Sometimes I feel like I’m the last person to find things out. Apparently, using bubble wrap for insulating greenhouse windows has been going on for YEARS. I still wouldn’t know, except that as dear hubby was cleaning out the garage from all of the work on the pool he was deciding what to do with the huge roll of bubble wrap he had purchased to help insulate the pool. He came in and kindly remarked that he had heard that “a lot of gardeners use it to cover their greenhouse windows in the winter, would you be interested?” I suppose that is one of the attributes that makes him such an inventive engineer. He’ll research what people do with bubble wrap, then formulate his own ideas!
To be honest, if I had run across the idea in the past, I might have thought of it as tacky. Plastic is not highly thought of by those with *ahem* discriminating tastes. But here I was being offered a big roll right in my own kitchen, and it had been down to 8 degrees Fahrenheit outside at night. I’m supposed to be cold treating my greenhouse tomatoes, but not at temperatures quite as low as the greenhouse has been the last couple of nights. Some quick research showed me how we might apply it.
My 6’2″ son was home on college break from classes and doing some work for me. He is also studying engineering and loves to be precise in measurement. I know. It’s not fair. He listened to my plan, then added a couple of good ideas of his own. We were pleased to note that my bubble wrap was that with larger bubbles, which is supposed to provide better insulation than the smaller bubbles. I think it is also easier on the eyes.
- First, he wiped down the inside of the windows just enough to remove any grit that might keep the bubble wrap from making good contact with the glass. I may not have the standard glass house, but I have plenty of windows in my greenhouse!
greenhouse windows look out on the frigid foggy day - Then, he measured the first window.
- Next, he rolled the bubble wrap out on my new cutting board (for sewing) to measure and cut it. The bubbles are lined up in a way that makes cutting a straight line simple. He wanted to try attaching bubble wrap pieces the entire length of one window, which meant fitting it over the ledge in the middle (where one window section slides over the other). He also cut the bubble wrap large enough that it would flare out some around the edge, providing an extra bit of barrier to air coming through.
a young engineer at work with bubble wrap - Just before putting up the bubble wrap, he used a spray bottle to mist the glass. Then, he gently pressed the bubble wrap in place, bubble-side to glass. It seemed to work like a sheet of suction cups.
- He tested the non-moving part of the sliding glass door with a scrap of bubble wrap and found that the piece was too thick for the moving section of the door to slide over. We also skipped trying to cover the little triangular windows near the roof line.
When all was covered to our satisfaction, it reminded him of a kaleidoscope, but not as colorful. It made me think of a lightly colored stained glass window or those stacking glass blocks used in bathroom walls. For one moment, all the bubbles looked hexagonal and I was trapped in a giant beehive… but that’s just me. There is still plenty of light getting into the greenhouse from the sun, such as it is this time of year. I’m relying on the grow lights for the plants anyway.
It has been up for one day, as of this writing. The greenhouse thermometer seems to be reading at least 5 degrees warmer than it was in similar outside temperatures. I don’t feel the same cold draft that I was feeling while in the greenhouse or the kitchen next to the open greenhouse. From what I read, it can be saved when taken down in the spring and used several years in a row.
I am considering using what is left of the bubble wrap on some of the bedroom windows in the colder part of the house. Bubble wrap for windows. Who knew? Apparently, everyone except me.
This sounds like one of our chemistry experiments, where, the air temperature (inside the bubble wrap ) would actually be raised from the sun going through the plastic. Yet more passive solar heating. What a good way to use bubble wrap.
We are continuing to notice how much warmer the kitchen is since there is no draft coming through from the greenhouse.
🙂 Glad to help
It’s been a year since this post. Did you monitor the temperature in the greenhouse? We are considering wrapping inside ours, which is a freestanding 10×26 greenhouse. I don’t want to go to the cost and effort if it is only a couple of degrees difference! Thanks!
Hi, Wendy – I have not monitored the temperature more closely than what I mentioned above. Partly because the feel is so dramatically warmer, I haven’t been inspired to go to that trouble. This, even with a large glass patio sliding door that we cannot put bubble wrap on and still use. Since we use it quite a bit, no bubble wrap. Hope that helps!
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I am getting ready to replace the existing bubble wrap in my greenhouse with new. I agree that it does make a difference in the temperature inside the house. In the hot summer, when all my plants are out of the greenhouse, I keep the roof vent and top half of the door open so it doesn’t get so hot in there. But I have had a huge problem with the squirrels tearing the bubble wrap out. Lord know what they do with it! Does anyone have a possible solution to this?
That is a problem I have not had, possibly for two reasons. My greenhouse is attached to my house, like a patio room. Also, I take my bubble wrap down every spring. I did have a squirrel venture right up to my greenhouse door today for the first time I’ve seen, but I suspect it has to do with the new kitty food that is in there…
Thank you for your quick response 🙂 I think my bubble wrap would not have to be changed very often if the squirrels would leave it alone. I’m thinking of attaching it with the wide double-sided tape this time so there won’t be gaps for the squirrels to get a good hold on it. It’s me against the squirrels this year 😀
Sounds like it is worth trying!
I’m glad I found this. I want to set up a small indoor “kitchen garden” and was looking at the small greenhouses, but so many are so flimsy. So, I decided to go back to my original idea of buying a sturdy steel shelving unit, but I still wanted plastic around it to keep it warmer in the winter and help keep the moisture in. None of the greenhouse covers I found were close to the right measurements, so I thought of making my own with plastic. But, seeing your post reminded me of bubble wrap which I have used (and still do on a bathroom window) on the front porch and windows in the winter. This will also be easier to find and cheaper than my original plastic sheeting idea!!
Nice! Glad to have helped with your brainstorming!