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Shelter

Plastic and tape for a single drafty window

By BorderNest · 2026-11-01 · Updated 2026-11-03

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.

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

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.

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More shelter

The other writeups in this room. The one marked start here is the overview.

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A different problem, the same household.

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