As the winter months roll in, the cold weather follows – and depending on where you live in South Africa, it often rolls in with a vengeance. Sometimes we find ourselves unprepared and are forced to splurge at the last minute in order to keep warm or update our homes for the season. Whether you are prepared or not, however, furniture specials from stores such as 5Star Furniture are in place to help you settle in for the colder months. In just a few minutes of reading, learn how making use of furniture specials can help you prepare for winter as well as save money while you are at it.
Using furniture specials to get warm with blankets
As the days grow colder, more and more furniture stores ready their stock of blankets to keep South Africans warm during winter. The online shopping scene is bursting with options and furniture specials that tempt you to click ‘buy’ at a moment’s notice. But before you buy that comfortable looking blanket, you should know the following about different potential materials:
Wool blankets from furniture specials
Wool is renowned for its warm, heavy-weight nature. It is favoured by many for the fact that it is moisture-wicking, which means that the material will keep you warm without the risk of you becoming sweaty under covers. While still keeping their owners warm, wool blankets are breathable and resistant to wear and tire – and even fire. This is good news for anyone who owns a fireplace or heater and uses it frequently throughout winter.
Despite its many claims to fame, many people find that wool rubbing against their skin causes itchiness and even rashes at times. In light of this, if you have very sensitive skin, wool is probably not the ideal material to look for in blankets included in specials.
Cotton blankets from furniture specials
This material is known to be soft, and with every wash, it becomes softer. Not only are cotton blankets moisture-wicking and breathable, but it makes an excellent choice for anyone with sensitive skin – seeing as it is hypoallergenic. Unfortunately, cotton is more of a lightweight material, meaning that if you will be using it in an un-heated space during winter, you are likely to shiver away. If warmth is your main concern, rather opt for a different blanket material.
Fleece blankets from furniture specials
If you are looking to create a cocoon of warm, dry air this winter, then look no further than a fleece blanket. Fleece is a synthetic material which is soft and provides the same warmth as wool – just without the itching and potential skin sensitivity.
Linen blankets from furniture specials
This material is highly adaptable to your body’s temperature requirements, and serves to keep you warmer or cooler depending on your region’s climate. Like cotton, linen gets softer with every wash (even though it wrinkles easily). Linen’s natural and hypoallergenic nature makes it a favourite for lightweight, warm blanket seekers. Linen blankets are frequently included in specials, which means you can get them at reduced rates.
Silk blankets from furniture specials
Think luxury and complete comfort, and silk should pop up relatively soon on your radar. This material in blankets is popular due to its year-round utility and durable nature. Silk as a material also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties, heightening its allure. Unfortunately, silk is not so easily cleaned as other blanket materials, and must be dry-cleaned.
Down
Down blankets consist of a pocket filled with feathers, and serve to keep customers as warm as possible during the cold season. These feathers usually come from geese, so ensure that the blanket brand you choose to keep you warm responsibly sources its materials in an eco-friendly manner. However, due to the insulated nature of down blankets, there runs the chance of you becoming sweaty under the covers as you try to keep warm.
Choosing a new duvet included in furniture specials
Choosing a new duvet is oftentimes a more troublesome experience than one might imagine – especially if you are fed up with the performance of your current duvet. But there are few things worse than shivering and shaking in bed all night from the cold and becoming sick or sleep-deprived as a result. Before you peruse a store for specials regarding duvets, there is at least one thing you need to know and keep in mind to make an informative choice:
The tog rating
This measurement refers to the level of warmth in a specific duvet, as well as how insulating it will feel when you sleep under it. The tog scale begins at 1.5 tog (which is cool) and ends at 15 tog (which is extremely warm and toasty). It is a good indication as to how well a duvet will perform at trapping air and keeping the user warm. It is unlikely that you will wish to sleep under the same tog duvet throughout the year, and may need to change it up to accommodate the cold weather.
A tog rating of between 12 to 13.5 are considered to be the most opportune in keeping you warm on a winter’s night. They may be too warm in fact, if your home is already well-insulated and does not get too cold. Keep in mind that children tend to overheat more frequently than adults, so it is a good idea to purchase duvets of a slightly lower tog for your kids. Fortunately, as the winter months approach, you should notice a plethora of specials pertaining to duvets – which means you will be spoiled for choice in terms of different tog ratings.
