Snow blowing in the cold winter wind.

Discover The Best Window Insulation Kits For Winter

Snow blowing in the cold winter wind.

Winter weather is the pits and often means that people are going to have a colder home than what they expect to have. Since this is the case, people should make sure they know about the best window insulation or kits keep drafts at bay for winter. After all the weather people are predicting this winter weather is supposed to be some of the coldest that we have seen in years, and that even includes last winter when quite a bit of the United States was frozen. Here are some of the best window that you will want to try for your windows to help avoid the drafts that can come in from your windows during the middle of the winter breezes. You may notice that some of the kits are the heat shrink window film and others are more of a patio door style, but they all help keep air at bay.

How I Narrowed Down To The Best Five Window Treatment Kits

Woman Thinking

So you are probably asking how did I decide to pick out the top five of these window treatment kits. Well, the process that I used was reading the various features of each of these kits on Amazon, but after doing that I started to think about if I would want to use the treatment kit. I know that I do not like using these kits, but after moving into an older farmhouse I had to do something. The furnace just could not keep up with the drafts I was getting in the home and I was sick of freezing like ice cream all night. So these evaluations that I did are the exact same ones that I did to find the best window treatment kit for my own home.

Comparison Table Of The Selected Window Treatments

brandduck brand 2815063m indoor window insulator kitgila les361duck brand 281069frost king v75h
insulation factordraft seal proofincrease r value of window by 90%low e coating keeps heat indraft proof indoor/outdoor sealseals out drafts
reduction of sun damagenonoyesnono
average consumer rating3.94.13.83.62.4
size62″ x 420″five windows36″ x 15′84″ x 112″62″ x 210″
ease of applyingeasyeasy and dries clearvery easyroll oneasy
cost11.4312.9936.9913.8810.66

The Top Five Window Insulators Ranked By Customer Review

3M Indoor Window Insulator Kit Overview

3M Window Insulation Kit

The 3M Indoor window insulator kit is probably one of the most common brands that people are familiar with. I know this is my top-rated window kit, but I know that not everyone is aware of this brand and here is some information that will help you make a good choice.

Lowers Heating Cost – This is a major key that you will like, I know I sure do. The fact that your heating cost goes down means you have more money in your pocket to save for vacations.

Improves Energy Efficiency Of The Home – Generally, when you are looking at the improved energy efficiency, you will notice your home can help be a trendsetter, but you may find different types of tax credits for this improvement so consult with your accountant for further information. 

Double-Sided Mounting Tape – Now you may not think about this as being a major pro, but with the tape being double-sided, you no longer have to figure out how to keep the film in place while hanging it up. 

Seals Out The Drafts – Drafts are a major issue in older homes in the middle of winter. Since this is such a major issue, you need to realize you can easily seal the draft out by using the 3M product and not be concerned about the chilly winter wind coming into your home.

Can Be Used With Multiple Windows – Typically you may find some of these window treatments can only be used on vinyl windows. However, with this one, you are going to get the kit and be able to use it on multiple window styles.

Just like all the products that are available, you can find some drawbacks with the product. Here are some of the negatives that I have found with the 3M window insulator kits.

Can Wrinkle Easily – Stretching out plastic is a challenge and this is something that needs to be dealt with carefully. However, what you need to realize is this can be a con because it may need to be blow-dried to get the wrinkles out. 

Requires Minimum Temperature To Install – Now this is a common problem because you do not think about treating your windows until it starts to get cold. However, with this product, it does require a minimum of 50 degrees in air temperature for it to work properly.

Tape Is Very Cheap – A major issue that people reported on Amazon is the tape does not stick very well to the plastic. They almost all claimed the tape sticks great to the walls, but it does not stick at all to the plastic after about a month.

Buy The 3M Window Insulator Kit Here.

 Duck Brand 281506

Duck Brand 28150 Window Insulation Kit

The Duck Brand indoor kit is another brand that people have heard of quite a bit. However, here are some of the pros that I found with the Duck Brand, which some people may not have heard about before.

