Customer Reviews

3M 2141W Indoor 5-Window Insulator Kit

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This kit makes it easy to quicky insulate just about any reasonably sized window you may have. The kit includes one large sheet of plastic and 2 rolls of double sided tape. You apply the tape around the frame of the window you want to insulate, cut a piece of plastic and then apply it to the tape. Once you've done that you just need to use a hair dryer on the plastic to get it to shrink and tighten in your window frame.

I used these kits to seal drafty windows in an old building. It took a little over an hour to cover 4 windows. The temperature difference is dramatic and when the plastic has been well tightened and trimmed it isn't too noticable.

It's smart for a couple reasons. Of course, the concept is simple: trap the air between the glass and the room and the air becomes the insulator. But it's all in the implementation and that's where this product shines. It uses double-sided tape that isn't so sticky that it will pull of paint when removed. Have to get that right and they did. The real attention to detail is the film material. When installed, it better not look tacky. So they formulated the material to shrink just enough to tighten it up to pull out the hard and soft wrinkles, but not pull away from the tape! Don't worry if the tape and the film lie on perpendicular planes. The film won't pull off when it shrinks. It's resilient enough not to overcome the film-to-tape adhesion. Again: brilliant.

It is also optically clear, not at all diffusive. That is another absolute must. I was simply amazed at how this product brings all this together into a cheap, effective solution to drafty old windows. Someone reviewed that the tape wouldn't stick to their window frame. Probably a surface prep issue. In my application the paint was new and firmly bonded. I even had strongly curved surfaces to tape over. I found that heating the tape with a hair dryer helped conform it to those surfaces. Directions don't address that issue and for flat surfaces it's not one. This is a great product!

I've spent the first part of this winter suffering because of drafty windows in the bedrooms of my new (old) home. I found this insulation kit from 3M, ordered it on Monday and it arrived on Thursday! In about 1 hour I had 4 windows sealed. I found it simple and straightforward to follow the instructions and it worked exactly as described. It's noticeably warmer in my bedroom, and I haven't adjusted the thermostat.

One note however, there was only enough plastic to cover 4 windows, not 5, and my windows are almost exactly the size given on the label. It was okay though, I covered the 4 worst offenders so it wasn't that big a problem for me.

I have used 3M and other brands of shrink film on windows in my 120 year old house. The only problem I have with the 3M product is that you really have to cut the film to size beforehand. If you try to put it up without cutting first, it's very unwieldy. That's why I prefer kits with 3 or 4 smaller pieces; they eliminate the need to pre-cut. This isn't an important objection, I suppose, but someone may need this advice! Another caveat: if you seal a window with a tight storm window on the outside, moisture can build up on the film and drip into the sill. I have been told that this can cause the sill to rot. I haven't had this problem; one advantage of a 120 year old house is that NOTHING is or can be air tight!

I used this product to insulate two dormer windows in my daughter's bedroom, and one window in the laundry room. I still have plenty of the plastic and tape left over in case I ever have to redo one of those windows for some reason. There was a noticeable improvement in both rooms immediately, and since all three windows are covered with thin curtains, the plastic is not noticeable. In truth, if you follow the directions, and stretch the plastic tight prior to shrinking it further with a hair dryer, then trim the excess, it would be barely noticeable even if there were no curtains.

I'm curious to see how long this plastic stays in place, since I have no intention of pulling any of these coverings down once the winter is over. We never open these windows, and I expect that if they were letting heat out through gaps during the winter, they almost certainly have been letting the warm air in during the summer when the AC is on. These coverings will definitely increase the energy efficiency of the house in any season, so I'll leave this plastic up as long as it lasts. I may come back and edit this review a year or so down the road to give an update on the product's durability.

As others have noted, the kit is easy to use. Install the double-sided tape around the entire perimeter of the window (UNDER the window sill on the bottom if you have a sill); cut a piece of plastic to size (measure twice - cut once!), fit it in place, starting at the top, peel off and reset as needed to stretch it and get the worst of the wrinkles out; heat with a hair dryer to shrink it and stretch it, and finally trim the excess around the edges. If the paint where you are applying the tape is damp for some reason (because of condensation, for example), dry it off with the hair dryer first or the tape won't stick very well. The tape is amazing in that it is sticky enough to hold the plastic in place once you set it, but not so sticky that you can't make adjustments if you need to during install. Good job by 3M with designing the adhesive. I wonder if it's the same stuff they use on those yellow post-it notes.

I did three windows in about an hour, and like I said, both rooms were noticeably warmer when I finished. My daughter is certainly happier with a snugger room. All in all, a very good product.

We have 2 gigantic windows + a patio door in our living room. Did a lot of research and chose 3M given the positive comments on the double-sided tape vs. the cheaper Duck brand (Walmart) and Home Depot/Lowes equivalents.

First off, the instructions on the box were just awful. Going by these, our first attempt at installing was a disaster. Spent a hour trying to tuck the film into the nooks and crannies of the window/frame, putting tape everywhere and then blow-drying. Got absolutely nowhere and was 5 mins away from giving up and returning. What we didn't realize is that the film is not supposed to stick to the window/frame like shrink wrap, but create a barrier that covers the entire window cavity...perhaps my stupid mistake, but I had no idea!

Having calmed down and taken a break, we tried it again and had much more success. The only other thing is that I to keep the blow dryer as close to the film as humanly possible (but without touching) for the film to shrink and become tight. Worked in the end though and was tight as a drum.

Very happy with the result (although not as crystal clear as other reviewers have said), but would recommend youtube research and patience for first time installers like myself!

