Draft Stopper

Make an attractive Draft Stopper out of an old fleece scarf filled with rice.

fleece Scarf Draft Stopper

Even though we live in a warmer climate, it can still get a little chilly in the Winter. We always say that you can’t tell the change in the seasons with the temperatures as much as you can with the wind. And the wind seems to easily blow through some parts of our house. We always seem to be able to feel air flow under the doors. Once I get chilled it’s hard for me to get warm again so I searched for a solution. A towel was my first attempt. Not very pretty, huh? But it did work, for the most part.

Draft Stopper towel substitute

I was going through some old Winter gear trying to decide what to donate. That’s when I found this scarf and thought it would be a perfect solution. It’s quite a bit prettier than a towel so that was a bonus.

Here’s the supplies you’ll need for the Draft Stopper:
Scarf or fleece
Elastics (2)
Rice
Scissors
Sewing machine or fabric glue

Draft Stopper Scarf

Cut the scarf the length of the door plus 6 inches more. Then cut fringe on the end you cut off to match the other end. You don’t need to cut fringe but I like the way it looks. You can easily use a piece of fleece fabric if you don’t have a scarf you’re ready to repurpose.

making fringe for scarf

Fold the scarf or fabric length wise with right sides together and stitch open end together to form a tube.

sewing scarf

Turn the scarf right side out and wrap a rubber band tightly around one of the ends before the start of the fringe.

Draft Stopper rubberband ends

Now you can start filling it with rice. I hope it’s okay to use food storage rice to keep a draft out of your home rather than eating it. I was wondering if the rubber band would hold all the rice in, but it did just fine. It took about 1 1/2 cans of food storage rice to fill the tube. Someone also suggested using beans or even a combination of the two.

fill with rice

After it’s full, secure the other end of the fabric tube with another rubber band. Tie coordinating ribbons over the rubber bands for a finished look.

tie ribbon ends

It only took about 20 minutes to make the whole thing. I’m pleased with how it turned out and it looks much nicer than the rolled up towel, don’t you think?

Draft Stopper made from old Winter scarf

I just realized this project didn’t cost me anything since I had the supplies on hand. Do you like to find new uses for old things? What items have you re-purposed lately?

Pin it for Later: Draft Stopper

Door Draft Stopper

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{ 28 comments… add one }
  • Beverly @ The Buzz January 21, 2010, 6:22 am

    Great idea and you’re right, it does look better than the towel.

  • Steffany January 21, 2010, 8:09 am

    We have a really old house that came along with lots of drafts; we are trying to stop them…but for now, I made some of these a while ago. They aren’t as cute, I just used old khakis so they are very neutral.

    I sewed a loop in the center to hang on the doorknob when we are going in and out a lot, and we call them our “snakes”.

  • Jess January 21, 2010, 8:44 am

    We just moved into an older farm house that has drafty doors and I really wanted to get some of those twin draft guards to that they would move with the door. But I thought that I should be able to make something easily enough. But I was wondering what to use for the tubes. I really like the rice idea. And with the ends not permanently closed up, the rice could be removed for washing.
    Love this idea and your blog. I long to be Organized and peeking into the brain of an organized person helps.

  • Beth Grasteit January 21, 2010, 9:29 am

    This looks great Leanne!

  • kim January 21, 2010, 9:41 am

    I love your draft stoppers – another thing you could use to fill them is kitty litter or that stuff you put on garage floors to absorb spills – they are both a clay based product…and cheap!!! Love your blog – I really like seeing other people’s ideas!!

  • Kimberly @ Attempting Creative January 21, 2010, 10:25 am

    Thank you so much for the step by step! This is a great idea!

  • Stephanie January 21, 2010, 3:35 pm

    I love this idea!!!

  • lucy January 21, 2010, 5:41 pm

    i love the scarf:)and thats a great idea!!

  • lori January 21, 2010, 6:55 pm

    What a great way to keep the cold out. It looks much better than what they sell on T.V. Can’t remember the commerical.

    Thanks again for joining the party!!!

  • Treasia January 21, 2010, 11:18 pm

    What a great idea this is. I’ve wanted to make some of those draft stoppers you see advertised on TV, but for the life of me could not figure out what to use for the middle part. Now I’ve got a great inspiration thanks to you.

  • Someday Crafts January 22, 2010, 9:01 am

    Great idea! So cute!

  • Kim January 22, 2010, 11:37 am

    Fabulous idea!!!

  • Stephanie Lynn January 22, 2010, 4:11 pm

    Great idea and stylish too! I have one now but could use a pretty one…thanks for the inspiration!

  • beth January 23, 2010, 7:40 am

    always feels good to repurpose something! Way to go!

  • Lissa January 23, 2010, 9:40 am

    That’s awesome! And no, there is nothing wrong for using food storage rice for a perfectly useful household object. If you are starving you can always cut it open:)

  • Diana @ The Girl Creative January 25, 2010, 12:28 pm

    Great minds think alike!! I have a post saved in my drafts using a scarf for the same thing! Just need to do it and then will post mine too. 🙂

  • Brandi January 25, 2010, 7:02 pm

    That is awesome! I need to fix the leak in my door on the top though, not on the bottom. 🙂

  • Kimm at Reinvented January 26, 2010, 5:40 am

    I’m jealous that you can sew a straight line! 🙂 I’m still working on that, but getting better I think. That is a really fabulous idea, may have to try that one around here, it can get pretty drafty.

  • carey January 26, 2010, 11:31 am

    Great idea. I bought one for $30.00 what a waste of money.

  • Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage January 26, 2010, 2:20 pm

    I just did something similar. Ran out of rice. I filled the remainder with beans — maybe it will work! 🙂

  • Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife January 26, 2010, 7:54 pm

    What a great solution! It’s very cute and functional!

  • Heather January 27, 2010, 9:40 am

    Well, now, ain’t that just a kicker of an idea! My front door has a sagging threshold(sigh) and so know I can see daylight underneath(sigh). I’d bet my Target has scarfs on clearance(January in Phoenix means swimsuits in Target)…I could so make this even without a sewing machine.

    Lady, you just might be genius.

  • Emilee Jacobs January 27, 2010, 11:05 am

    Such cute door stopper!!!

  • Heather January 27, 2010, 5:32 pm

    It looks great!

    Thanks for taking part in Talented Tuesday at My Frugal Family! Don’t forget to come back next week!

  • Darlene October 20, 2020, 6:48 pm

    Great idea, I was trying to figure out how to make them, Thanx. Also I bet you could use them on your windowsills.

  • Shreya @ The Creatives Hour December 2, 2021, 8:42 am

    Oh wow, this looks amazing. Thank you for sharing such creative ideas.

  • Me December 8, 2022, 7:58 am

    Rice absorbs moisture and can get moldy if it gets exposed to the elements. It can also attract critters. I would put the rice in plastic bags first. Then put those bags in the scarf.

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