Ya estamos en pleno invierno y las t茅rmicas saltan pero a la baja, o se congelan con las temperaturas que tenemos con un solo d铆gito. Estamos en la temporada de usar 4 贸 5 capas de ropa para mantener el calor corporal, y al dormir, usar de ser posible, hasta una piel de oso (隆o el oso completo!).
En casa no tenemos calefacci贸n a gas, aunque est谩 la toma para colocarla, pero a mi me da mucho temor tener una estufa que pueda generar alguna tragedia. Ya de hecho, una prima de mis hijos tuvo que ser sacada de emergencia porque la llama se apag贸 y termin贸 respirando el gas que segu铆a manando.
Decid铆 hace ya unos 4 a帽os, comprar un peque帽o caloventor el茅ctrico, que vamos paseando por los lugares en donde estamos concentrados: sala, habitaci贸n y hasta en el ba帽o para evitar el choque de temperaturas luego de salir de la ducha.
Y aunque resuelve por un lado, por el otro el costo el茅ctrico es muy alto, as铆 que este a帽o decid铆 invertir en unos edredones que han ayudado mucho a la hora de dormir, y as铆 evitar dejarlo encendido toda la noche.
Con mis hijos ha funcionado perfectamente la f贸rmula pijamas frisadas, dos mantas y el edred贸n acolchado, pero en mi caso, que aunque me encanta el fr铆o soy la m谩s friolenta, me costaba conciliar el sue帽o cuando al entrar a la cama, las s谩banas estaban tan fr铆as como un glaciar.
En d铆as pasados, en una conversaci贸n casual, alguien me coment贸 la idea de calentar un ladrillo (de los rojos que se hacen con arcilla) en la cocina, envolverlo en una pieza de tela gruesa que ya est茅 en desuso, como un pantal贸n o sweater, y colocarlo debajo de las frazadas, a nivel de los pies.
Esto tambi茅n me lo dijo un amigo uruguayo cuando est谩bamos reci茅n llegados, pero la verdad me parec铆a tan inveros铆mil que nunca lo intent茅, hasta ayer.
Antes de dormir, agarr茅 un ladrillo rojo y lo puse sobre la hornilla, 4 minutos por cada lado, y luego apagu茅 la cocina y ayud谩ndome con el sweater a donde lo envolv铆, le fui dando vuelta hasta cubrirlo por completo.
Luego lo coloqu茅 debajo de la frazada, unos 5 minutos antes de acostarme. Mientras, terminaba de ordenar un poco la cocina y hacer mi lista de pendientes para el d铆a siguiente.
Cuando me acost茅, mi cama estaba tibia y no con las s谩banas fr铆as cual t茅mpano de hielo, lo cual era un buen indicio. Ya luego la frazada y el acolchado ten铆an la temperatura ideal para dormir sin sufrir por el fr铆o.
He de reconocer que me daba algo de temor dejarlo ah铆, pero el truco est谩 en no exceder el tiempo de calentamiento para que no queme la prenda de tela con la que se envuelve.
Lo cierto es que con ese solo ladrillo, calent茅 mi cama matrimonial (de dos plazas le dicen ac谩) y dorm铆 de maravillas, con lo cual no solo ahorro electricidad, sino que no necesito recurrir a estufas de gas que de no saber manipularlas adecuadamente, pueden generar inconvenientes.
驴Ustedes sab铆an de este truco? 隆Los invito a hacer la prueba!
We are already in the middle of winter and the thermals are jumping but down, or freezing with the temperatures we have in single digits. We are in the season to wear 4 or 5 layers of clothing to maintain body heat, and when sleeping, wear if possible, even a bearskin (or the whole bear!).
At home we don't have a gas heater, although there is a socket to put it in, but I am very afraid of having a stove that could cause a tragedy. In fact, one of my children's cousins had to be taken out of the house because the flame went out and she ended up breathing the gas that was still gushing out.
I decided about 4 years ago, to buy a small electric heater, which we move around the places where we are concentrated: living room, bedroom and even in the bathroom to avoid the temperature shock after getting out of the shower.
And although it solves on the one hand, on the other hand the electrical cost is very high, so this year I decided to invest in some quilts that have helped a lot at bedtime, and thus avoid leaving it on all night.
With my children, the formula of frilled pajamas, two blankets and a quilted comforter has worked perfectly, but in my case, although I love the cold, I am the most cold-hearted, I had trouble falling asleep when I got into bed and the sheets were as cold as a glacier.
In recent days, in a casual conversation, someone told me about the idea of heating a brick (the red ones made of clay) in the kitchen, wrapping it in a piece of thick cloth that is no longer in use, such as a pair of pants or sweater, and placing it under the blankets, at foot level.
This was also told to me by a Uruguayan friend of mine when we first arrived, but it seemed so far-fetched that I never tried it until yesterday.
Before going to sleep, I took a red brick and put it on the stove, 4 minutes on each side, and then I turned off the stove and helping myself with the sweater where I wrapped it, I turned it around until it was completely covered.
Then I put it under the blanket, about 5 minutes before going to bed. In the meantime, I finished tidying up the kitchen and made my to-do list for the next day.
When I went to bed, my bed was warm and not ice cold, which was a good sign. Then the blanket and quilt were just the right temperature to sleep without suffering from the cold.
I have to admit that I was a little afraid to leave it there, but the trick is not to exceed the heating time so as not to burn the fabric with which it is wrapped.
The truth is that with that single brick, I heated my double bed and slept wonderfully, which not only saves electricity, but I don't need to resort to gas stoves that if I don't know how to handle them properly, can generate inconveniences.
Did you know about this trick? I invite you to try it!
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