to want to open the back door and the windows for a couple of hours in the morning this time of year?

[SweetAlmondOil]

My OH (we don't live together) says I'm obsessed with fresh air and wishes I didn't open the back door and most of the windows every morning for a couple of hours when the weather is no longer mild as it is in the summer. He's quite happy to open a window for ten minutes and that's it. When I stay at his I wish he did get more fresh air in but it's his place and he can do as he pleases of course.

I like to get fresh air in the house in the morning, especially since I have three dogs (the place - I've often been told - does NOT smell of dogs. Possibly because there is no carpet in the house and the dogs are not allowed on the beds and because of the above window opening!) and believe it's important to get rid of the overnight, stale air and also try to discourage mould/condensation, bacteria, etc. linked to not opening windows for long enough, often enough.

The heating isn't on when the door and the windows are open but comes on afterwards. I do admit that in between me closing everything and the place getting warm it takes a little while because the fresh air is cooler than the air that was in the house. So I was wondering whether IABU.

15 minutes should be enough to get fresh air in. I wonder if you associate the feeling of cold with freshness?

But it's your house and you can so what you like.

I sleep with the bedroom window open a few nights a week, even in the depths of winter. I like feeling the fresh cold air on my face, and it's enough to keep our (not large) flat from getting that musty "shut in" smell.
I'll also have the kitchen window open for half an hour or so after cooking the evening meal. It just freshens the room up again.

It's your house, so your choice, but I do think it's quite inhospitable to knowingly let a guest freeze when you can afford to do otherwise.

We have windows open year-round but we also have a fire in the living room that gets lit too.

I’m with you op. It feels cleaner somehow.

Doors and windows open all year round here too. Fresh air is good for a house. If more people did it and adequately ventilated their homes they would have less problems with mould and condensation dampness

I think it's good to air rooms, even in colder weather, especially bathrooms. Stops the house getting musty. Even a few minutes helps. My husband disagrees with me, though, so I have to do it sneakily! YANBU at all, OP.

Do what you want in your house. I leave bedroom and bathroom windows open 365/24/7 and back door to garden often open all day too. Dogs go in and out. We're rural - not sure I'd do it if I were in a town due to smelly fumes and noise.

Nothing wrong with it. Especially at the moment with the virus going around. It's really important to ventilate spaces and as others have said, you won't have a problem with mould or condensation.

@CremeEggThief

Oh and I have no extractor fans either and as I live in social housing I'll only get them if the Housing Association install them, so I suppose that's another reason.

@CremeEggThief you can contact your HA and ask for a surveyor to come round and discuss condensation and adequate ventilation. There should be a fan in your bathroom and kitchen Altho this is usually installed under DH

It's good for the house but I'd think DH bad lost the plot if he opened the windows and doors in this whether! I'm bloody freezing as it is.

No. Often people who think they have a damp or mould problem just don't air rooms out properly. My dp is a builder and the amount of people who say they have a damp problem in the bathroom for instance, don't, they just never open the windows.

I air the house first thing in the morning when I'm dashing about and too busy to get cold. It's a small house with a decent boiler, so even though I feel the cold I can get the place warm again really quickly.

Just to be clear: my OH isn't freezing. He just doesn't get why you need to air a place for more than a few minutes when it's not mild outside. He also doesn't like wearing very warm clothes. He's happy with a shirt but then he's cold when he's here. I think that a cotton shirt this time of year is not enough as your only layer. Maybe I'm wrong.

Also, in bed he's always really hot because my place is warm once everything's shut and the heating is on.

I just feel it's important to give the house a good airing on a daily basis. If I have visitors of course I will either not air it for as long as usual or do it well before they are due so my home is warm and comfortable when they arrive.

You'd be blown off your feet where I am if you opened the door today

Your house, your call!

My windows are opened for a good hour every morning, and the small windows in bathroom and toilets cranked opened all day.

I don't switch off the heating when I opened the window!

I also keep the windows opened when hoovering for some reason.

So not only it's your house anyway, but I also agree with you.

Hi Op l agree with you opening your windows on a regular basis for all the reasons you mentioned,but only for a shorter while, only in winter time, I do think for 2 hours winter time doing this far too much tho,including opening back door, it is far too draughty overwhelming this time of year.

Your house, your rules.

My bedroom window is open at night until about 7am as I hate it when it's stuffy and hot flushes.......

My windows are always opened as soon as I get up even in winter. It clears any windows of condensation, good for damp and clears our the stale air in the house. I try and leave the upstairs windows open all day if I can. If I’m home the downstairs stay upon too. If the house gets really cold I shut them. By the way, I do feel the cold so it’s not because I’m always hot. I just put jumpers on.

I also sleep with windows open.

My Dad always opened every door and window in our home growing up, he needed to breath, his parents were the same. Both my parents were smokers so I think that’s one of the reasons I do it too as they smoked in the house.

I can’t stand walking in a house that never has windows open, it smells horrible, damp, stale I don’t want to be breathing other peoples stale air 😷

The good thing about having your own place is that you can do what you jolly well please without needing anyone else's approval so do whatever you want. Just pay no attention. Your house, your bills.

I open my windows a lot for fresh air too even during winter. I normally sleep with my bedroom window open unless it’s minus.

We do, it smells nicer after being aired for a while!

It's your house so it's up to you.

I like to get some fresh air through the house, at this time of year I have the windows open for anything between 30 mins and all morning, depending on the weather. On a day like to day (rain being driven on a howling gale) half an hour was plenty.

OP I always open my doors and windows, I'm extreme in that I have my back door open all night from 11pm to 5am. 3 XL dog breeds. DP shuts it at 5am when leaving for work and by the time heating has kicked in for when we wake at 7.30 it is nice and toasty. I also have my kitchen window open most of the day.

Down side is I find some other people's houses quite stuffy, it's what you're used to I think.

If you are prepared to pay the higher heating bills, your choice. I would not do more than ten minutes in winter.

@Devilesko I always leave my duvet thrown back for a while after I get up. There must be a lot of damp air gets trapped during the night.