South Africans have been warned to brace for another series of cold fronts expected to make landfall this week. Picture: Supplied
Most parts of the country haven’t felt the brutality of this year’s winter, with relatively warm weather in the past few weeks.
But the latest reports suggest that a series of cold fronts will hit parts of South Africa.
“The next two stronger cold fronts are arriving overnight into Friday with cold, wet, and windy weather in the southwest, and snow is possible this weekend in the Cape Provinces and over the southern Drakensberg,” averred Vox Weather.
“The weekend is still far off, but it looks like it could snow again from Saturday afternoon over the mountains in the Western Cape and Northern Cape and later also in the Eastern Cape and over the southern Drakensberg.”
Below are five useful tips that will help you get through the coming cold front.
Start with what’s “closest to home” – your body. Heated clothing can provide the first layer of warmth before you bring on the blankets and gadgets.
We’ve brought circulation back to the hands with the hand warmer – now what about the feet? A foot warmer with a USB-charging function – like your electric blanket but for your feet.
Slip them in and feel your toes thawing out immediately. A neck warmer does the same for the other side of your body, with USB charging and intelligent temperature control to make sure you get the perfect temperature. Then for the torso, try a battery-powered heated jacket with a hood to keep the rest of you warm.
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There’s nothing quite like cosying up in front of a fireplace to warm you up, and while not everyone has the luxury of a built-in wood-burning fireplace, there are other fireplace options that you can use.
Bio-ethanol fireplaces come in all shapes and sizes for any room in your home, whether it’s the living room, bedroom, bathroom or even as a warm centrepiece on your dining room table.
Because these fireplaces use natural gas to burn and don’t require a chimney, they don’t produce smoke or ash and are very clean to use. They also come in a variety of designs so you can choose one that matches your home’s decor and design style.
If you do have a fireplace installed in your home, you can amplify its heat with a heat-powered fan, which needs no electricity – just heat to get the fan running, and enhance the heat circulation in the room.
For smaller spaces in your home, like next to your favourite armchair, or in the bathroom, you could get a tea light oven radiator candle heating kit.
Shaped almost like a lamp, tea candles lit beneath a terracotta “lampshade” warm the lampshade up which in turn radiates heat outwards into the room – great for warming chilly hands!
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Many people have electric blankets on their beds, so they can slide into a warm bed when heading off to sleep.
But did you know that you can get USB-charging blankets too, that you can use anywhere – on the couch in a weekend Bridgerton binge, over your lap while you’re working at the computer, or used as a shawl wrapped around you while making a cuppa in the kitchen?
To make your couch even cosier, add USB-heated throw pillows and you’ll be warm and toasty all around. You can also get a plug-in heated seat cushion that lines the back and seat of your chair, almost like a heated car seat, to keep you warm while working at your desk.
And don’t downplay how effective a traditional hot water bottle can be in warming you up – especially placed at your feet when you head off to bed.
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Once you’ve built that warmth in your room, you need to keep it in, and smart insulation is a great way to do that.
Insulating curtains for your windows or magnetic insulation door curtains are very practical considering a typical home loses 10% to 15% of its heat through its windows, and 25% to 30% of heat through its doors.
If you’re into your DIY, you can take it a step further and insulate your ceiling with adhesive high-density fireproof insulation cotton.
Innovation is always bringing new gadgets to the market, and there are some really practical but fun ones to help you keep warm tonight.
Like a heating coaster for your tea or coffee. Hot beverages tend to get cold much quicker in winter, so having USB-charged smart beverage warmers will help to keep that hot chocolate hot for longer (especially when you’re engrossed in the latest episode of your favourite series).
There’s no reason to be cold, and using these tips will ensure that you and your home will be warm and snug, not just tonight, but throughout the remaining winter months.
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