Putting plastic sheeting over your windows (to act as a temperature barrier) works well if the kit includes the proper adhesive sealing tape and hair dryer tightening feature.

However, if you have some generic plastic sheeting laying around along with a roll of duct tape, you might think you could save a few bucks.  Wrong.

Real duct tape is designed for permanent applications such as sealing the seams of metal ductwork.

Using it in a seasonal application can leave a residue that is very difficult to remove.

You could spend hours in the Spring trying to clean it off.