It’s getting to be that time again: time to staple plastic sheeting over the windows to help with winter insulation (groan).
A couple years ago my housemate bought a big roll of “construction grade sheeting” (6 mil polyethylene), and we’ve used that the last couple winters. But I’d like to find a better alternative. The problem, you see, is that polyethylene turns brittle and basically disintegrates under prolonged exposure to UV light. Most of the windows we cover face South, so they get plenty of exposure to direct sunlight, and by Spring that brand new plastic we put up in the Fall has turned into thousands of little scraps of plastic.
So what kind of plastic would make a better alternative? Preferably a type of plastic sheeting that is clear, or at least translucent, so that it will still let the sunlight in.
They do sell kits in the hardware store that have crystal clear plastic and double sided sticky tape. After you get it all up, you shrink the plastic with a hairdryer to make it tight.
The stuff when done is invisible, and lasts forever (I’ve had some on a few windows for 3 years). And it’s pretty cheap, too.