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A door snake is a draft stopper that goes under the bottom of the door to fill the gap under the door. It is called a “snake” because it looks like one as it wraps on the corners of the door to create an insulating door seal.
A door snake is almost necessary for cold, windy homes during winter. These handy devices prevent cold air from entering the house by blocking a gap under the front door. It is a door sweep alternative.
Door snakes are useful allies in the fight against cold drafts. They help keep the heat inside by keeping the wind out. Sewing your own is quick and easy, and you can make them from old clothes or recycled fabrics and scrap.
How to Make a Door Snake
You can always buy a door snake, but here’s how you can make a simple one yourself. Note that the following steps don’t cover making a door sweep (we have a separate article to cover that.)
Supplies Needed to Make a Door Snake
- Medium weight fabric like one used for curtains or drapes.
- Fiber fill
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- A sewing machine
Steps to Make a Door Snake
We whipped up a couple of door snakes to help us shut down the draft coming into the house. Drafts come in through the bottom of the door, and if you don’t have anything blocking them, your home will be cold.
Our door snakes are simple and easy to whip up, and they’re great for keeping warm!
- We measured the base of the door frames we needed draft stoppers. Then we picked up two yards of this heavy weight, blue and white ticking upholstery fabric from our local fabric store.
- We cut the fabric into strips and sewed them together to make a circle. We folded the circle in half lengthwise, right sides facing out. We stitched along the edge of the fabric, making sure that the stitching was even. This allowed us to sew the edges of the fabric together without having to worry about any gaps or loose threads.
- Once we had finished sewing, we turned the circle inside out and pressed the seam flat. We folded the circle again, lengthwise, right side facing in. We then stitched the top and bottom of the circle closed, making sure that the stitches were evenly spaced. This created a tube shape.
- We were then able to fill the tube shape (the body of the door snake) with insulating material. You can pick up fiber fill in any store, even on Amazon.
- We then inserted the tubes into the door frame openings, making sure that the holes were lined up correctly. We used a staple gun to secure the tubes into place. I stitched across one end of my dress, diagonally, then trimmed all the edges of the stitching for a closer look. I also added some buttons on each side of the dress.
This is what it looked like when we first put it together. It’s pretty self-explanatory. The door snakes keep the heat in and the cold air out. They work best with doors that open outward (like ours). If you have a door that opens inward, you’ll want to use something else instead.
FAQ
Yes, they do. In fact, they’re so effective at stopping drafts that they’re often called draft stoppers.
Drafts enter your home through the bottom gap of the door. Door snakes fit over the gap and block the entrance of the draft.
You can install door snakes anywhere where you see drafts coming in. Put it over the bottom gap of the door where the draft is coming through. You can even use them on windows.
Door snakes get dirty very easily. You can machine-wash most door snakes.
Yes, it can stop drafts and provide some soundproofing. There is no negative effect of leaving it on.
A door snake is made of fabric. You could use cotton or polyester. Some people choose to use wool because it breathes well. Use insulating foam as the filling to stop drafts.
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