are covering. A simple plastic film kit is the only supply you need, and it stores flat against a closet shelf until the next cold snap or the next unplanned night in. Keep the scissors and tape together in a small bag so the kit is one grab away when the weather turns. Your next read is Pick the room before the siren does it for you. When you are ready to compare gear, open the See the shelter aisle. Links here are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy, we may earn a commission. It does not change your price. Check the live listing before you order. ## Related guides - [Stay in if you can. Carry a roof if you cannot.](https://bordernest.com/blog/shelter-hub.md): You stay home when the conditions allow it, and you carry a roof when they do not. This guide shows the two separate piles so your bag stays light and your closet stays useful. - [How to start a fire outside without cooking the yard](https://bordernest.com/blog/how-to-start-a-fire-outside.md): You clear dirt, start small, and keep flames away from the tent. Practice on a Saturday, not during an emergency. - [How to pitch a tube tent on the first try](https://bordernest.com/blog/how-to-pitch-a-tube-tent.md): A tube tent is a plastic sleeve and a cord, so pitch it between two trees once in daylight before you need it. You will learn where the plastic touches your face and where the floor puddles. - [A go bag and a stay-home pile do different jobs](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-go-bag-and-a-stay-home-pile.md): Two piles, two jobs: a heavy shelf for the house and a light bag for the stairs. The split is what keeps both useful when the lights flicker or the road closes. - [Where the home kit sits so you can find it](https://bordernest.com/blog/where-the-home-kit-sits.md): Ready.gov says put the home kit in a named place and tell the household. A closet people can point at beats a perfect list nobody opens. - [Pick the room before the siren does it for you](https://bordernest.com/blog/how-to-shelter-in-place.md): Pick an interior room on a calm afternoon, tape the plastic, and tell the house which room is the shelter before the siren makes the choice for you. - [Tape one room if the plan is to stay inside](https://bordernest.com/blog/tape-one-room-if-you-are-staying.md): A roll of tape and a sheet of plastic can turn one pre-chosen room into a cleaner-air pocket. The lesson is that the room is named on a calm day, not during the alarm. - [Staying in an apartment when leaving is worse](https://bordernest.com/blog/staying-in-the-apartment.md): When the road outside is the hazard, the apartment becomes the shelter. Learn how to seal one room, stock water and no-cook food, and keep a radio within reach so you can wait it out safely. - [A bathroom plan that is bags, not a gadget](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-bathroom-plan-that-is-bags.md): A lined bucket and a bag you already know how to tie, set up in the room you already chose. Learn why the simplest sanitation plan is the one that actually gets used when the water is off. - [A 72-hour bag you would actually carry](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-72-hour-bag-you-would-carry.md): Three days on your back if you have to leave. So small bottles, a few bars, copies of your papers, a whistle, and a thin shelter. If you cannot lift it down the stairs, it is not packed. - [A work bag for one day you cannot get home](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-work-bag-for-one-stranded-day.md): A desk drawer can quietly hold the supplies that get you through one stranded workday, so a sudden disruption does not catch you without water, food, or walking shoes. - [A car kit for the drive you already make](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-car-kit-for-the-drive-you-make.md): A blanket, a snack, a whistle, and a way to be seen. So that covers the commute. If you leave the car and walk, you wanted the bag, not the trunk. - [Winter supplies that should already be in the car](https://bordernest.com/blog/winter-supplies-already-in-the-car.md): A driver sits in a cold car on a winter shoulder, learning which blanket, snack, and water choice actually helps when the engine is off and the temperature drops. - [A blanket that lives in the car](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-blanket-that-lives-in-the-car.md): Three thin blankets that live in the trunk and a clear-eyed look at what they actually do on a cold night. - [An emergency blanket is not a sleeping bag](https://bordernest.com/blog/an-emergency-blanket-is-not-a-sleeping-bag.md): Three thin Grabber blankets cut wind and take almost no space, so they belong in the car and the go-bag, not in place of a sleeping bag. - [A roof you can carry, for the night in the car](https://bordernest.com/blog/sol-emergency-bivvy-for-the-bag.md): A reflective bivvy you can crawl into when the car becomes the room for the night. Practice the zipper in daylight so the dark is not the first time. - [A bivvy if the night might be spent outside](https://bordernest.com/blog/a-bivvy-if-the-night-is-outside.md): A roadside night with no tent calls for a heat-reflective bivvy you can crawl into fast. Students learn how the SOL Survival Bivvy traps warmth, why the whistle matters, and how to rehearse the zipper before they need it. Open the HTML guide to see today's Amazon listing. Prices are confirmed on Amazon. This is not medical, legal, or emergency-service advice.