Guest room chills mother-in-law

Q: Last year when my mother-in-law came to visit for the holidays, she complained daily that her room — our spare guest room — was too cold. This is despite me going in there twice a day with a room thermometer that showed the temperature was the same as the rest of the house. She didn’t complain about any other area of the house being cold. This year she’s visiting again. How can I convince her the room is warm enough without running up a huge heating bill just to bring the guest room temp up 10 degrees? — Frustrated Son-in-Law in Little Rock

A: That could be a tough order. Does she say the room gets cold at a specific time, like during the night? Or does she say it is cold all of the time? Because she’s sleeping there, and reduced activity can lower our body temperature, she may feel colder after going to bed.

Also, if the house has a thermostat that automatically lowers the temperature at designated times (like overnight), she may be noticing that change. Or the room could have a draft that other parts of the house don’t have.

The best way to get an idea of whether the room is actually colder or not is to spend a night or two in it. If you feel the chill as well, you’ll be better able to track down the source. A partially closed register, poor weather stripping on the windows, a cross-draft from some other part of the house — these can be quickly remedied.

If the room doesn’t feel cold at all and there are no odd drafts or anything, your mother-in-law may be feeling cold because her body temperature drops at night, or maybe she’s feeling homesick and uncomfortable in the guest room. In this case, find out how her own bedroom is equipped — with an electric blanket perhaps, or a humidifier, a television or some other comfort — and provide at least some of those same items in the guest room so that she feels more at home.

Home Tip: Mind your outlets! To prevent blown circuits or even a fire, never connect more than three strings of Christmas lights to a single outlet.