During the early days, before the age of electric heaters and forced air, homemakers had to be creative when warming their houses. It was not only important for comfort's sake but because the congestion and flu that could result during that time were deadly, particularly with a lack of good physician care.
Of course, we have all heard about the hot bed pan. It was a device that was filled with hot coals and passed between bed sheets to warm them up before the spouse or kids slipped into bed to have a good night's sleep. To this day when you go into old homes, now museums, you can see the hot bedpan near a hearth.
But there were other imaginative ways for men and women to keep themselves warm during the coldest of cold months.
This is not always an easy task, however, especially if you had a two-story house to keep warm.
After the break go to the next page and read up on some of these creative ways our ancestors kept from freezing!
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1. The “grate.” Homeowners would cut a hole between the first and second floor and insert a grate that would allow the hot air from below to rise into the second floor.
2. The “nightcap.” If you’ve ever slept in a cold tent during winter, then you know the need for a “nightcap.” This was a head covering that could be a knitted cap or, in Artic climates, a fur cap.
3. Layers on layers of insulation. Layering is a common concept for anyone in winter, and layers of sheets, blankets and quilts made a sleeping arrangement warm and warmer.
4. Sleep with the dog. The shared body heat from a pet can help.
5. Night clothes beyond pajamas. Their night clothes were often heavyweight combinations of wool and thick, cotton flannel.
6. Snuggling. Families often slept together in the same bed.
7. Hot iron. Hot pieces of iron were sometimes heated on the top of a wood-burning stove or in a fireplace and then placed into a metal bucket. The bucket was then brought to the bedroom and placed on the floor or even under the bed. The radiant heat from the hot iron lasted for hours.
#savedyouaclick
Fairbanks Alaska when it used to get – 60 degrees then used to take to snow in the yard and bank the house with it to add another layer of insulation
We do the same in Vermont
In Scandinavia I know 3 things:
1. Echo the wool pajamas with a flap for the bum 🙂
2. Central chimney layout w/ room furnaces (small tile stoves sharing exhaust), even if just for luxury cozyness
3. Attic covered in insulation sheets, anything else goes on top of that
In China I know an ancient method: stone beds. Light a fire under them in the evening and the stone would hold the heat. Obviously they had a vent for the smoke, but it’s not an inconceivable alternative to the Hot Iron, a bed warmer, or a water bottle in a sleeping bag, or similar.
And oh yeah, I just came up with another one.
1. Temp rated sleeping bags 🙂 haha
Bizarre???? Even with a forced air furnace we have done all of these “bizarre” ways to keep warm on frigid nights….well except the grate, we live in a ranch. Nothing new or old about winter.
How are any if those bizarre? I do all but the first every night