The first clue was the curtain. On a still, windless night in early January, the curtain on the left living-room window was moving. Just slightly, like it was breathing. Sam noticed it from the couch and said, very calmly, "Is the apartment haunted or is that a draft?"
It was a draft. Our living-room windows face north, and in January they're the coldest surfaces in the apartment. We heat with electric baseboard, and last January our electric bill hit $142. I wasn't eager to repeat that, so we spent a weekend tracking down every leak we could find.
How we found the drafts
No special tools. Just a lit candle and patience, on a cold, breezy evening when the difference between inside and outside air was biggest.
- Turn off any fans so the air in the room is still. (Our window AC units were already out of the windows for winter, so that part was easy.)
- Move a candle or incense stick slowly around the window frame, the sash where the two halves meet, and the edges of the trim.
- Watch for the flame or smoke to flicker sideways. That's your leak.
We found three: along the bottom of both living-room windows, at the meeting rail in the middle of the bedroom window, and, surprisingly, around the balcony door where the old weatherstripping had flattened into nothing.
What we fixed ourselves
Everything we did had to come off cleanly in spring. We rent, we want our deposit back, and our lease says no permanent changes without permission.
Rope caulk on the window seams (about $8)
This is a soft, putty-like strip you press into gaps with your fingers. It doesn't harden, and it peels off in spring with no residue. I ran it along the bottom of both living-room sashes and the meeting rail in the bedroom. It took twenty minutes and made the biggest single difference.
Re-doing the window film (about $12)
We've put shrink film on both living-room windows every winter since November 2024: double-sided tape on the frame and a thin plastic sheet you shrink tight with a hair dryer. It went back up in November, but the film on the left window, the one with the breathing curtain, had come loose along the bottom edge. I peeled it off and redid it with a fresh kit. It looks a little like the window is wearing plastic wrap, but once the curtains are closed you can't tell. I tested the tape on a hidden corner of the trim that first winter, so I already knew it wouldn't pull paint when removed.
A draft snake for the balcony door (free)
I rolled up an old towel, tied it with two hair ties, and laid it along the bottom of the balcony door. Olive now considers it hers. It still works.
Heavier curtains, closed at sunset
We'd already swapped out the flimsy blinds for lined curtains in the fall. In winter, the rule is curtains closed when the sun goes down. It's a small habit, but it keeps the cold off the couch.
Total out of pocket: about $20.
What we asked the landlord to fix
The balcony door was different. The weatherstripping there wasn't just worn, it was torn, and the door itself didn't latch tightly anymore. That felt like a building issue, not a renter-tape issue.
So I emailed our landlord. I find email works better than a phone call for maintenance requests, because there's a record. I kept it short:
"Hi, the weatherstripping on our balcony door is torn and the door isn't latching tightly, so there's a strong draft coming in. Photos attached. Could someone take a look when they have a chance? We're home most days. Thanks!"
I attached two photos: the torn strip, and a candle flame blowing sideways next to the latch, which I thought was a nice dramatic touch.
His maintenance guy came by eight days later, replaced the weatherstripping, and adjusted the strike plate so the door now clicks shut properly. It took him about 45 minutes and cost us nothing.
Did it make a difference?
The apartment feels noticeably warmer near the windows, and the baseboard heater in the living room cycles on less often. We'll see the real verdict when the January bill arrives, and I'll be honest either way. It's also possible the weather just turns mild and I take credit for it.
A few things I'd tell anyone renting an older building:
- Do the candle test early, in November if you can, before the first real cold snap.
- Know what's yours and what's theirs. Temporary seals are your job. Broken hardware, torn weatherstripping and doors that don't close are worth reporting.
- Keep everything removable and keep receipts. In spring I'll peel off the rope caulk and film and take a few photos of clean frames for our move-out folder.
The curtain doesn't breathe anymore. Sam is a little disappointed. He'd started calling it Gerald.
