An independent guide to the home microclimate. It does not sell products, does not run tests and is not connected with the former website on this domain.
Ideas
You can make a home cosier without major building work. Sometimes it is enough to move the bed away from a cold wall, replace a draught strip, hang a heavy curtain or get the extract fan working. Here are ideas for individual rooms and for the whole home in the cold season, with what usually helps and where it is time to stop and call a specialist.
The best comfort idea is one whose result you can see on a thermometer or hygrometer, or feel after a single peaceful night.
How this section works: we describe ideas in general terms and link each one to a clear goal: warmer, drier, quieter, fresher or brighter. We do not recommend specific products or promise results: homes and habits differ, so every idea is worth checking with measurements.
Six scenarios people think about most often when they want to live more comfortably.
Check the window and balcony door for draughts, seal gaps with draught strip and hang heavy curtains that do not cover the radiator. It is better to move the bed away from an outside wall. Many people sleep better in a cool rather than a hot room.
A rug, upholstered furniture and bookshelves soften echo, and a solid door with a seal cuts out household noise. A window facing the noisy side is the first thing to check: sound passes most easily through gaps in the frame.
What matters most here is a working extract fan and a gap under the door for air to come in. After a shower, leave the door ajar, wipe droplets off the walls and do not dry laundry in a closed room. Dark marks on the grout are a reason to check the ventilation.
Steam and cooking smells are best removed straight away: switch on the cooker hood and air the room briefly afterwards. The extract grille should be kept clean. If you have a gas hob, any work on it is done only by a qualified gas engineer.
Place the desk so that daylight falls from the side rather than straight onto the screen. In the evening, add a desk lamp to the main light so that you are not sitting in a pool of contrast. Light walls and clean windows add noticeably more light.
Before the cold sets in, check windows, draught strips and radiator thermostats, and clear furniture and solid covers away from radiators. Air rooms briefly and often and keep an eye on humidity: in the heating season the air often becomes too dry.
Draught strips, insulation, soundproofing, curtains and rugs, trickle vents, humidifying and dehumidifying in general terms, plus our article catalogue.
Improving the microclimate step by step: measure, find the cause, start simple, check the result and only then buy appliances.
Caring for windows, vent grilles, radiators, humidifiers, air conditioners and textiles, plus a seasonal check-up.
Specific temperature, humidity and noise values are taken from the Russian standards GOST 30494-2011 and SanPiN 1.2.3685-21, and buyers' rights are described in general terms under the Russian Consumer Protection Law. Other countries use their own building, noise and consumer rules. The condition of your home's ventilation, heating and structure is assessed on site by specialists and your building manager or landlord, and health questions are a matter for a doctor.