Keeping warm in Melbourne this season?

The cold winds from the South Poles has once again swept in over the Australian state of Victoria and it is fair to say that winter is here. Being from Sweden, I would say that I am rather used to cold weather. But here it is: it is only cold OUTSIDE in Sweden, not INSIDE. And it is cold INSIDE in Melbourne. Our fancy air conditioning system upstairs in the house can be used as a heater as well and downstairs we got portable heaters. Melbournians seem to rely on carpets to keep their houses warm and by carpets I mean wall-to-wall carpets that have been superglued to a cement floor. Here’s a newsflash to all builders in Victoria: carpets do not keep the house warm. Better isolation and double or triple glazing do. The houses also stay cooler in summer with isolation and double glazing. Carpets do not generate heat, they generate dust and provide a home for dust mites.

A popular heat source in winter is the electric blanket. I cannot say if it is efficient or not as I have never tried and most probably never will. To me it sounds dangerous. What if there is a thunderstorm or a power failure? Will I not get electrocuted? We decided to with a safer option: buying winter blankets. My husband wanted to do this already last year but I rejected his suggestion. ”We live in Australia” I said, ”Everyone knows it doesn’t get cold here. Australian winter is like a bad Swedish summer day.” I stand corrected. It does indeed get cold and as I said, especially inside. We went to IKEA and got the warmest blankets they had for the entire family. And they are warm! Now we have to sleep with a bedroom window open instead. Normally my husband and I sleep very closely together, especially when it’s a bit cold, but this winter we are singing a different tune. “Move away, it gets too hot” and “You’re all sweaty” are the most uttered lyrics this winter season.

Mr and Mrs have found an alternative way to keep warm this season.

The bathrooms are particularly cold and humid but I have a little housewife solution for that. I light two tea candles – from IKEA of course – and they somehow manage to give off enough warmth to both dry up the humidity as well as making the bathroom reasonably warm. Come to think of it, I light lots of candles in our living room every night. “You know it would be cheaper just to run the a/c as a heater, right?” my husband asked a little while ago. Of course! But it wouldn’t be as cozy and snuggly every evening as it is now. I am counting the days until warmer days are here again. Only three more months or so to go….

       The demand for IKEA's tea candles is high this time of the year