Crystal Clear Film – This is a feature that a lot of people may overlook, but when the film dries crystal clear, people can easily look out the window and not worry about the window looking bad because of the plastic creating a problem or clouding. 

Very Easy To Install – According to a lot of the reviews on Amazon you will not find an easier to install in the home as a do it yourself option. 

Double-Sided Tape Is Provided  – As was mentioned in the 3M product, the double-sided tape is provided, but some of the reviews have said this tape is a great option.

The Film Is Non Splitting – This is an important pro because this is going to keep the film together and keep it from splitting into two different pieces while you are installing it or even looking out the window.

Guarantees A Draft Proof Seal – With most of the window insulation treatments, you will find they claim they can prevent a draft, but with this brand, they are guaranteeing that you will have a draft proof seal if you follow the directions. 

Just like any of the other products you can shop for, you will want to know about the negatives of them. Here are some of the negatives that I found with my research on the Duck Brand product.

Can Only Be Used Indoors – With some of these window insulation kits you are able to use them indoors or outdoors. However, the Duck Brand 281506 can only be used indoors, which can be hard for people to do. 

Must-Have A Blow Dryer – Sometimes people do not own a blow dryer because they are bald or do not have a female in the house that has to blow dry their hair. However, with this brand of insulation, you must use a blow dryer to get it to stretch out tight. 

Reports Of The Plastic Not Sticking To The Tape – A common issue that was being reported in multiple reviews online is the tape will stick to the wall, but if not carefully applied and cleaned right, the plastic will come off of the tape. So you will have problems with the tape sticking to the plastic at times. 

Buy The Duck Brand 281506 Here.

Gila LES361 Heat Control Overview

Gila Heat Control Insulation Treatment Option For Windows

This is a brand that I have not really read a lot about before. However, it is a brand that is highly rated and for a lot of people the perfect solution. Since I saw so many different reviews about the Gila Heat Control brand, I decided to share the information here.

Documented To Reduce Heating Cost – Now out of all the window treatments so far that I have found, this is one of the only ones that will put forth a claim to reduce home heating cost by 50%. 

Keeps 99% Of The UV Light Out – Sunlight, can damage items inside of the home, but can also give a false sense of the temperature. To avoid this, you can block the sun out and that is exactly what this does. 

Reduction Of Interior Fading – Now we already mentioned this is going to block out the sunlight. However, what you may not realize is the sunlight is going to lead to fading of the interior of your home and with this you do not get the fading that is present with other window insulators.

Easy To Cut To Size – Normally people would not think about this, but I found a lot of people in reviews commenting about how easy this is to cut to size. Since this is so easy to cut down to size, you can have the larger section and make it fit for your window. 

Made In The USA – I know that some people are thinking why is this a pro, but they need to realize that this is one of the items that is made in the USA and proud of this fact. So you can trust the company for a good American made product. 

The Gila LES361 is not immune to any cons, instead, this product does have some cons and these are listed here.

Can Give Slightly Gray Cast To Window – Now this is an issue that was reported, but I think it is from the UV protection as people are describing this gray cast as more of a sunglasses type of effect. 

Creases Should Be Avoided – You may think to deal with a crease is going to be very easy to do, but with this product, once it dries the crease is going to be very noticeable and permanent. 

Very Easy To Scratch – The last con that I found reported on Amazon, is the fact that this product is very easy to scratch. So these scratches can be an issue over time as they can remove the insulation factor. 

Pick up the Gila LES today by clicking here.

Duck Brand 281072

Duck Brand Roll-On Window Film

We have already covered one of the Duck Brand products, but this brand is one of those that has several products that are going to end up rated. If for no other reason than the quality of the brand. Here is a list of pros for the Duck Brand 281072.

Easy To Roll On – This is a great feature because that means you can easily put this on. So you will not look like you are trying to fight with a monster in the window to the neighbors when they do not see anything at all. 

Great For Indoor Or Outdoor Use – This is something that you will hardly find with the film that insulates windows. The indoor or outdoor use feature is something you can enjoy quite a bit because you do not have to worry about only putting this on the inside of your home.

