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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Lifestyle
Michelle Cullen

Irish woman shares genius €10 hack to add second layer of insulation to windows

Thousands of families are struggling to heat their homes due to soaring energy bills as the winter months see temperatures drop to below freezing each night.

However, one Irish mum may have a cheap alternative that will help keep the heat in and the cold out of your home this season.

Shauna, who regularly shares her DIY fixes on TikTok @homediydiary, revealed her hack that makes "the world of difference" to your windows.

READ MORE: Customer complains full Irish served at luxury Irish hotel is ‘abomination’ that ‘should be illegal’

Speaking in the video, she explains: "If you have poorly insulated windows, I'm going to show you a really cheap way to add secondary glazing to them and retain heat.

"First, get your windows squeaky clean, then use white spirits to clean down the window frame. This is really important because we are going to be using some double sided sticky tape, and we need it to stick very well.

"We're going to be using window glazing film or insulating film. It's very affordable. You can pick this up for between 10 and 15 euros, and you get double sided sticky tape in the box too.

"Okay, I know you're doubtful. Just trust the process and wait for the finished results."

Shauna then began applying the film to her window.

She said: "So stick the tape to all sides of the window frame and peel off the backing. Next, take out the glazing film. This comes in a huge sheet. You might even get two full windows out of this.

"Cut it roughly to the size that you need but leave it a little bit bigger. You want it to overhang the tape.

"Now it's easiest to work from top to bottom and you want to stick the film to the tape very very well.

"Pull it tight, removing as many wrinkles as you can. Next, hold the hairdryer a few inches away from the film and start heating it, working from top to bottom. Initially, you're going to see that the film has some wrinkles on it, but once you heat it, the film is going to tighten up, and the wrinkles will be removed.

"Once finished, the film is going to be completely see through, and it acts as a secondary glazing to insulate your window."

People were blown away by the solution. However, some were concerned that the film would lead to condensation.

They said: "Will condensation build up on inside?"

To which Shauna replied: "Lots of people saying they've used it and it stopped condensation. For the low price it's worth a shot."

Another commented: "We have single glaze wooden windows and putting this up has made a world of a difference, cost £3 something on amazon!"

A third said: "been doing this for years in old homes in Canada, works super well".

While a fourth asked: "How long will that last. What's the story with cleaning?"

Shauna replied: "Depends on brand. Some claim to last years but I've seen some people replace them each winter. This is my first winter using it".

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