How to Seal Your Windows for Winter

Unless you have just had windows put in by someone who knows what they are doing, you should check your windows for leaks. Any sign of leaks, means heat will be flowing out, and cold weather will be flowing in. If you have bad leaks then you could end up having a higher heating bill then needed. Along with that, leaky windows can cause you to be very cold and just have a miserable winter. Make yourself comfortable with a little planning and effort. As soon as fall hits, you need to start preparing your windows for the cold winter months. If you have cracked glass, you can purchase new glass at any hardware store. It’s better to just replace the cracked glass then trying to repair it. Glass doesn’t cost much money at all, and it’s not hard to replace.

Materials:

Silicone caulk

Caulk gun

Weather stripping

Wet wash cloth

Window Cleaner

Rubbing Alcohol

Paper Towels/Newspaper

Widget/small putty knife

Double-sided sticky tape

Step #1

Scrape off any left over caulk that is no good around your windows. Using a widget or a small putty knife works best. You need to have a clean area to work with or you wont be able to create an air tight seal. If there is caulk that still looks good, you can leave that alone, or scrape it off, that’s up to you.

Step #2

The first thing you need to do after you have taken off the old useless caulk, is clean around all your windows using your favorite glass cleaner and cleaning method. Make sure you get into all the cracks and small areas. Let dry

Step #3

Once they are dry, take a paper towel and soak it with the rubbing alcohol. Use that paper towel to go around all the window seals. This will take off any left over residue, so you can have a clean area to work with.

Step #4

Apply any weather stripping for large gaps using your sticky tape. Places like the top of your window and the bottom of your window where it closes. This is also good to use around your door frames since a lot of leakage can occur here also.

Step #5

Using your caulk gun and the silicone caulk, caulk around all cracks. Silicone caulk is easy to remove during summer months when you like to have your windows open, so don’t worry about the thickness of it. Apply thick layers around the seals and window frames. If your frame has a crack it in, apply this caulk there also. If you get any caulk on the glass, remove with your wet wash cloth. Let dry

Step #6

Review all your windows. If you notice any leaks, apply a second layer of caulk. If you notice any spots missed, apply touch ups now. Let dry