add interlining to existiing curtains?

My bedroom is very cold and the central heating radiator barely takes the chill off. Eventually I will install double-glazing and replace the (ancient) radiator, but in the meantime I was wondering if I could add an extra layer of 'interlining' (which I take to have insulating qualities) to the existing curtains which are fairly light, with a light lining. Or should I just replace the curtains? Every penny, I mean cent, counts at the moment.

Also, was thinking of putting some sort of reflective film on the wall behind the radiator. Has anyone done this or know where to get the stuff? (Even knowing what it's called would help!)

get an electric blanket and dryline the walls.

Consider - before spending too much -how much time do you really spend in the room, apart from when you're asleep (and presumably warm under the covers!)? I'd invest in heavy, fully lined curtains (great deals in the sales at the minute) and a hot water bottle/electric blanket! If you really need heat for a occasional, specific purpose, why not plug in a fan heater for half an hour to get the place warmed up? Alternatively, depending on how much money you have, look at getting a new radiator which would release more heat - its actually not as expensive as you would think (a few hundred euro maybe)

If money is really tight I would have thought that spending on the bedroom at the minute probably isnt top priority - sorry if thats my personal bias showing.

best of luck

Interlining curtains is more about the effect on the way the curtains hang than about insulation which is a beneficial side effect!

Depending on what way your curtains are hung, e.g. tab-top, eyelet, ordinary hooks on a track, you can hang another set of curtains behind them. It may require stitching them to tab-top or eyelet curtains, but hooks on a track can usually take a second set. Have a look around the shops, you'll probably find a thermal or plain heavyweight set at a very good price. Make sure they're the same size as your existing curtains though, otherwise they probably won't hang correctly.

I would add blackout lining to the back of your curtains which are quite cheap and have better insulation properties than light curtains.

You can get these in most curtain shops and I got some good bargains buying some on ebay from British online shops.

In my experience this will have some effect but not much.

An electric blanket is a real investment in a cold bedroom.

I've solved this problem in the past by getting a piece of polystyrene packing, or you could hunt in some skips for insulated board or cavity wall insulation, should be easy to pick up from a building site. Cut it to size and when the sun goes down put it up against the window and close the curtains so you cant see it. Take it down in the morning, or leave it there all day if you are going out, and put it under the bed. Works really well.

find out how good the rad is by turning off all the others, may need bleeding, the foil works, b and q do it, fit good themal linings to existing curtains.

noah

Can anyone tell me how effective well-lined curtains are for insulation? I have wooden slat blinds on windows in a large sitting room which do nothing to trap a layer of air over the windows. On really cold nights the temperature of the air cascading down the windows can be easily six or more degrees colder than the temperature measured at the thermostat on the wall only a few feet away ( - it's underfloor heating). Saving money would be a bonus, but the real problem is the uncomfortably cold air swirling around parts of the room -- as low as 13 or 14C when the thermostat's at 21C. I'm wondering if curtains could really cure this, or will the air just cascade around them ... I have to admit I was wondering about a tighter-fitting solution like ramble's polystyrene sheet -- but it's not exactly a pretty approach. I'd happily spend money on curtains if I was convinced they'd work.

This looks like it answers my question -- curtains work but only if well constrained around the edges:

dub_nerd said:

This looks like it answers my question -- curtains work but only if well constrained around the edges:

Click to expand...

That's informative. Don't think I'll be going with curtains made of old sleeping bags, a layer of plastic sheeting and a decorative layer though! Will see about a pelmet (cap) though and fixing the curtains at the sides. In the meantime, will invest in an electric blanket.

(just for info, have two duvets, a woolen blanket and a fleece on the bed at the moment - and still wake at 3am with frozen legs.)

dub-nerd, I've good heavy lined curtains in my living room and they really do the job. It's a bay window and they wrap around, ie they go past the end of the bay so in effect they are sealing the whole thing.

Noah, the rad is fine, v hot to the touch! Where would I get thermal lining? Will treck off to B&Q to check out the radiator lining, thanks.

All my curtains are good old fashioned hook on track. I do get condensation on the window so I don't want the curtains touching the glass or I'd just end up with mildew.

Thanks everyone!

Hi Gordanus

If you're going to get an electric blanket and intend leaving it plugged in while you sleep perhaps you should put it on a timer - if you don't want to leave it on all night you could set it to switch off and to come back on for a while in the middle of the night while you sleep.

Cheers