I've been using this for years, in many different houses. Some problems I've run into:
1) The tape is no longer sticky. If it's not sticking to the frame well, first clean the frame well (alcohol) and make sure it is totally dry before trying again. Then - the tape might be old or bad (I've had this) - send it back and try again.
2) Ignore the "fits so-many windows". Windows vary in size. Measure yours - be sure to add at least 6 inches in each direction, and figure out what size sheets work best.
3) Window trim. Figuring out where to put the tape can be difficult. Not sure how to express this, but if the plastic is pulling away from the tape at a 90-degree angle, it wont work as well. If it is pulling across it (as they show in the pictures) that works well. When there is a sill, just expect the plastic might not stick there as well.
4) cats. If I dont get the wrinkles out, it will catch their eye and make it more likely they'll jump at it and claw it (doesNOT hold up to cat claws!).

Been a Frost King customer for years - it's like, you walk into The Home Depot, and they have bins and bins full of Frost King products. So for years, as I said, I've been a Frost King user - and each year, come the time to do the weatherproofing of our windows, I wondered *why* I did it at all - saw no difference whatsoever, and hated every second I spent putting up the Frost King stuff.
This year decided to buy it online (doing some price comparisons) and when looking for "weatherproofing products", Amazon first hit was for the 3M film, not Frost King. I said, "what the heck - I know FK sucks, so let's try something new"
I *love* this product. Not only the tape is about 10x better than FK, but the film is heavier *and more transparent* than FK. FK could be compared to cooking film, for all I care. And did I mention the tape is AMAZING? We have oversized windows, and it's always been a pain in the neck to properly put up the film - with the 3M tape I was able to reposition the film as many times as I needed for it to be perfect. Come spring, guess I'll see how easy it is to remove it ;)
Temperature: we have temperature/humidity sensors all over the house. Our daughter's room faces north, and we get A TON of wind - and there was always a draft coming thru her bedroom windows. Temperature house-wide was 77 - just for her room to stay at 66 or so. Since installing the 3M film (and even after experiencing very cold night), we've gained about 4 degrees - it stays at 70 or even 71 the whole day.
Extremely highly recommended !

This is a great product, but what do you do if you have window shades or curtains that go across the window between the inside trim pieces? All the videos I have seen show the film being placed across the front of the entire window casement. You can do that, but then you can't adjust the window shades.

I installed this product on 10 windows having shades, and after the first one, when I made all the mistakes, I was able to do them in 5-10 minutes each. Here's how (and how to avoid the mistakes).

First - and this applies to any window - realize that when you first roll out the film to cut it, you are cutting to the width of the window (+2 inches). When you unfold the film after cutting, it unfolds to 5 feet, the maximum length of the window. After you install the film, you can trim off the leftover film at the bottom of the window.

Start by cleaning the wood surface with alcohol. This is not part of the packaged instructions, but it will surely help the tape to stick. Also, don't expect it to stick to flaky or badly alligatored paint. Now apply the tape. You will be going around the inside of the window: across the bottom sill (facing up), up one side (facing the other side), across the inside of the top (facing down), and down the other side (facing the first side). Do not start the tape in a corner, or you will have a tough time lifting and pulling off the tape covering. Start in the middle of the bottom sill and go all the way around the inside and back to the start. Before you finish the taping, pull up the covering from the start of the tape (with a fingernail or the edge of a knife blade, then finish the tape by overlapping the start by a half inch.

As you go around a corner with the tape, push and hold it into the corner with a fingernail; pull the tape part way along the next side, then relax the pull and stick down the tape at the corner and along the next side. This will help prevent the corner from pulling up and causing a small air leak. Press the tape down all around, then prepare to pull off the covering to expose the top sticky side. You should already have pulled up the covering at the start of the tape as explained above.

When you pull the top covering off the tape, pull along the direction of the tape, not up and away from the tape, especially going around corners.

When putting on the film, make sure it is completely unfolded. Hold the top of the film with the hands equally near the side edges. Stick the film to the top part of the window, sticking the film about an inch in from the edge of the film - you want a little sticking out to match the inch or so that you will want sticking out on each side. Press the film along the window top to make a good seal with the sticky tape. With the film stuck at the top, use two hands to guide the film into the corner and down one side while sticking it - stick it about 1 inch from the edge of the film. Stick the other side, also guiding the film and sticking it using two hands. You can vary the pressure - carefully - to take up the slack and perhaps not even have to use the hair dryer.

Do be careful using pressure to smooth the film when sticking it. If you rub it with your fingernails, you can tear it. If you do tear it, you can repair the tear with clear packaging tape -it will be almost invisible. If you stick one side too far in from the edge, you will not have enough film on the other edge; in this case, you can pull the film away from the first edge and do it over - it is very forgiving.

If you have measured well, the top and edges will need no trimming, just let the extra film hang out. Trim the bottom of the film with a box cutter or scissors - being careful not to pull too hard on the film at any point. Be sure to cut away or puncture the edge of the film where the shade or curtains will mount inside the window frame.

The package has all the pieces you need to seal your windows: plastic film and double-sided tape. You'll have to provide your own tools: scissors or an exacto knife and a hair dryer.

If you have unusually-sized windows (I do), I strongly advise measuring them and making sure you get enough plastic and tape to cover them. The product description indicates this item comes with a 62-inch by 210-inch sheet of plastic. You'll have to cut it to apply it to the windows.

I used this product to seal three very large windows in my home office. It's a chilly and poorly-insulated room, but it's been a lot better this winter, thanks to the window insulator kit.

From outside the building you can't tell the windows are sealed. From inside, you can see through the windows fine, but you can see a bit of excess plastic around the windows. It's very minor and is worth the trade-off to keep the room warmer.