to think sleeping with open windows in January is only Right And Proper?

[RevoltingPeasant]

Seriously, surely this is normal? DH just made his 'pained face' when I popped up to air the bedroom prior to retiring. Over Christmas I opened all the windows in my mum's and PILs' insanely overheated windows before going to sleep. I almost always have open windows to get fresh air whilst we sleep.

I don't know how anyone can sleep in a stuffy room with the windows shut all day and all night! DH keeps saying 'But it's December'. Apart from the fact that it's now January, isn't he BU??

Oh, I know you don't all have carpets in bathrooms, don't worry :) But I've never seen it at all anywhere else. I just don't understand why anyone would think it was a good idea.

I prefer mixer taps to a two-tap system, but I can live with it. If my house were mine I'd have changed them by now, but it's rented and it doesn't bother me sufficiently to argue with the landlord.

DH and I have a bit of a battle (he likes closed,I like ajar)

The condensation is dreadful if they are closed and that can't be healthy.

"You people are crazy.

Heat your homes less if they feel too hot." CoteDAzur

That's my view precisely. I understand not all posters who agree with OP are doing this, but the impression I'm getting that some are heating the house with the windows open. An offensive waste of energy imho.

I agree- have the bedroom radiator cooler or off for the day!

I do not understand why anyone would want to open their windows at night in winter. You can pile on all the blankets you like and you will still get a cold nose. You must also spend a blooming fortune on heating when it comes on in the morning and the room is 5 degrees. Unless of course you think 16 is 'balmy'.

What causes the condensation?

Never had it in any room.

The bathroom window is regularly open after showers, but the door closed to stop the house getting cold!

We have our bedroom radiator permanently off - it's not just about the temperature, it's the airflow that I need! Without a fresh breeze, my nose bungs up.

I agree- have the bedroom radiator cooler or off for the day!

Doesn't matter. Even if the whole central heating was off all winter, woukd still need the window open.

It is not about being too hot (I'm not, I wear fleecy pjs and warm socks). It is about fresh air.

Do really think something happens to the air to make it stale (i.e. not fresh) if you keep your windows closed for a few hours while you sleep?

I have to sleep with the windows open or I wake up headachey and congested. I also have lovely hot sweats I the night so need to cool down quickly I don't have the heating on overnight anyway.

Condensation is when the moisture in the air hits a cold surface and turns to liquid.
It is something some places are more prone to than others.
Solutions are ventilation and adequate heating.

( I think )

It's a PITA.

Yes, like when mirrors cloud in the bathroom.

How do you get this to happen in the rest of the house? How humid is your air?

I live a stone's throw from the Mediterranean Sea and don't have any condensation at home, despite the windows staying firmly shut every night.

Do really think something happens to the air to make it stale (i.e. not fresh) if you keep your windows closed for a few hours while you sleep?

yes, dh farts and sweats a lot not me, oh no, never ever

but we open windows before and after sleeping. too noisy otherwise.

I haven't got condensation in our bedrooms either. Are you ventilating the bathrooms and kitchen? Or drying clothes indoors? The water must have to come from somewhere surely.

We have a damp problem (as in rising damp).
We do (like most people) do some drying indoors,but only where we don't have a condensation problem - never in the rooms where we do.
Funnily enough we don't have a problem in the bathroom and kitchen,but they are aired anyway and airbricks are all uncovered.

Do really think something happens to the air to make it stale (i.e. not fresh) if you keep your windows closed for a few hours while you sleep?

In winter, the window is kept shut till we go up to get ready for bed. It is a combination of fresh air and moving air, that I need to sleep properly.

Hence my fixation with cross-ventilation for heavy, still nights.

We dry our clothes in the conservatory. It's naturally drafty . It's closed to the rest of the house in winter so I can leave all the windows open in it. (Can't think of a better use of that cold room in winter).

So no, VerySmallSqueak we don't have any drying indoors. It's really bad for you btw.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20176376

Oh I am aware of that, thanks, One.
But have to dry them somewhere,somehow,and wearing wet clothes ain't recommended neither

But it's real life and all our space is for living (we don't have spare conservatories knocking around here )

If the windows are closed whilst you sleep in your bedroom, ad opposed to open...then you will have a higher ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen; which is what 'stale' generally refers to

Warm air carries more water than cold air, which is why you get condensation on windows and external walls where warm air hits the cold surface and is cooled so depositing moisture.

Yes,trapclap that's it.I think it is also contributed to by poor insulation ( ie North facing walls/windows with no double glazing or cavity wall insulation)

We suffer from condensation when we don't dry clothes indoors (most is hung on line if weather allows or tumble dried). We cover pans when cooking,bath instead of shower and open windows and even the door when cooking.

Just the act of breathing in the bedrooms at night leaves puddles of water on the windowsills it seems.

Much experimentation has shown me that the best combination is consistent heating and leaving the windows slightly ajar at night.

me and dh stayed in paris a few months ago and there was air con at the end of the bed. it was glorious to have it on. i totally want it if we ever buy a house.

our bedroom window stays open unless we are out. we have the heating on a timer (8-9am - 7:30-9pm). we never have it on over night.

we live in a city. we are surrounded by noisy fuckers students and if they are being exceptionally loud, we open the bedroom door, the bathroom window and spare room window.

we also have a summer quilt all year round and thats it. no blankets but do have hotwater bottle if feet (mine) get cold. he doesnt... he has me

i grew up in a freezing cold house with no heating, had my bed under the window, and since i was 11, i have had the window open.

Regarding carbon dioxide build up...the building regulations set out minimum air changes per hour for different room and building types....you have to demonstrate compliance during design and building. It's a really important criteria in schools. It has an impact on concentration, and will explain why some people wake up with headaches probably

VerySmallSqueak we are lucky to be in a 80s house so it is fairly well insulated. My guess is that our windows in the bedrooms aren't cold even without the heating. Downside is our house is tiny! We don't have a corridor or rooms downstairs for example. It's one room consisting of the living area, dining area, kitchen after you enter via the porch. (Porch is so tiny it is the width of a door and length of about 2). There is actually nowhere to hang laundry inside. We were lucky the house came with the conservatory, tbh.

Another complaint about new houses is the low ceiling. We can't put any lights that's not flushed to the ceiling. Taller friends actually hit their heads on our old lights in the living area. It was just about 40cm lower than the ceiling!