Use furniture specials on curtains to keep your house warm
Many people may be surprise to know that curtains can go a long way in keeping heat within a home – and the cold out. But not all curtains are appropriate for keeping cold air out of your home. For example, curtains made out of lace, sheer cotton or linen are loosely woven and as a result leave space for chilly air to pervade your home. This is certainly not ideal if you are trying to save money when it comes to heating up your home. Thankfully, there are more suitable material candidates.
If you wish to keep your home as warm as possible during winter, look for specials on curtains of the following materials:
- Tapestry
- Tweed
- Velvet
- Suede
These materials are tightly-woven and as a result put up a more durable barrier against the cold.
The utility of furniture specials on rugs in preparing for winter
Like the value of curtains in keeping your home warm is overlooked, so is that of the common household rug. Carpets are usually used to add an interesting element of design into a room, as well as fill up empty floor space and unify a room. However, during the cold season, they can serve another purpose – insulation. Having a rug on the floor traps cooler air underneath it and prevents it from seeping up through the floor and making the room chilly. At the same time, stepping out onto a rug feels great as opposed to a cold, hard floor on a frigid winter’s morning.
Choosing the right heaters from furniture specials
There are various heating options to consider for your home this winter. However, there are arguably two main types of heating systems that see the most purchases during winters in South Africa: oil-filled heaters and electric fan heaters. Both these options are often seen included in specials and if you are lucky, you will make a purchsase at the best time and save accordingly. However, before you decide between the two, there are some pros and cons of each that you should consider:
Electric Fan Heaters
These heaters are popular due to them being cheaper since they are a mass-produced product. A lot of competition always means that an item will be cheaper, which means that if you are on a tight budget, this heating option may be right for you. Although heat spreads quickly with this device, an open door or window can quickly ruin the product’s efforts in a matter of minutes, however. In this light, electricity bills may be higher as the product will need to run for a longer time to compensate for the constant heat loss in cold space.
These fan heaters tend to be quite noisy, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Children and animals will be more aware of their presence so are less likely to burn themselves, yet if you are a light sleeper, the heater may keep you awake should you choose to leave it on as you nap. One major disadvantage to this type of heater is that it does not do any favours for those who suffer from allergies or are sensitive to particles in the air. The blowing of air strips up even more dust and allergens into the air, which could understandably aggravate anyone’s allergies.
If you are a pet owner, especially with small animals such as birds or rats, electric heaters may not be such a great idea. Many of them come from their factories with chemical coatings on their heating grids to prevent corrosion and rust. When turned on, the grids heat up these chemicals and can disperse them in the air, harming the respiratory systems of your smallest furry or feathered family members.
Oil-filled heaters
These heaters are highly energy efficient and do wonders when it comes to keeping a room warm and at a desired temperature. They are mostly noiseless, as heat is produced from the heating of oil. At the same time, unlike fan heaters than can become fire hazards if blocked by an object, oil heaters do not run these risks if material like clothes and towels are left on them. In fact, many people choose to hang their towels on their oil heaters to make them warm for post-shower usage. However, placing material on hot objects is never advised.
Oil-filled heaters are substantially heavier and pricier than fan heaters, so you may need to incorporate one into your budget or budget for it before it gets too cold. They are not often included in specials either, meaning that you are likely to avoid saving. These heaters also take considerably longer to heat up and get the space to your desired temperature. Despite this, for those with allergies or respiratory issues, oil-filled heaters are a wise and opportune buy for winter.
Storing outdoor furniture bought from furniture specials during winter
While a large portion of the country experiences dry winters, regions in South Africa such as the Western Cape experience considerable winter rainfall, with some months in the Cape having over 100 millimetres of rainfall. This poses some trouble for those with elaborate outdoor furniture set-ups. When you use furniture specials to purchase your outdoor furniture, cajoled by the warm summer days, you must consider the way in which you will store this furniture during the winter in order to prolong its lifespan. Water damage can quickly destroy any beautiful piece of furniture and make the money saved on furniture futile.
If your chosen outdoor furniture that you bought from specials cannot be dragged into a location inside, or folded into a box for safety during the rainy season, you must plan an alternative. For those with plenty garage or shed space, this should not be too much of a problem, as you can pile the pieces here in the interim and break them out again when it warms up a bit. Taking your outdoor furniture to a friend or family member’s home is another alternative, however this option requires much more effort.
