Find the draft.
Fix it this weekend.

01 / DOORS

Doors

Sweeps, weather stripping and stoppers for front doors, interior doors, sliders and pet doors.

02 / WINDOWS

Windows

Shrink film, weather stripping tape and rope caulk for old sash, modern units and rented apartments.

03 / GARAGE

Garage

Bottom seals, floor-bonded thresholds and trim seals for the jambs and header.

04 / HIDDEN LEAKS

Hidden leaks

Diagnosis, outlet gaskets, and the caulk-and-foam decisions for everything that is not a door or a window.

05 / ATTIC

Attic

Hatch covers, pull-down stair tents and the perimeter seal that most people skip.

Best door sweeps

Frost King A79WHA Premium Aluminum and Reinforced Rubber Door Sweep, 2 x 36 in, White

A screw-on aluminum carrier with a reinforced rubber blade — the version of this part that survives a winter of a storm door slamming into it.

Best draft stoppers

MAXTID Door Draft Stopper, 36 in, Fits Gaps up to 1.7 in

Still the rare listing in this category that publishes a gap figure rather than only a door length — which is why it leads the selector table even though the number has changed.

Best weather stripping

Frost King EPDM Rubber Self-Stick Weatherseal Tape, D-Section, 5/16 in x 1/4 in x 17 ft

EPDM in a hollow D — the profile that keeps sealing at minus ten where foam tape has already gone hard.

Best for keeping mice out

Xcluder Versa-Line Door Sweep, Mill Aluminum, 36 in

A metal-framed sweep whose seal is cored with steel wool fill fabric — the only pick here built for gnawing rather than just for draft.

Best for noise

TMS Automatic Door Bottom, Surface Mounted, Double Seal, 36 in

A drop-down seal that lifts clear when the door opens and presses down when it closes, so it can seal harder than any fixed sweep that has to slide over the floor.

Best door thresholds

M-D Building Adjustable Aluminum and Hardwood Threshold, 36 in

The adjustable one: the top section raises and lowers on screws, so you tune the seal after the door is hung instead of hoping.

Best automatic door bottom

Trademark Soundproofing Automatic Door Bottom, Mortised, 1 in Drop, 36 in

The only pick here that publishes both a drop distance and a double bulb, which is the combination that decides whether an automatic bottom is worth the money.

Best storm door sweep

Andersen Storm Door Bottom Sweep Fin Weatherstrip

The manufacturer's own replacement fin — on a storm door the OEM part is usually the only one that seats correctly in the existing channel.

Best sliding door weather strip

Pile Weather Stripping for Sliding Windows and Doors, 16.5 ft x 11/32 in x 3/16 in

Pile — the fuzzy brush strip — is the correct material for a sliding door, and this is the one here that publishes both its width and its pile height.

Best insulated dog door

PetSafe Extreme Weather Aluminum Pet Door, 3-Flap, Large

Three flaps in an aluminum frame, with every number that decides the purchase published — which is exactly what the category usually leaves out.

Best French door weather stripping

Protalwell Silicone D-Section Door Seal, 3/8 in W x 5/16 in T, 20 ft

Silicone rather than EPDM or foam: it costs more per foot and it is the one profile that does not stiffen when the temperature drops.

Best weather stripping for a steel door

Trademark Hardware Magnetic Kerf Door Seal Kit, 36 x 84 in, White

A magnetic seal is the one weatherstrip that does something on a steel door it cannot do on wood — the door pulls itself onto the seal, the way a refrigerator does.

Best spring bronze weatherstripping

Zonon Spring Bronze Weatherstrip, 1-1/8 in W x 17.72 ft, Flat

The traditional answer for a house with original doors: a bronze leaf nailed to the jamb that springs against the door, with no adhesive to fail and no plastic to go hard.

Best draft stopper for a sliding glass door

Home District Weighted Faux Suede Patio Door Draft Blocker, 72 in, Light Brown

The cheapest way to cover a full-width patio door, and 72 in is the width most sliders actually are.

Best Pemko threshold

Pemko 270A36 Fluted Saddle Threshold, Mill Finish Aluminum, 36 in L x 4 in W x 1/4 in H

The entry point into the Pemko line and the one most 36 in doorways actually want: a plain fluted saddle at the lowest height here.

Best Pemko door bottom

Pemko 345AV36 Door Bottom Sweep with Rain Drip, Mill Finish Aluminum with Gray Vinyl, 36 in

A sweep with a rain drip on it, which is the detail that separates an exterior-door part from an interior one, and the cheapest Pemko part on this page.

Best Q-Lon replacement weatherstrip

Q-Lon 96 in Replacement Kerf Weatherstrip Kit, Medium Reach, Beige, 3 Pieces

Three matched strips for the hinge side, lock side and header, in the reach and color most prehung doors left the factory with.

Best window film kits

Duck MAX Strength Heavy Duty Insulating Film Window Kit, 3-Window

Thicker, puncture-resistant film for the case that kills ordinary window kits: something touches the film.

