Easy and Inexpensive DIY Space Heater
How do you make a DIY space heater with no electricity? Our office can get really cold during the winter. We think it’s because it’s above a crawl space and there is no insulation (something we should remedy). I created this personal space heater to help keep me warm while working in there. This is a simple and inexpensive personal space heater that you can move and take with you.
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You’ll need the following:
Coaster (Mine are from Dollar Tree)
Tealight (16 count package at Dollar Tree)
Apple Slicer (I had mine, but you can get these at Dollar Tree.)
2 terra cotta pots, one smaller than the other. (Mine are from Dollar Tree)
Lighter
Set the tealight on the coaster. The coaster is for protecting your surface area from the heat.
Light the tealight.
Place the apple slicer upside down and over the tealight. This step is what gives the tealight air so the flame will remain lit. I have had mine lit for over an hour a few times now and the plastic is fine – it doesn’t get too hot. If you are at all worried you can use an all metal apple corer/slicer.
Set the smaller terra cotta pot on the apple slicer and center over the flame.
Place the larger terra cotta pot over the smaller pot.
It’ll take a little while to warm up for the pots to warm up. When you’re done with it, it will need time to cool down before you move it.
I put this one by my desk. It’s great for a “hand warmer”. You can add up to 3 tealights with this one. I did try it and the plastic got warm after being lit an hour – again you can use an all metal apple slicer if you’d rather. For more warmth – You can make these with bigger terra cotta pots and make a larger space heater too!
Other DIY Space Heater ideas:
- You can adjust any size clay pots for this simple heater. A bigger terra cotter pot heater will heat a small room
- This one uses tea candles or tea lights but you can use a larger jar candle with bigger pots to heat an entire room
- Be careful when making your terracotta pot heater of an open flame, always use caution.
- You can make your own fire pit with isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol for an alcohol heater. Alcohol burns clean so you don’t have to worry about alcohol fumes or toxic fumes.
- You an place toilet paper in a ceramic bowl as well.
These are handy for emergency situations, and this emergency heater is great for a power outage. This emergency heat source is great when you can’t use a ceramic heater, or electric space heaters, or your heating system is out. If you aren’t comfortable with an a flower pot heater, you can always consider a solar heater or something that uses a solar panel for heat. When using your homemade space heater, always crack a window when burning anything to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you are in a cold climate you can always consider a wood-burning stove. Now while these are only good for a small space, they are alternative heat sources when you’re in a pinch. You’ll want to pick up the supplies for this DIY project in advance so you’re not scrambling in the moment to make a homemade heater.
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Easy and Inexpensive DIY Space Heater Video
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I’m lucky, my office is upstairs and since warm air rises it’s never as cool as downstairs. Plus the furnace run is straight to the upstairs so there is very little heat lost. My downstairs tends to be cooler and when it’s cold outside, that forces the thermostat to turn on the furnace and then brings even more heat upstairs. LOL I love having my office upstairs. 🙂
That is fantastic Linda. My office is over our crawl space. It’s kind of silly really as we have a 3/4 full basement and why they didn’t finish the last 1/4 is beyond us. That crawl space just needs some insulation and that would really help. The cold just radiates up through the floor. This silly little space heater warms me up for now in the cold winter months until we finally get that project done 🙂
I have a friend who’s house is like that. He says the same thing! I get it when you say “until we finally get that project.” I have 2 started since last fall that never got finished (sigh) Other things were more important. After the new year I have got to get back to them!
This is a very clever idea. Thanks for sharing it with us on Share Your Style. Keep on keeping warm and have a very Happy New Year!
Thank you Lisa 🙂
We´ve been heating our otherwise freezing stairways like that for years now (one on every second step) Instead of appleslicers we use a number of different glass tea warmers thus our little stoves even look pretty 😉
Thank you Carol, and I appreciate you sharing how you have been doing it. 🙂
That is incredibly clever! I have a small space heater under my desk at work, but sometimes my hands are so cold, I have trouble typing. I could definitely use something like this on top of my desk to keep my fingers from getting frozen!
Thank you Christine, and I’m so sorry that it is so cold at your work. I get it, I sometimes bring a space heater into my job too 🙂
I tried making one in a very similar manner but it really did not work well at all. Perhaps that one called for battery tea lights. I shall try yours and let you know. Deb jones
Thank you Deborah. The bigger the terra cotta pot and the bigger the candles – the more heat it’ll put off 🙂
I just saw this on Hometalk, I’m going to subscribe to your blog now. This is just an amazing idea. How did you ever think of this? I’m so impressed.
Hi, and I’m so pleased to have you join my blog family 🙂 Welcome! When I created this, Hometalk had asked me to do a Live show on their Facebook page. The concept was warming your home. They showed me some ideas similar to this, and I always get cold in my office, so I decided to make a small heater for my room. I’m sure the Dollar Store thought I was crazy when I was trying to build this, was using all kinds of things to come up with ways to make this 🙂
Interesting. I definitely would have never thought of this, but I do love this idea. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Amy. Our office sits over a crawl space and it’s cold. This has been a great help while creating my blog posts
I have been following you on HomeTalk and I must say I’m glad I have subscribed to your blog!! I am enjoying all of awesome DIY’s, the instructions are so well written!! My favorite video I have shared a hundred times is “Auto detailing”!! Loved it, and have been using many of the time saving/money saving ideas you have shown!! Keep up the great videos, and easily followed instructions!! ❤❤?
You are so very sweet Holly, thank you so much.