7 best draught excluders, tried and tested at home

This adorable sausage dog design is functional as well as being super cute. The dachshund-shaped stopper sits neatly against doors, and, at 76cm, it’s a good length – it’ll cover the whole width of standard doors. Because it’s quite weighty, it won’t fall over if someone opens the door, either.

The Rex draught excluder did an amazing job at effectively blocking cold air from coming through the bottom of the door, meaning the room stayed warmer. The only real drawback is the pup’s jumper can collect dust, so it will need regular cleaning. Although you can’t bung this draught excluder in the washing machine, you can keep it clean by going over it with a damp cloth.

Although it’s a lightweight option, this sherpa design is still great at keeping draughts from entering a room. The material is super soft to the touch and it comes in two colourways: grey and light pink. During testing, I found this draught excluder to be super efficient, with its 90cm length perfect for any standard door size. It’s also more affordable than many other options, which is good news if you’re on a budget or want to buy multiple draught excluders for your home.

The downside is, because it’s so light, it doesn’t seem to hold its shape very well against the door, meaning you will need to readjust the draught excluder from time to time. The sherpa material is a bit of a dust magnet, too, and you can only clean it by giving it a wipe down with a damp cloth, so, do keep that in mind.

Cold air doesn’t just creep in under doors – chimneys should also be points of focus in the battle against draughts. Crafted from Herdwick wool, this chimney draught excluder is a brilliantly innovative product that fits inside your chimney to help avoid chills while maintaining the necessary ventilation.

This product comes in a range of sizes and shapes, so there is one for pretty much every chimney. There is a full measuring guide on the brand’s website – although, I did find the measuring process a little fiddly – and once my Chimney Sheep was in place it fitted perfectly.

I noticed a huge difference while testing this product, with our room feeling a lot warmer – it’s surprising just how much of a draught is created by an open chimney. The Chimney Sheep also has a handy label, to remind you its there, in case you want to light your fire. If that’s the case, you can just remove the draught excluder and replace it once the fire is extinguished.

It can even be machine washed on a cold wool cycle (but it can’t be tumble dried).

It’s almost a shame to place this draught excluder on the floor. Made from a super soft boucle fabric, it sits neatly against all standard door frames, to keep the cold air out. It comes with a zip fastening, so you can remove the cover and machine wash it, to keep it fresh and clean. It’s also got a reversible design with a knife-edge trim, so it looks great in all surroundings. It comes in a choice of colourways and is packed with thick stuffing, so it doesn’t bend or get misshapen over time. During testing, this draught excluder worked instantly, stopping icy blasts from creeping under the door.

Who wouldn’t want a fluffy Highland cow guarding their room against draughts? Although I loved the super-cute design of this draught excluder, I found the main body of it didn’t cover the full width of a standard door. During testing, this design did a good job of keeping the worst of draughts at bay but I did feel some airflow. If your house isn’t quite as draughty as mine, however, this one could still be a great, fun option.

This draught excluder is super effective at stopping cold air in its tracks. The foam design simply slides onto the bottom of your door and it’s easy to remove for cleaning, too – I found it attracts dust. It will fit a standard door and can be cut down to size with scissors, if needed. During testing, I found it did a superb job of stopping any draughts and, because it attaches to the door, I didn’t even notice it was there. The only downside is it can sometimes snag on carpet, when opening or closing the door.

Want a versatile design? This reversible draught excluder means you can choose between patterns just by flipping it over. It fits neatly at the bottom of doors and worked really well at keeping draughts at bay during testing. It’s weighty enough that it can even be used as a doorstop, while the removable cover enables you to pop it in the washing machine when needed, to keep it fresh and clean.