New Airbnb Commercial

[Laura2592]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swC5HX1HmLw

Okay, where to begin?

Yes its cute. The creatures are cute. But....

1) did the ad agency research the antipathy that many hosts have to pets lol? Come on! That's a lot of hair to clean!

2) does anyone feel a little irritated that they may be compared to Bigfoot (or Cousin Itt) if they stay as a guest?

3) would this make you host? It wouldn't make me want to.

4) is the message "hosts view people as monsters?" Seems so. 

Let's focus group this-- I don't know if it has been. What are your impressions?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Huma0  yes, it is not suitable for rooms but it is a great solution for windows in the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, hallway... where the view is not important or the windows are facing the backyard. It makes a huge difference in temperature when you touch the bare glass or the bubble wrap.

[Sarah977]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  That sounds brilliant. The bubbles would insulate.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Sarah977 @Branka-and-Silvia0  @Huma0 

My mom is not a fan of heavy curtains so my parents have covered most of their windows with bubble wrap - you can't see thru it so it provides privacy but still lets the light in, sort of like frosted glass. It helps with insulation so they keep it on the windows all year long, plus it's easy to remove and put up again as needed. For my own apartment, I splurged and installed 3M window film (clear & see-through) because of the summer heat and fading, as most of the larger windows face southwest and the living room is like an oven in the summer. 

In Korea, people who rent will use clear PVC film that sticks to the window with water for glass insulation - it's cheap and really easy to install/remove. IMO way better than the films with sticky tape or require a hairdryer. Although it's all in Korean the photos are pretty self-explanatory in this blog. https://blog.naver.com/inu1222/222149662682 

Also, completely agree with @Sandra126  that the brushy adhesive tape is way better than the foam type for window/door gaps.

[Huma0]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 

I think the film I bought is the type you've mentioned. The instructions don't seem to include a hairdryer, and it's supposed to be removable. I am going to give that a go. The windows are in the process of being repaired, which should reduce the drafts but, because they are so old and not really straight anymore, the insulation strips will still be needed. They all need painting first which is not really a job I would normally do in January when it's so cold, but needs must! The carpenter says the painting can't wait...

[Inna22]

Other than being too long I thought it was cute. Unexpected ending. I thought it was about hosting on another planet (chubaka reference). I also did not think the creatures were strange rather different. I don’t think it references guests being monsters. I guess it is supposed to counter stereotypes about bad guests

[Sandra126]

@Huma0 , the balloons are specially made for fireplaces. Efficient as long as you pump in more air from time to time. I have sealed mine from the top, and shoved in much insulation from the bottom. Check with a fluttering candle on a windy day where exactly it's draughry. Windows: have you done the cheap and simple strip brushy velvety sticking strips? Open window, stick strip, close over strip, no draught. Won't help the glass itself but will definitely help and anyone can do it. Couldn't believe the difference. Check along skirting boards and architraves and cornices. Seal with gapsealant or push in newspaper with a knife. Check with the flickering candle. If you have a crawl space under house, check underfloor insulation,  ditto for roof space. This is unpleasant to do but I'm totally conviced  that you can. Exterior doors,  same as windows. In Sweden historical houses often have a se ondary pane taped in for winter, a lot of extra work in a big house. Floor gaps in historical houses which will be varying can be filled with a linseed rope strip, get it from restauration suppliers. There is a lot you can do, even if totally broke you can push newspaper into gaps. You can of course do that with windows as well as long as you dont open them until spring when it all falls out.

[Huma0]

@Sandra126 

Thank you. Lots of good advice.

Did you get an expert to seal the fireplaces from the top? I don't have easy roof access and wouldn't risk going up there myself.

Yes, I tried the sticky strips around the windows but they just disintegrated. I don't have a crawl space or roof space (pitched ceilings in the top rooms, which were insulated before being plastered). 

There are certainly a few things here I could try though. 

Your newspaper suggestion reminds me that, when I bought the house, it was in such bad condition that some of the windows looked like they were going to drop out of the wall. They had huge gaps and cracks around the frames. The builders found these stuffed with newspaper and that turned out to date from different decades, so someone had been stuffing those gaps for a while!

[Sandra126]

@Huma0 i had builders on the roof, too high, too steep for me. If the strips disintegrated,  were they foam? If so, try the  velvety hairy soft ones. More money but when it works, it's worth it. I will try a picture. 

[Huma0]

@Sandra126 

I think they must have been foam. I have not come across any other kind. The foam ones were inexpensive but disintegrated so fast that it was not even worth the time spent attaching them, let alone the effort to remove the useless residue left behind!

I would definitely be up for spending more on a product that actually works.

[Huma0]

@Sandra126 

Ps, I have also bought the seals that are supposed to go at the bottom of exterior doors, but sadly they don't fit my doors at all. You can cut them lengthwise, but they still don't fit the doors in other ways.

So, for now, I just have those sausage shaped draught excluders that you prop in front of the door. They help a bit if guests remember to put them back when they come in. I still have to reposition them every time a guest exits the house. It's better than nothing though.

[Sandra126]

 this is what I used on my windows. @Huma0 

[Huma0]

@Sandra126 

Thanks. I will have a look out for those.

Kind of hairy like the monsters in the Airbnb ad!

[Sandra126]

@Huma0 and THAT is how we bring the conversation back on track.😊

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  There is a way to make those door draught things so you don't have to keep putting them back in position. 

Hard to explain in words, but I'll try.

You get something like a couple of pool noodles, or that foam that is used to slip over plumbing pipes to keep them from freezing, or cylindrical weatherstripping. You cut them to the proper length for your door. 

Then you make a casing for them so one of them slips into each side, with enough fabric in the middle  to fit the door depth. You just slide the whole thing under the door, ending up with one of those draught stoppers on either side of the door.

When you open and close the door, the draught stoppers stay in place against the bottom of the door.

And here's a photo:

https://www.amazon.com.mx/CHENTIAN-Stopper-Isolation-Waterproof-Bottom/dp/B091LP9TVJ/ref=asc_df_B091...

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

Ah yes, I bought a pre made version like in your link but it didn't fit my exterior doors (too short). So, I was planning to use it on an interior door at least. 

I'll have a look out for long versions. Nothing is standard size in my house!!

I was also thinking of door curtains. I have seen photos of these used in both modern and period homes. I can't imagine they would be useful during the day and guests might struggle if you used one on the front door, plus they would probably need a lot of cleaning, but I can imagine they might keep things cosier overnight, if the fabric was thick enough and/or they had a thermal backing. Could be elegant, providing it's done right.

I should really have started a separate thread on draught proofing rather than going off on a massive tangent on @Laura2592 's post.