Best draught excluders for UK homes

Functionally similar to the Chimney Balloon brand's version, but this one states its own safety limit on the pack: 'ensure product is deflated and removed before lighting a fire.' That single line does a lot of the safety work for you, which is why it's the one to reach for first in this category.

Best for The same job as any chimney balloon — sealing a genuinely unused flue — but with the safety limit stated on the product itself.

• On-pack warning to deflate and remove before lighting a fire
• Simple push-fit and inflate, no fixings needed
• Comes with a 1-year manufacturer guarantee

• Still requires the underlying rule to be followed: only fit in a genuinely unused or confirmed-redundant flue
• Transparent plastic construction, with no stated insulation performance beyond blocking the draught
• Fixed maximum size (up to 700 x 400 x 250mm inflated) — measure your flue opening before ordering

Who shouldn't buy it: Skip this if you're not sure the flue is genuinely out of use — get it swept and confirmed redundant first, or fit a permanent vented cap instead of a temporary inflatable excluder.

A tidy brush-strip seal for door bottoms: the brush copes with gaps up to 25mm, and the hinged PVC cover clips down over the fixing screws so no screw heads show. At 838mm it covers a standard UK door and cuts down for narrower ones; a wider door needs a longer strip.

Best for Sealing the gap under a standard-width internal or external door, where up to 25mm needs covering.

• Brush seal handles gaps up to 25mm, more than most foam strips can cope with
• Hinged cover clips over the fixing screws for a neat finish
• Cuts to size for narrower doors

• Fixes with screws, so it takes a few minutes with a screwdriver rather than peel-and-stick
• 838mm long, so a wider door needs a longer strip

Who shouldn't buy it: The gap you're sealing is around a window or door frame rather than under the door: a foam strip is the better tool for that job.

Same aperture size as the Stormguard aluminium version but slightly cheaper and fitted from the inside face, so it's less visible from the street. The trade-off is a PVC body rather than aluminium.

Best for A budget alternative to an aluminium letterbox brush plate that fits on the inside face of the door, so it's less visible from outside.

• Fits to the inside face, so it's barely visible from outside
• Twin brush design for a fuller seal around the aperture
• Same aperture size as the Stormguard version, making comparison straightforward

• PVC construction rather than the Stormguard version's aluminium, so likely less durable-looking over time
• Fixed aperture size (279 x 45mm) — measure your letterbox opening before buying
• No fire-rating information stated, so the same fire-door caution applies if relevant to your building

Who shouldn't buy it: Skip this if you want the letterbox brush visible and matched to external door furniture — the Stormguard aluminium version fits on the outside face instead.

The thicker 6mm profile makes this a better match than the slimmer Stormguard foam strip for gaps up to 5mm, though you get less total length (10m vs 15m) for a slightly higher price.

Best for Slightly larger window and door frame gaps (up to 5mm) that a thinner foam strip won't fully close.

• Thicker 6mm profile suits gaps up to 5mm
• No release paper to fiddle with — straightforward to apply
• Cuts easily with scissors for awkward frame shapes

• Shorter total length (10m) than the Stormguard foam strip's 15m, at a higher price
• Only suited to gaps up to 5mm — a bigger door-bottom gap needs a brush strip instead
• 'Returns to original shape' is the manufacturer's own description, not an independently tested claim

Who shouldn't buy it: Skip this if you're covering a lot of ground on a budget and your gaps are on the narrower side (1–3mm) — the Stormguard foam strip gives more length for less outlay.

A simple double-brush cover that screws to the inside of the door over the letterbox opening, so the outside of the door stays as it is. Its 279 x 45mm aperture suits most standard UK letterboxes. It's white PVC rather than metal, and anything fitted to a fire-rated front door needs the landlord's or building manager's say-so first.

Best for Stopping draughts through a standard-size letterbox from the inside, without changing the outer letter plate.

• 279 x 45mm aperture suits most standard letterboxes
• Double brushes block draughts while still letting post through
• Pre-drilled holes and fixings included, so fitting takes minutes

• White PVC rather than metal, so it looks plainer than an aluminium plate
• Fixed aperture: measure your letterbox before ordering

Who shouldn't buy it: Your front door is fire-rated, which is common in flats: check with your landlord or building manager before fitting anything to it. If you want a metal plate on the outside of the door, this internal PVC cover isn't it.

It's the cheapest item compared here and takes minutes to fit, but it's a genuinely minor addition — the sort of thing to add once you've dealt with the bigger gaps around the door and letterbox first.

Best for A cheap, quick fix for draughts whistling through an external door's keyhole.

• Cheapest item in this comparison
• Simple screw-fit installation with a spring-back hinged disc
• Two finish options (gold-effect or chrome-effect) to match door furniture

• Price may vary by finish and retailer; we confirmed it at one specialist retailer
• A minor draught source compared with a door bottom or letterbox — worth doing, but not the first fix
• No stated size — check your existing keyhole escutcheon before assuming a like-for-like fit

Who shouldn't buy it: Skip this as a starting point if you haven't yet dealt with the door bottom or letterbox — tackle the bigger gaps first, then add this as a finishing touch.

It does the job of sealing a redundant flue and is sized for a common range of UK flue dimensions, but unlike the Stormguard equivalent on this page, its own product page carries no explicit on-pack warning against use in a flue still in service — so the safety check is entirely down to you to remember, every time.

Best for Blocking draughts from a genuinely unused, capped, or professionally confirmed-redundant chimney flue.

• Sized for a specific, common UK flue range (9–14in deep, 16–24in wide)
• PVC-free inflatable construction
• Simple mouth-inflation fitting, no tools or fixings needed

• No on-pack warning against use in a working flue — you must apply the 'unused flues only' rule yourself, unlike the Stormguard version below
• A foot or hand pump is recommended for inflation but sold separately, adding to the real cost
• Even in an unused flue, gov guidance says to keep a small vent open elsewhere in it to prevent damp and condensation build-up, which this product alone doesn't address

Who shouldn't buy it: Skip this if there's any doubt the flue is still connected to a working fire, boiler or stove — get it swept and confirmed redundant first, or choose the Stormguard chimney excluder instead, which states its safety warning on the packaging.