How to Make a Door Draft Stopper With Household Items

A draft under a door can let in icy air in winter, not to mention the energy costs that drain away trying to heat a drafty room. A gap under a door can develop if carpet has been replaced by laminate or hardwood flooring. Older buildings, too, become drafty as building materials age and the structures settle. Stop those drafts with a homemade draft stopper made with items that are probably already lying around your house.

Measuring tape
Old towel or other scrap fabric
Scissors
Sewing machine and thread
Yardstick
Filler material

Instructions

- 1
  Find an old towel, garment or scrap of fabric from a sewing project that is at least a little longer than your door’s width. The fabric should be closely woven so the filling of the draft stopper will not leak out.
- 2
  Measure the width of the door with the draft under it. Add an inch to this measurement for seam allowance and you will have the length of your fabric. Cut a long, thin rectangle of fabric to this length with a width of eight inches. Fold the cloth rectangle in half lengthwise with right sides together. The fold forms one long side of a thinner rectangle.
- 3
  Sew the other long side and one of the short ends closed using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Sew a second time with a 1/4-inch seam allowance to give the draft stopper extra protection against the filler escaping.
- 4
  Turn the draft stopper right side out. Use a yardstick or other long tool to push out the sewn corners.
- 5
  Fill the draft stopper with rice or dried beans you have around the house. You can also use clean sand, aquarium gravel or kitty litter for filler. Leave one inch at the top unfilled.
- 6
  Turn in the raw edges of the unsewn end and stitch closed. Sew another seam 1/4 inch from the first. Topstitch these seams with a sewing machine or handstitch. Now your draft stopper is ready to save you energy costs.

Removing Food Odors From a Room

DIY Cloth Toilet Paper

Homemaking