Door Draft Stoppers vs Door Sweeps: Which Fits Your Door

A draft stopper is the better fit for interior doors, smooth floors and rentals, because it needs no tools and goes with you when you move. A door sweep is the better fit for exterior doors and any door that opens many times a day, because it is fixed in place and seals the gap every time the door shuts. Your gap size and your floor type decide the rest.

Our free draft-proofing guide covers how to find drafts and how to make a stopper from an old towel or jeans leg. This piece starts later in the process: you know the gap under a door is the problem, and you need to decide what to buy.

Measure the gap first

Most buying mistakes are measurement mistakes. Take five minutes and do this at the door you want to fix:

1. Close the door and look along the floor. If you can see daylight, the gap is large. If you only feel air on a windy day, it is small.
2. Measure the gap at three points: near the hinge, in the middle and near the latch. Floors and doors are rarely level, so the three numbers often differ. Buy for the largest one.
3. Note the door's thickness and width, since products are sized for both.
4. Look at what the door swings over. Bare floor, a threshold strip, a rug or thick carpet each call for a different product.
5. Note whether you can fasten anything to the door. A renter may only be allowed adhesive, or nothing at all.

Keep those numbers on your phone. Listings usually give a gap range, and a product made for a narrow gap will do little in a wide one.

Match the product to the situation

Draft stoppers: what to know

There are two main kinds. A loose stopper is a tube of fabric you lay along the bottom of the door. It is the easy fix, and a homemade one works nearly as well. The drawback is that it slides when the door opens, so it only suits doors you rarely use. A slide-on (or double-sided) stopper has a tube on each side of the door, joined by a strip underneath, so it stays in place as the door swings. It must be sized to the door's thickness, so check the listing.

Stoppers are the right answer for renters, interior doors and temporary fixes. They are less tidy on a front door, where you step over them all day. A stopper filled with fabric or beans is fine for a bare floor, but in a busy hallway it is a tripping risk, so tuck it out of the way or choose a sweep. If you have pets or small children who may chew a stopper, choose one with a firm cover, and follow the maker's age and care guidance.

Door sweeps: what to know

A sweep attaches to the bottom of the door itself. The main types are:

• Adhesive strips. A flexible strip stuck to the door. Easy to fit, and good for smooth, clean doors with a small gap. Clean the door first so the adhesive holds.
• Screw-on sweeps. A metal or plastic strip fastened with screws, often with slots to adjust the height. More durable, so a better match for exterior doors. Ask before you drill into a rental door.
• Brush sweeps. Bristles fill rough or uneven gaps, and they go easily over a rug edge. They let a little air through compared with a solid fin.
• Rubber or vinyl fins. A flexible blade presses against a smooth floor or threshold for a tight seal.

Whichever you pick, the door must still close and latch easily. Fit the sweep to the height of the lowest point on the floor, then test the door over the highest spot. If it rubs or sticks, adjust the sweep or choose a thinner one. Cut it to length with the tool the instructions suggest, leaving a little room at the hinge edge so it does not catch.

Where each one earns its keep

• Front and back doors: a sweep, because the door gets used every day.
• Doors to a garage or basement: a sweep if you are allowed to fit one, but check first with your landlord or building authority for doors that may be fire-rated.
• Bedroom doors in cold rooms: a loose or slide-on stopper you can lift when the door needs to be moved.
• A guest room you are not using: a loose stopper and a closed door.

Safety and rules to check

• Do not block combustion air. Gas furnaces and water heaters need air to burn safely and vent their exhaust. Leave louvers, grilles and the openings to their closets alone. Have working carbon monoxide alarms on every level.
• Fire-rated doors. Doors to an attached garage or to a shared hallway may be fire-rated. Do not change them without checking with your landlord, building manager or local building authority.
• Keep exits clear. A loose stopper can catch a foot or jam a door, so keep it out of the way of busy paths and escape routes.
• Keep the door working. Anything you add should let it open, close and latch normally.

Still feeling air?

If you fit a sweep and still feel a draft, check the door frame for gaps on the sides and top. Foam tape or V-strip weatherstripping closes those. Large gaps at the bottom may also mean the door needs adjusting, which is a job for your landlord or a handyman. A thermal curtain over the door in a very cold room can help as well, as we explain in thermal curtains vs window insulation film. For ways to stay comfortable without turning the thermostat up, see heating the person, not the house, and to find the next leak, try a DIY home energy audit.