Two Alternative Ways To Use Harbor Freight's Moving Blankets

Around 13% of Americans move into a new home each year, according to Harvard University, and the overwhelming majority of those moves are within the same state or county. While they might be big life changes, nearby moves are often something you can embark upon using your own resources, like renting a U-Haul or a mobile storage pod and packing your life into them. For folks moving themselves, Harbor Freight's Franklin moving blankets are an invaluable tool, starting at just $4.99 for the smallest blanket size (40 inches by 50 inches). However, they are also a great investment for the other 99% of your life not spent moving furniture, as you can reuse these double-stitched polyester blankets for important functions like insulation or soundproofing.

There are a number of Harbor Freight tools that every new homeowner should consider buying, be it a tool set or step-ladder, but moving blankets will offer some of the most unexpected utility of any item in their catalog. With sizes up to 80 inches by 144 inches for the storefront's extra-large moving blankets (still just $19.99 each), it's just as easy to cover an entire wall as it is to wrap up your couch. If you've recently moved, it's worth reusing your Harbor Freight moving blankets not just because of their versatile utility, but also because they can be an attractive hiding place and food source for rodents if stacked idly in your garage.

If you've moved someplace markedly colder than your previous home, one thing you might not expect is the ways in which frigid weather can affect your pipes. Since water expands when frozen, it can crack or split any pipes running throughout the house and lead to massive leaks once the waterline thaws again. You can prevent your pipes from freezing with proper insulation. Most homes in cold areas will have pipes covered with pre-formed sleeves or foil-faced fiberglass, but the heavy-duty construction of a Harbor Freight moving blanket makes it a great option to trap heat if wrapped around a pipe and strapped down.

Even if you already have insulation installed on your pipes, using a moving blanket to provide extra protection — or to cover gaps on the far ends of each pipe — is still a smart move. All the pipes, fittings, and fixtures need to be covered if they're at risk of cold seeping in through one small section and breaking things around a joint. Utilizing a moving blanket as insulation isn't just a smart way to protect your home's construction in the long-term; it can also save money on your immediate energy bill. Heat will be lost if your hot water pipes are surrounded by cold air, which will result in more time and power needed to run your shower or wash the dishes. Harbor Freight's moving blankets can help keep your pipes wrapped up to ensure that hot water flows more readily, thus lowering your utility bills.

Another important thing to consider when moving to a new place is whether you'll be able to soundproof the interior spaces, either to insulate your neighbors from loud hobbies like playing the drums, or to keep out interruptions if you livestream any kind of activity. Generally you can soundproof any room by making thicker walls with extra drywall or foam paneling, using acoustic glue to dampen noises and fill gaps in the wall, or installing new features like a floating ceiling or door sweep. Harbor Freight moving blankets can help accomplish the first task by adding soft layers to the wall, or you can use them as makeshift door sweeps by stuffing a blanket into that gap beneath the entryway.

As mentioned, you can purchase moving blankets in a variety of sizes from Harbor Freight, which means you can adapt this strategy to work in all different kinds of rooms around your new home. Hanging up a moving blanket is also a great tip for soundproofing any apartment that you might be renting, as the building owner is less likely to find issue with this than if you were to glue a dozen foam panels onto the wall. Whether you need to soundproof a recording studio, your pipes need extra insulation, or you're hoping to get yourself out of a funk by moving your desk to the other side of the room, moving blankets offer a lot more utility than you might be imagining at first blush, so it's worth having a few extras on-hand.