Daniel Ashworth
A Job Worth an Afternoon
If you can feel cold air creeping round your ankles when you sit near a door, you have found one of the cheapest energy savings in the house. An unsealed gap of a centimetre under a standard internal door is roughly the equivalent of leaving a small window open all winter, and in older British homes with Victorian floorboards and settled frames, gaps of 15mm or more are perfectly normal.
Purpose-made draught excluders cost anywhere from ten to thirty pounds and are usually stuffed with foam that flattens within a season. A handmade one, filled with rice or dried lentils, weighs enough to stay put, moulds itself to an uneven floor, and can be run up in an afternoon from fabric you already own. It also gets rid of that half bag of rice at the back of the cupboard.
What You'll Need
- Fabric: two rectangles measuring roughly 88cm by 20cm for an average 80cm door. Old jeans, cord trousers, a worn wool curtain or a heavyweight canvas offcut all work well.
- Filling: 1.5kg to 2kg of long-grain rice, dried lentils, split peas or dried beans. Rice is the cheapest and heaviest for its volume.
- A lining tube: an old pillowcase or a length of sheeting, cut to the same size as the outer cover.
- Tools: strong polyester thread, a needle, pins, scissors, and a sewing machine if you have one.
- A funnel: a plastic bottle with the base cut off is ideal.
- Optional: ribbon for a hanging loop, dried lavender, a couple of buttons.
Choosing Fabric From What You Already Own
Weight matters more than looks here. A draught excluder is dragged, kicked and stood on, so thin cotton poplin will wear through in a few months. Denim cut from the leg of old jeans is near ideal, and if you open out the seams you will usually get a piece wide enough for two panels from a single leg. Corduroy, heavy linen, upholstery remnants and old wool blankets are all excellent.
Wash and press the fabric before you cut it, otherwise a wool cover may shrink on its first spill and split the seam. Cut on the straight grain so the tube hangs evenly. When pinning, place right sides together, and allow a 1.5cm seam allowance all round. If your fabric is fraying badly, run a zigzag stitch along the raw edges before you start.
Sewing and Filling the Tube
Sew along both long sides and one short end, leaving the second short end open. Trim the corners diagonally and turn the tube right side out. Press it flat now, while it is still empty, so the finished sausage looks crisp rather than lumpy.
Next, make the inner tube from your pillowcase in exactly the same way. This is the step most people skip and most people regret: if the outer seam ever gives way, the rice stays inside the lining instead of spreading across the hall carpet. Fill the lining in three or four stages, a few handfuls at a time, shaking it down between each one. Do not pack it solid — you want a firm but slightly floppy sausage that can settle into the dips in an old floor.
Leave the final 5cm empty. Fold in the raw edges of both the lining and the outer cover, then slip stitch the opening closed with small, neat stitches, catching the lining as you go. If you would rather be able to wash the cover, sew a row of buttons and buttonholes at one short end instead, or fit a short zip.
Finishing Touches That Make It Last
- Stitch a 15cm ribbon loop into each short end before closing, so you can lift the excluder without grabbing the fabric.
- Add a patch pocket or an appliquéd shape from a contrasting scrap — a nice way to use up leftover bits and make the excluder feel deliberate rather than improvised.
- Tuck a small muslin bag of dried lavender inside the lining for a faint scent. Never drip essential oil directly onto rice, as it will go sticky.
- Use a double row of stitching along the long seams if your excluder will sit under a door that is used constantly.
Using and Looking After It
Place the excluder on the draughty side of the door and push it right up against the door leaf, not the gap in front of it. On a front door you may want two — one at the base, one rolled against the bottom of the letterbox if that is also letting in air. For patio doors and window sills, a shorter 50cm version is much easier to handle.
Rice and lentils are dry goods, so keep the excluder away from steamy bathrooms and damp cellars where the filling can absorb moisture and swell. Bring it indoors to air and dry thoroughly once a year, usually in late summer before the heating goes on, and check the seams at the same time. If you spot the first signs of moth damage, replace the filling rather than the whole cover.
Looked after properly, one of these will last several winters and cost you very little beyond an afternoon and a spool of thread.
