Air out a room - advice to young person on airing a room?

[bluecat1]

Living away from home for the first time. I want advice on airing out room. A bedroom - should I leave a window ajar at night, does it help to have a gel floor air freshener, how often should I air out a room and for how long. Please give me the full advice. Ditto for a sitting room.

I guess i don't want to waste heat - build up bills.

I can't talk for official advise, but to avoid wasting more heat than I need to I air out a room whenever I won't be using it for a few hours - so I leave the bedroom window open during the day, with the bedroom door closed, and the living room I air if I know I'll be in and out doing the washing/hoovering/etc.

I'd guess that the bedrooms get aired about 3 times a week, and the living room once.

Personally I wouldn't leave the windows open if I was out of the house, or once dusk hits as I don't want mosquitos or burglars.

I am not an expert but some suggestions:

• deodorise first - baking powder on the carpet then vacuuming it up will do (also works on upholstery but can be harder to vacuum up from any creases). Febreeze works well on upholstery.
• do all rooms at once, by opening up doors/windows across from each other. A short while (less than a n hour, far less if it is windy or there is a big temperature differential) will do

It depends where you're living, in most houses just the act of going in and out airs downstairs, but in a flat or rented room with more of an airlock system you might need to open windows more. Bedrooms and particulalry bathrooms will benefit from windows being open more, but you don't need to do it so that all the heat escapes.
Air fresheners don't air at all, they just give an overlay of false scent, so don't use these instead of airing. Choose a scented candle or an oil diffuser rather than a chemical freshener for a more pleasant feel.
Keeping the place clean will do more for the freshness of a place than anything.

Throw away the gel things. And the plug in things. They're all evil.

For a bedroom, keep the air flowing so don't pile things against outside walls, block under the bed etc. Make sure you air the bed before making it in the morning - nothing worse that tightly tucking in a fusty bed. I keep the duvets folded back and shaken for half the day.

In crap weather, and because I have woeful heating, I open the windows when cleaning/making beds and then have them mostly closed. But I have an open-plan-ish bungalow, in a bedsit or small flat you'd maybe need an open window.

Open the window for 5 mins while making the bed in the morning. I always open windows at some point during the day in every room regardless of the weather even if it is just for 2 mins.

When I get up in the morning I shake the duvet out and then fold it back, open the bedroom window and go for a shower. By the time I've showered/make up/dressed/dried hair the room's had a pretty good airing and so I shut the window and make the bed again just before I go out. If I remember I open the bedroom window for ten minutes before bed, but only if the electric blanket is on because otherwise it's too cold to sleep. Having the window open in the morning also stops me dragging my feet because it's too chilly to potter about in just a towel.

I am more obsessive about airing bathrooms than living rooms - I hate that build up of slightly damp air .

Agree with valium. Open a few windows first thing in the morning - job done!

I think any room needs an open window for just a few minutes, but I leave bedroom until dressed, bed open to air then turn off heating before opening window, same in bathroom.

I'd agree with turning back the bed and opening the window when you get up; leave it open until you are about to leave the house (i.e. all the time you are in the bathroom and having breakfast)

a bedroom accumulates a lot of moisture overnight.

dustmites like warm and humid, so turning the bed back will make it cold and dry it out, just what you want.

Unless it is very cold, leave the window open a bit during the night to reduce accumulation of moisture (seen as condensation on the window)

hoover at least weeky, and use a damp sponge to wipe away dust. Don't leave anything dirty in the bedroom. If you have nowhere else, get a linen basket which will allow airflow. Get a waste paper basket and empty it frequently. Don't leave dirty mugs or plates or chip-bags in there.

Just open the window for around half an hour in the morning when you get up. Job done.

Why would anyone bump this 2011 Zombie thread? How strange.
Were you the OP Angie?

@ EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard no I am not the OP ... i hit the smiley button in error ... I wasn't even reading the thread ... stranger things have happened :-)

Well, lets hope the room got a good old airing :-)

Love a zombie thread, love the charmingly old-fashioned title. Young person? Advice? On airing a room? Well I wouldn't have known it was 2011, sounds more like 1911...

i hit the smiley button in error ... I wasn't even reading the thread ... stranger things have happened :-)

Err OK, I only wondered if it was a namechange that's all, as you can't deny it's an odd thread to bump and only comment with a smiling face...but if you weren't even on the thread, it's a surprise for us all. A quaint one