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.

The only time we had a problem with mould it was due to inherent problems with the building and no amount of leaving windows open made any difference at all. Once the damp problems were sorted out the problem was solved.

In that case the mould was due to damp rather than condensation.

But my point is that I have never had a problem with mould otherwise, despite the fact that I have never made a practice of opening all the windows for two hours a day.

@MoonJelly

But my point is that I have never had a problem with mould otherwise, despite the fact that I have never made a practice of opening all the windows for two hours a day.

Yes same, I open my windows for max half an hour a day in the winter (and not all of them, just upstairs in the morning and the kitchen after cooking), and I’ve never had a problem with mould.

I do it because I believe it to be healthy to change the air in the house.

I do it first thing in the morning during winter for 30 minutes.

Yes the house is cold afterwards, but it also smells fresh.

I wouldn't do it a 6pm in the evening with fires and heating blasting!

Upstairs everything is still open - I will close it when I next go there. And then by the time I go upstairs tonight it will be fine because the heating will have come on.

No one has said it's necessary to open windows for 2 hours a day to avoid damp and mould, just that good ventilation is necessary for some of the time. The op wants 2 hours, her house, her choice.

I think that’s fine! It’s a good habit to have especially with dogs! I don’t do it for that long but about 20min (Would do for longer but I feel the cold ) in the AM and in the PM after dinner had been cooked and I’m cleaning up so by the time I’ve cleaned the house is fresh and I can put the heating on and burn a nice candle. I also put my duvet out the window in the morning much to peoples confusion walking past 😂 it’s what my mum always did in the mornings and we allways had fresh smelling duvets and bedrooms.