Getting the House Ready for Winter in Pakistan

Late October is the window. The heat has gone, the cold has not properly arrived, and everything you do now is easier than doing it in a freezing room in December. It is also before gas pressure drops and before every quilt shop in the city is busy.

This is a plain checklist, in the order worth doing it.

1. Bedding, before the first cold night

The commonest winter mistake is pulling a quilt out of the almirah on the first cold evening and finding it smells of storage, or is not warm enough.

• Air stored quilts and blankets for a few hours in the sun on a clear day, before you need them.
• Check the weight honestly. If last winter you were cold, the quilt will not have improved — our comforter buying guide covers filling and weight by city.
• Wash what needs washing now, while things still dry in a day. In December fog a quilt can take three days — the razai washing guide covers how to manage that.
• Put away the thin summer sheets properly rather than leaving them in the rotation, as our changeover checklist explains.
• Buy the extra set now. Winter washing is slower, so two sets per bed is the minimum and three is comfortable — see how often sheets need changing.

2. Stop the draughts

Most Pakistani houses have no insulation, so warmth leaves through gaps. This is the cheapest work you will do all winter.

1. Put a foam strip or a rolled cloth along the bottom of doors to unheated rooms.
2. Check the gap where the AC pipe passes through the wall — it is almost always open, and it is a direct hole to outside.
3. Close the gaps around window frames with tape or sealant.
4. Heavier curtains make a measurable difference, and closing them at sunset keeps the evening's warmth in.
5. Shut the doors of rooms you are not using. Heating one room well beats heating four badly.

Our guide to keeping a bedroom warm without a heater goes further into this, which matters when gas pressure drops.

3. Heaters, gas and safety

This is the part that is worth more than a tidy house.

• Check the heater before you need it — clean it, look at the pipe and the regulator, and replace a perished gas hose.
• Never run a gas heater in a sealed room. Leave a window open a crack. Carbon monoxide is odourless, and deaths from it in Pakistan are reported every winter.
• Never sleep with a gas heater burning.
• Keep bedding, curtains and clothes well away from any heater. Blankets near a heater are a common cause of house fires.
• Get the geyser serviced now, and check its flue is clear and venting outside.

If anyone in the house is elderly or unwell, a warm room matters more than for anyone else — and a safe one matters most of all.

4. Water and plumbing

For the plains this is minor; for Islamabad, Murree, Quetta, Gilgit and the north it is the thing that ruins a week.

• Wrap exposed pipes and the tank outlet before the first freeze.
• Keep a stored supply of water, since a frozen or broken line is not fixed the same day.
• Check the roof and water tank for cracks while the weather is still dry.
• Clear roof drains of leaves and dust so winter rain runs off.

The NDMA's winter advice for snow-affected areas also covers roof strength and keeping fuel, food and medicine stocked — worth reading if you live in the hills.

5. The appliances that go quiet

Your AC is about to sit unused for four or five months, through the dustiest part of the year.

• Clean the filters before you cover it, not in April.
• Cover both units. The indoor unit collects dust in the fins; the outdoor unit takes rain, sun and pigeons. Our AC cover set is Rs 1,499 and the AC cover guide covers the timing.
• Only cover it once it is switched off for the season — never a running unit.
• The fridge keeps working, so leave its sides and back clear. A washable quilted fridge top cover deals with the dust that settles on top through smog season.

6. Smog, which now arrives with the cold

In Punjab the cold and the smog come together from late October. Keeping windows shut during the morning and evening peaks, washing bedding weekly and damp-cleaning rather than dry-dusting all matter more in these months — the detail is in our smog season guide.

7. Light, because the evenings get long

It is dark by six for three months. One warm lamp changes an evening more than any amount of decorating, and a rechargeable one keeps working when the power does not — our rechargeable LED touch lamp is Rs 2,699, and the lighting guide covers placement.

The hour-long version

1. Air the quilts in the sun.
2. Draught-strip the main bedroom door and the AC pipe hole.
3. Check the heater and its hose; open a window when it runs.
4. Clean the AC filters and cover both units.
5. Wash and put away the summer bedding; get the winter set onto the bed.

Everything in our bedsheet and covers collections ships free across Pakistan with cash on delivery, usually in 3 to 5 working days — worth ordering before the first cold week rather than during it.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start preparing the house for winter in Pakistan?
Late October. The weather is still dry enough for washing and airing to work, and it is before gas pressure drops and shops get busy.

How do I keep a room warm without proper heating?
Seal the draughts first — door gaps, window frames and the AC pipe hole — then use heavier curtains, close them at sunset, and heat one room rather than the whole house.

Is it safe to run a gas heater at night?
No. Never sleep with a gas heater burning, and always leave a window slightly open when one is running. Carbon monoxide has no smell.

Should I cover my AC in winter?
Yes, once it is switched off for the season. Cover both the indoor and outdoor units, and clean the filters before you do.

How many bedsheets do I need for winter?
At least two per bed, and three is more comfortable, because washing takes much longer to dry in December fog.