I just bought my first home, and this £10 buy was the very first thing I bought for it to make it feel warmer and secure

If I did it all again, this would still be my very first buy

Neutral hallway with a white composite front door partially open, and panelling on one side of the wall
(Image credit: Future PLC/Colin Poole)

A few weeks ago, I bought my first home, a ground-floor flat in London. I didn't have a sofa, a dining table or a wardrobe, but before I even started looking at furniture, there was one £10 buy I bought almost as soon as I moved in: a letter box draught excluder.

A letterbox draught excluder costs around £5-10 on Amazon and is an internal flap that fits onto a door and often includes a brush seal.

If you're baffled by this being my initial purchase for my home as a first-time buyer (especially as someone who writes about interiors for a living), let me set the scene for you. This was going to be my first ground-floor flat with an external front door; not only did that mean I wanted to draught-proof my front door, but I also wanted reassurance that no one could peer through or go 'fishing' through my letter box.

pink front door in hallway with tiled flooring and black side table

(Image credit: Future PLC / David Giles)

The door already had an old internal letterbox flap, but when this came clattering off after a letter was pushed through, I was unconvinced of its ability to keep my home warm and secure. So, on the same day I moved in, I went straight to the local hardware store to buy a letterbox draught excluder with a brush.

As the name suggests, a letterbox draught excluder does what it says and stops cold draughts from the door. 'Draught-proofing an external door is one of the quickest and most effective ways to prevent heat loss, and installing a letterbox draught excluder is a simple yet often overlooked solution,' says Alex Peters, Author of Checkatrade Cost Guides.

As a bonus, letterbox draught excluders can also be a protective measure against 'letterbox fishing', where burglars feed things through a letterbox to steal keys.

Navy-grey front door flanked by olive trees and lantern garden lights

(Image credit: Future PLC/David Woolley)

'Letterbox draught excluders not only provide an extra layer of protection to reduce heat loss and potentially lower energy bills, but they can make life harder for burglars - getting a draught excluder with bristles helps provide an extra layer of protection and obstructs the view of anyone trying to peek in,' confirms David Joyson, Chief Customer Officer at specialist home insurer, Homeprotect.

Of course, you can't put all your trust in a draught excluder. It's also important to keep your keys away from the front door, and consider installing a letterbox restrictor to further restrict anyone from gaining access. David explains, 'No evidence of forced entry may not be covered by your home insurance policy, which could mean you may be unable to claim on your contents insurance.'

Where to buy

Is it easy to install?

According to Alex, most letterbox excluders are easy to install. 'Installation is often straightforward. Measure the letterbox opening to ensure a proper fit, mark the screw holes while holding the excluder in place, secure it with screws or adhesive, and test to ensure smooth operation.'

It is a relatively easy home repair you can DIY, but if you're not confident in your skills, you can call in a professional from Checkatrade or even call out Taskrabbit to help you.

I installed mine relatively easily, and it has made the hallway feel so much warmer and made me feel that little bit more secure when going to sleep at night. Considering I paid less than £10, the payoff has been huge, and I don't regret it being my first purchase.

What was the first thing you bought for your first home?

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.