Experts find laundry item is 'best' at stopping door draughts - and slash £50 off bills

With the temperatures dropping, you may notice draughts of cold air sneaking under your doors and causing a chill in your home.

Draught excluder are a great option for keeping cold air at bay. But it turns out one common household item could work better than expensive draught excluders.

That's according to the experts at Which?, who set out to test what material is best at banishing draughts. Taking to social media, the consumer watchdog has found the classic towel to be the best and could help you save on costly energy bills. It even beat those made of rubber, fabric and brush, which usually require some form of DIY attachment.

If you're looking to keep your home warm but don't want to spend the money, then all you have to do is place the towel of your choosing in front of the draughty area.

In a TikTok video, they began: "This towel could go towards saving you £50 a year". The clip shows a simulation using cardboard, feathers and a wind machine to mimic draughty spaces.

"We've set up a test to find the most effective draft excluder and this humble towel has come out on top. That's right, it does a better job than an actual draught excluder."

"It let less air through our test than rubber, fabric and even the classic brush variety. Plus, a towel fits any gap and requires no DIY. The Energy Saving Trust predicts that draft proofing windows and doors could save up to £50 a year off bills, So it's well worth doing."

The information has also been shared on the Which? website, that explained the pros and cons of each tested draught excluder. While a towel "dramatically" reduces the amount of breeze that gets through, it isn't the prettiest option and also needs to be placed back every time the door is open.

The test also looked at brush door excluders, which can be attached so they move with every open and close. However, you may need to spend more depending on how wide and long the door is. Right now, Amazon is selling a brush draught excluder for £9.99 that's 2.9 inches long.

For larger gaps, Which? recommends investing in a rubber door excluder is it allows "no air" to get through. You can get eight a roll of rubber draught excluder measuring 100 X 5 X 0.5 CM (2" Width x 39" Length) that tapes to surfaces for £6.45 on Amazon.

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