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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.