How long do you open your windows for this time of year?

[SpringMeadows]

If you are in the UK, how long do you open your windows for in the morning in winter? We have dogs and I leave them open (including the back door) for an hour or two, first thing in the morning. This is because I like to have fresh air in the house daily, but also because I'm rushing around during that time so don't go and shut them. WHen I get to my desk ready to work, I go around and close them. My DP would open them for 20 minutes and then turn the heating straight back on.

It's true that the house gets rather cold during the time the windows are open but are we supposed to live in a stuffy place? So I'd like to hear what others do. Thank you.

Bedroom window open all night so we keep having a resident ladybird on the ceiling. He's put out every day onto a bush and in he comes again.

DC's window open til lunchtime, bathroom open after showers in morning then closed. Downstairs windows in lounge opened one every few days.

Heating off during the day so all windows are shut by 3 when it comes on.

Inspired by this thread, I am currently airing my whole house. Dh heartily approves, ds not so much, and ddog is freaked out because some doors banged. I might have chosen a bit of a windy day to do it <understatement>

Windy days are the best!
Prop the door with something, it will take 5-10 min max, most likely just the 5 on windy day. As soon as everything is closed temp will go back up.

Whoever has - 5c and dry now, hang your bedding out. Dust mites don't survive freeze ND it will be so so so fresh. Absolute bliss

Windy days are indeed the best - our towels are outside right now flapping away!

Inspired by this thread I checked the lease to our 1930s flat and apparently airing the flat every day and beating the rugs outside once a week is a lease condition! Can't see our managing agents enforcing it these days though 🤣

This is common thing in some countries in rentals. My sibling has pipe cleaning once a month written in.
I believe germany has luften in leases often. Saw the article someone posted so that might disappear, but habit will stick.
Plenty of immigrants to germany on insta suffering with their spouse's love for luften😂

We are never ill either. We've had ours at 16 this winter, but mostly in the evening so usually less than that. Upstairs can get a degree warmer despite radiators being on low. The sitting room is a degree warmer if we religiously keep the door shut, but it's a pain with cats.

@Grilledsquid Ours is an owned leasehold flat rather than a rental. The lease was written in the thirties when the flats were built. I just think they were more judgey about living standards then - it even specifies how often we have to paint the internal walls and the fact we should have (lined) curtains on ALL windows. 🤣

Ha! Loving that😂

Other than bathroom windows after showers I don’t open windows during cold winter months.

Have never had issues with damp or ran out of oxygen to breathe.

Yeah, we get the odd fly or insect but that's just normal to me. I think that has to be healthier than living in a house that never gets any fresh air.

Our lease has we can't dry washing outside (this is a new build too)🙄 someone asked to put up a washing line in the garden once and was told no, come the summer everyone puts out airers of washing. A washing line imo is less of an eyesore than 4 airers.

I think ours says that too, but now we are leaseholder owned freehold (eg share of freehold) we choose to ignore that - much better to dry clothes outside than have moudly flats!

The issue is a build up of CO2 not a lack of oxygen.

Mine is the same, except it was only built in 2007 and god knows how they wrote the lease
It says I have to decorate in approved colours every 7 years, I can't bang a rug outside, can't hang washing (I have a garden) and can't do anything immoral

My dad "well now I want to help you paint everything black while banging a rug outside naked"

What counts as immoral in this case?
Orgies?
Conjuring demons?
Cooking mackerel on a patio when everyone else has windows open?
Blasphemy in house?

I think it is a catch all to give freeholders the power to foreit leases if residents aree using their flats for stuff that is annoying and dubious but not illegal.

I assume in the more judgemental and less enlightened times my block was built in, such a clause could be used to refuse to sell or rent to say unmarried couples or single mothers.

I know you think you sound smart.
How do you think the build up of CO2 kills you?
Think it through 🙄

@NuzzleandScratch - I don’t think cats randomly fall out of windows? We have upstairs balconies and our cat lives it up there, sleeps in the plant pot wooden part of the balcony a lot in summer. It’s almost 3 stories up as in hillside. He’s never fallen yet. The windows are on tilt locked upstairs for safety of toddler, so cat couldn’t fall anyway. So you could do something like that.

Well, each to their own.
I like a warm house (19-20°) and will continue to go outside for my fresh air!

@Grilledsquid they didn't specify sadly

There's a whole load more ridiculous things, sadly I can't hang washing in my garden as my neighbour reports me (he doesn't have a garden but likes to think mine should be shared...)

I once watched a cat slip and fall from a sixth floor balcony. It landed on the ground and then ran back inside and up the stairs.

Ours cats never fell out. And we had gingers! It can happen, but i don't think it's particularly common issue?

Maybe, our cat is just quite tiny and I’m an overprotective cat mum! We can always open the smaller upper windows if need be.

I wouldn’t be overly worried unless there was something underneath the window that would make for an awkward landing. When I moved to this house, my cat escaped by jumping out of the open top window in the bathroom upstairs.