Can Be Used On Doors – Since this is a roll-on model, you will quickly find that it can be used to insulate patio doors. When you insulate these doors you will have less of a headache with cold air coming through the door, but also get the best chance of getting the doors insulated. 

Resistant To Puncture – When you have some of the other brands stretched out tight, you may find that they are very easy to puncture with a hand or other item. However, with this model of the Duck Brand product, it is very resistant to being torn or punctured. 

Excellent Shrinkage For Size – This is another thing you will enjoy with the Duck Brand products. The fact that they are able to shrink down to the size that you need them to. So you will not have to worry about them not fitting your window. 

Cons are something you will want to look with any of the window insulating kits. Here are some of the cons that I have found with this Duck Brand product.

Flimsy Tape – People who have used Duck Brand for years, have started to complain about a change in the tape. I am not sure if this is because of the change in companies that supplies the tape or the formula, but this is one of the most common complaints I am finding. 

Plastic May Not Have A Crystal Clear Look – This is an issue that some people have started to complain about as well. They are saying the plastic that is being used is not going onto the windows completely clear, which makes it difficult to see out.

May Require Two People To Install – While you may attempt to do the installation on your own and have some success, to get the best results you need to have two people. 

Buy The Duck Brand Roll On Window Kit Today

Frost King V75H

Frost King Window Insulation

The Frost King product is one that I have never heard of before. However, it was highly rated in Amazon and I have decided to write up some information about the product, even if it is the lowest rated in my best five-window insulation treatments for winter.

Easily Shrinks To Size – While all of the kits are claiming they are going to shrink to size, this is one of the few that says it will do this with one person. 

Works On Multiple Surfaces – This is a great thing that I have found because the Frost King V75H is going to work on a variety of surfaces to guarantee it seals.

After Heating Looks Extremely Clear – A lot of people on Amazon have reported that after this is dried with the hot air dryer that it is so clear that they cannot even believe they put plastic on the window.

Excellent At Sealing Out Drafts – When you are using these products the main thing you want to prevent is drafts. With this brand, a lot of people have reported it works better than any of the other brands on the market at keeping the drafts out.

When Heated Takes Out The Wrinkles – Wrinkles are a major issue that you have to deal with with the window treatment kits. However, with this one, once you have started to heat the kit up it is going to lead to the wrinkles being removed.

The Frost King does seem to have a bad reputation on Amazon, but after reading through most of those drawbacks, it still made the list. The reason is the main drawback that I saw reported was the same as all the other products that I have listed as the best kits.

Tape Is Very Cheap – This is the main complaint that I have seen on Amazon, outside of actually having to work to install them. However, the tape is the main complaint on all of these window treatment kits and it is something that cannot really be overcome because it is not the companies fault.

Does Not Hold Up To Pets – If you have pets that like to put their noses on your windows, then you may not want to have this product. It has been reported that some people who have pets have trouble in getting to see out of the window because their pets ruin this in a few short hours. 

Plastic Does Not Stick To The Tape – Now this is a new complaint that I found on Amazon and decided to share. It is stating that the tape and the plastic do not mesh well together because one of these is to narrow for the other one. 

Purchase The Frost King V75H Here.

Should You Choose Heat Insulator Versus Draft Blocking?

The big question is should you choose a model that is going to block out drafts or one that has heat insulator factors. This is something you have to consider carefully because each of these have an interesting consideration for you to make. Here is the main difference between the two terms and it will help you in making up your mind.

Heat insulator products are the ones that are going to insulate the home and help to hold the heat inside of the house. I know that sounds kind of odd, but with these, they are going to act almost like insulation in your home, but you need to remember this could also have a negative impact as well because of the insulation factor not allowing for natural heating from outside.

Draft blocking is going to go over your windows and help to seal out the drafts that would normally be coming in between the window. So you will notice this is going to be something that you will want to have if you live in an older home that has some of the drafty windows that are present.