The 11 Best Ways To Warm Up Your Bedroom Without An Electric Space Heater This Winter

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but a warm bedroom is so delightful. If your bedroom is drafty, chilly, or just not as cozy as you'd like it to be, you may be looking to warm it up. It's hard to sleep comfortably when you're cold, and research by the Journal of Physiological Anthropology suggests cold exposure during sleep may have a greater impact on the body than heat exposure. 

Perhaps you've considered a space heater to make up for the heat deficit in your bedroom. While space heaters are widely used and can be effective in heating rooms, some consumers are skittish about them for safety and cost reasons. Unquestionably, space heaters can cause fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. If the bedroom is the only room in which you're using the space heater, your additional heating cost may not be significant, and you could even save money. But many variables are involved in this calculation, including bedroom size, hours of use, and, importantly, human error in using the space heater, so you could end up having higher energy costs. That's why it's a good idea to consider other ways to warm up your bedroom. Read on for the best ways we found.

Chilly booklovers rejoice! Lining a wall (or as much of a wall as possible) with bookshelves is a great way to warm up your bedroom without an electric space heater in winter, providing extra insulation not only from the bookcase infrastructure but also from the books themselves. Books, being made largely of paper, mimic the effects of the cellulose found in some insulation materials. This is an effective solution if you have a particularly cold wall and will help block that chill from the room. 

An electric fireplace is an effective alternative to using a space heater to warm up your bedroom in winter, and it is likely to be more aesthetically pleasing. The cost to run an electric fireplace compared to the cost to run a space heater is about the same. Of course, the upfront cost of the electric fireplace is greater, but it should last a lot longer than a space heater. If you have safety concerns about space heaters, an electric fireplace is a better choice because it lacks exposed heating elements.

Sometimes it just takes some basic maintenance to ensure bedroom warmth without a space heater. If bedroom coolness is something new, you may need to check your furnace filter and change it if it's dirty to ensure it's running at top efficiency. A filter clogged with dirt prevents warm air from moving through the furnace. If the bedroom is still chilly after changing the filter, it may be time to call in your HVAC professional to check your heating system.

Drafts are the enemy when it comes to warming up your bedroom in winter. Doors are a significant source of drafts in interior rooms, largely because of the gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. A number of products under names such as draft excluder, draft stopper, and door sweep are available to block drafts from coming through your bedroom door. Ideally, use a product that will block drafts on both sides of the door. 

Insulating materials can help keep the boudoir warm and toasty without a space heater. Large, thick rugs can provide insulation on the floor and ... yes, on the wall.  A substantial, high-pile rug on the floor can reduce the heat lost through floors and provide a cozy greeting for your feet when you get out of bed. Boost the floor insulation with a carpet pad underneath. Rugs hanging on the wall as artwork, tapestries, or oversized art pieces on the wall can have the same insulating effect. 

Windows with poor air sealing and leaks comprise one of the biggest sources of drafts in your bedroom. Using a window insulator kit is an economical way to stop drafts and heat loss, thus helping to warm your bedroom in winter without a space heater. The kits are easy to use and involve using double-sided tape to place a layer of plastic on windows, sealing it tightly in a shrink-wrap process using your hair dryer. You'll want to know about the best window insulation kit of 2025 so far, according to reviews — the Duck Brand kit.

The position of bedroom furniture can affect warmth in two ways. First, make sure furniture isn't blocking a heat vent. If you don't want to change your furniture arrangement, consider a vent extender that redirects warm air from under a furniture piece. The second way placement affects warmth applies exclusively to your bed. Is it close to a window or a cold exterior wall? Consider moving it to a warmer spot in the room. Even a minor move can create a warmer environment in a winter bedroom with no space heater.

This ceiling fan trick might be the easiest-peasiest way to amp up warmth in your bedroom this winter without a space heater. The technique is the opposite of the ceiling fan hack to keep your home cool in the summer. In both seasons, the hack is to reverse the direction the ceiling fan's blades are turning. In winter, blades should turn clockwise. Most models have a switch that enables the blade direction reversal. Warm air rises, so your fan in winter will circulate warm air and distribute it around the room. Keep the fan speed on low. 

If radiators are your bedroom's main source of heat, this is the winter bedroom warmth tip for you. Did you know that heavy-duty aluminum foil will help you make the most of your radiator? The idea is that placing foil behind your radiators reflects heat back into the bedroom. You can use regular heavy-duty foil from the grocery store or specialized commercial foil products sold specifically for use behind radiators. The technique is most effective for radiators on cold, exterior walls. 

You have an ally in your quest to warm up your bedroom in winter without a space heater. It's the sun! Even in winter, the sun's warmth can help heat a room. On bright winter days, open your curtains or drapes and let the sunshine spread its warmth. Conversely, close window treatments in the evening when temperatures drop. Bonus tip: Boost the effectiveness of this process, especially the nighttime portion, by using insulating or thermal drapes or curtains. Liners for your window coverings are also an option. 

Using a humidifier to warm up your bedroom in winter without a space heater might seem counterintuitive, but a humidifier can help you feel warmer in winter. Notice we said "feel," because a humidifier doesn't directly add warmth to the air. Instead, winter humidifier users rely on moist air's tendency to hold heat better than dry air does, and humidity also helps your body hold warmth. It's also possible that when using a humidifier, you can even feel comfortable after lowering your thermostat by a few degrees, thus saving on energy costs.