Best window tape

Frost King EPDM Rubber Self-Stick Weatherseal Tape, D-Section, 5/16 in x 1/4 in x 17 ft

EPDM in a hollow D — the profile that keeps sealing at minus ten where foam tape has already gone hard.

Best AC window seals

fowong AC Window Seal Foam Tape, 1 in x 1 in, 6.5 ft x 2

Inch-thick foam for the gaps a window air conditioner leaves — the summer version of the same problem.

Best window draft stopper

Kneelisa T-Shape Sash Window Weather Stripping, 118 in

The pick for people who arrived looking for a window draft stopper and actually need weatherstrip — a T-profile strip made for the sash gap itself.

Best window AC cover

Breeze Stop Surround Insulation Side Panels for Window AC Units

The one product here that addresses the concertina side panels rather than the machine — which is where most of the cold air around a window unit actually gets in.

Best magnetic window insulation kit

JOOFAN Magnetic Window Insulation Kit, fits up to 56 x 35 in

The same system in the smaller published size, which covers an ordinary double-hung sash for meaningfully less.

Best casement window weather stripping

Seal Supply Bulb Kerf Mount Window Gasket, 5/16 in, 17 ft, White

The bigger bulb, in white, from the one seller here that publishes a proper spec grid across sizes and mount types.

Best rope caulk

Frost King B2 Mortite Fingertip Caulking Cord, 1/8 in x 90 ft

Rope caulk: pliable putty you press into a gap in October and peel out in April, leaving no adhesive behind.

Best bottom seals

M-D Building Products 03749 Rubber Garage Door Bottom Seal, 16 ft

Sixteen feet of rubber bottom seal from the maker most garage doors already have on them — the straight replacement.

Best threshold seals

Storm Shield Garage Door Threshold Seal Kit, 16 ft

This is the part for a floor that is not flat: it bonds to the slab and the door closes onto it, so the seal follows the concrete instead of fighting it.

Best threshold adhesive

Loctite PL Premium Polyurethane Construction Adhesive, 10 fl oz

The one whose published substrate list covers both halves of this job — concrete and rigid or cellular vinyl and PVC — in a single moisture-curing polyurethane.

Best garage perimeter seal

Randall V-37 Garage Door Weatherstrip, Dual Vinyl, 7 ft

The only perimeter seal here sold under a manufacturer's own part number, which means the profile you receive is the profile you can look up.

Best outlet gaskets

Frost King OS6H Foam Outlet and Switch Sealers, 2-1/2 in x 4 in

Fire-retardant foam gaskets cut to the standard 2-1/2 by 4 inch plate — the part, not a novelty.

Best foundation vent cover

Kensal Home Recessed Foundation Vent Cover, fits 8 x 16 in, 0.25 in depth

The one here published against the 8 by 16 inch opening that a standard concrete block foundation vent actually is, in a UV-stabilized plastic that will not chalk on a south wall.

Best fireplace draft stopper

CADARA Magnetic Fireplace Draft Blocker Blanket, 33 x 29 in

The one that never goes near the flue: a magnetic blanket across the fireplace opening, which is the safer choice for anyone who does not want to reach past a damper.

Best crawl space access door

Crawl Space Door Systems Insulated Access Door, fits 16 x 24 in openings

The specialist maker's framed door in the commonest small size: a real door hung in the opening rather than a panel leaned over it.

Best rim joist air sealant

Great Stuff Smart Dispenser Gaps and Cracks Insulating Foam Sealant, 12 oz

The default can. Gaps and Cracks is the formulation for the joint sizes a rim joist actually presents, and the reclosable dispenser is what lets you stop halfway and come back.

Best attic covers

Miloo Attic Door Insulation Cover, 25 x 54 x 11 in, R-15.6

A zippered tent over the whole stair opening with an R-value actually printed on the listing — which most of this category does not publish at all.

Best recessed light cover

janaa CX5 Recessed Light Covers, fits up to 6 in downlights, 10 Pack

The only cover here that publishes both a flammability rating and the fixture size it fits, which is exactly the pair of facts this category usually withholds.

Best whole house fan cover

Battic Door Whole House Attic Fan Shutter Seal Cover, fits up to 36 x 48 in

Battic Door has been making energy-conservation covers for this exact opening for years, and this is the one with a published maximum shutter size.

01 / DOORS

How to measure a door gap properly

The index-card method, the three-point rule, and how to read your number against a published seal size.

04 / HIDDEN LEAKS

How to find drafts in your house

Five tests, no equipment, an hour — ordered so you find the big leaks before the small ones.

01 / DOORS

The best door sweeps, sorted by the gap they actually close

Six sweeps placed by the gap they close, from a slim vinyl blade to a brush for uneven floors.

02 / WINDOWS

The best window insulation kits, by published coverage

Shrink-film kits ranked by published coverage and film weight, plus the frame checks that decide whether the tape holds.