Kitchen The Victorian House Upgrades and Maintenance

Review: Indow Window Inserts

Indow provided two window inserts for review.

Most of the windows on the first and second floor are original to the house — single pane, wavy glass, and all. They’re lovely and historic and I would opt to preserve and restore rather than replace them. That said, they can be pretty drafty. We’ve improved the heating situation here since a tomato froze on our countertop shortly after we moved in (for real), but the kitchen windows were some of the draftiest in the house.

Kitchen Windows with Indow Inserts | Making it Lovely

In years past, we’ve taped up window film. We went through the whole process of taping and shrinking the film with a hair dryer for each window and it works, but the installation is awkward and takes a lot of time. Plus it doesn’t hold up all that well over time. The film starts out being relatively unnoticeable, but the pressure of constant drafts makes the the windows look rippled, and once there’s enough slack, they’re noisy! Think plastic rustling and the thwack of the film being sucked backwards. Then when the weather warms, you rip it all down, hopefully not taking too much of your windows’ finish with it, throw it away, and do it all again the next year. Not exactly ideal.

I’d heard good things about Indow window inserts, so I was definitely on board when they reached out and offered to send a couple of inserts for review.

Kitchen Windows with Indow Inserts | Making it Lovely

The inserts are edged in compression tubing to hold them in place that comes in three colors (white, black, or brown), and there are various options for different applications (like blocking drafts, noise reduction, light control, or adding privacy). The woodwork on our first floor is all unpainted, so I chose brown frames to blend in, and standard grade acrylic since I was primarily concerned with cold drafts.

Kitchen Windows with Indow Inserts | Making it Lovely

Indow had an installer in the area (an architect who lives about five minutes away), so we set up an appointment for him to come out and measure our windows. They’re rarely square — especially in an old house — and he used a laser tool for precise measurements. If you don’t live in an area where someone can come out to you, Indow can send the tool out to you so you can do it yourself. Our installer came back with the inserts when they were ready and showed me how to put them up, though again, it’s totally doable if you’re on your own. It took five minutes! They work perfectly! And they aren’t noisy! They’re a serious upgrade over the window film we had been using, and obviously better than living with the drafty windows as-is.

I bought a little movable weather gauge our first year here because I was curious about the temperature differences throughout the house. I set it on our window sill before and after putting our Indow inserts in, and there was a measurable 20 degree difference.

Measuring the Temperature Difference with Indow Window Inserts

HOORAY!

The compression tubing holds the insert in place without adhesives or hardware, and there’s no damage to the window frames. We’ve had our Indow inserts in all winter and they’ve been fantastic! They work, which is the important thing, but they also look good and stay in place. There has been the added benefit of some noise reduction too, even though we didn’t specifically choose the ones that are best at soundproofing. Far better than the rustle of plastic sheeting we had in the room before!

Indow Window Inserts Detail

There’s a small ring in the bottom corner of each insert, so you break the seal with your finger and then give a little pull. (This is a weird analogy, sorry, but breaking the suction is like unlatching a baby.) Then you can store them and bring them back out as needed. Our windows are staying put even if we someday renovate the kitchen, so we’ll be using the inserts each winter for years to come.

Kitchen Windows with Indow Inserts | Making it Lovely


Thank you, Indow, for providing inserts for review! Many people in the comments asked about pricing, so I’m updating the post with that information here. The price per insert for our windows was $262 excluding shipping and measurement and installation fees.

If you’re interested in inserts for your windows, you can find out more and get a free estimate from Indow right here.

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  • Katie
    February 27, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    Those look great. Our drafty old house could benefit from some Indows. How much would it have cost for your pair?

    • Making it Lovely
      March 1, 2017 at 7:57 am

      I’ll ask and find out how much they would have cost. My windows are huge (when I bought the shrink film, I have to get the kind for patio doors), and the Indow inserts are listed at $20-36 / sq. ft, so I know they’re around a few hundred each.

  • Stephanie
    February 28, 2017 at 9:09 am

    What would be the price if you were buying them? Speaking strictly of the 2 you have in your home.

    • Making it Lovely
      March 1, 2017 at 8:00 am

      I’ll find out! They go for $20-36 / sq. ft.

  • Aimee
    February 28, 2017 at 9:09 am

    Oh my, thank you for sharing this! We have been putting up window film and it is a pain. We have two HUGE picture windows flanked by double hung windows. I’ve ripped off the trim paint so now I need to repaint all the trim. We don’t want to replace because the windows are not overly drafty they are just massive.

    • Making it Lovely
      March 1, 2017 at 7:59 am

      Yeah, I’ve seen some splintery pieces of our trim come off with the tape before (even with the “no damage” tape the window kits supply).

  • karen
    February 28, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Love your house Nicole. When you decide on a purchase you are content. I think in blogland that that is lacking. You stick with your big purchases and we still see them years later.

    • Making it Lovely
      March 1, 2017 at 8:03 am

      Well, for the most part! I get antsy and switch things up too, but I try to stick with the big pieces.

  • judy
    February 28, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    The inserts look great,but what I really fall madly in Love with every time you show it is all of the Beautiful Woodwork in your Lovely Home. WOW! The Craftsmen of Old,such talent and the Hardware…so handsome,very masculine.

  • Simone
    February 28, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    Would also love to know the price on your two windows.

  • Danielle
    February 28, 2017 at 7:12 pm

    These sound awesome! The den in our 1950s colonial is an old enclosed porch of sorts with 2 walls of windows that are super drafty. We use that plastic sheeting stuff and I dread removing it every spring – the poor trim! Someday we might replace the windows, but in the meantime, I’m definitely checking out the pricing on this product. Thanks for the info!

  • Kelly
    February 28, 2017 at 7:50 pm

    If you ever renovate your kitchen, I’d love to have your cabinetry. Absolutely beautiful.

    • Making it Lovely
      March 1, 2017 at 8:08 am

      Thank you. I would love to do a partial renovation, keeping the original cabinets along the window wall and reconfiguring the rest of the space. The kitchen is so old they are built in place, so they aren’t modular/modern cabinets that you can just take out and reuse elsewhere. If it came out, it would come out in pieces.

  • Elizabeth Speicher
    March 2, 2017 at 3:06 pm

    Beautiful solution to the problem. The finish looks like a nice bronzy color that works so well with your warm oak cabinetry. A 20 degree temperature difference is huge, I’m sure you are finding the kitchen much more cozy.

  • Making it Lovely
    March 7, 2017 at 9:56 am

    I’ll edit the post to include this information, but wanted to call it out in the comments too! The price per insert was $262 excluding shipping and measurement and installation fees.

  • GenS
    March 7, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    How would that compare in price to new windows?

  • JLBB
    March 9, 2017 at 8:00 am

    This is probably the most helpful post in the history of sponsored posts. Thank you! (Also, I totally get and appreciate your reference to unlatching a baby.)

  • Gareth Bean
    March 16, 2017 at 4:51 am

    Very cozy kitchen! My wife will love it!

  • Сhcompressors
    March 27, 2017 at 3:09 am

    Very very cool! It’s so nice and cozy on this kitchen. Good job. All that is made of wood or decorated in wood looks great.

  • Holli Jacobson
    November 11, 2017 at 8:40 am

    Is there a glare from the acrylic that you wouldn’t get from regular glass? Thanks!

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  • JenW
    December 19, 2019 at 7:42 am

    Hi! I just stumbled onto this older post…how are you still liking the Indow inserts? Have they maintained the seal over the years?