Do you 'air' your house every morning?

[Angryosaurus]

Please help settle an ongoing dispute between me and DH! I admit I'm a bit obsessive about it but I really like to open the windows in the morning before work! Especially bathrooms after showers, bedrooms and the kitchen. My husband thinks I'm insane. He says he doesn't have time to open and close a window. Every winter we have the same disagreement every single morning. I used to just do it myself, but with 2 young DC to get ready we need team work in the mornings! Should add we live in a radon area if that makes a difference...

Ooh yes I love a good airing. Can't wait to move to a place with a window in the bathroom though, nothing worse than not being able to air out the bathroom!

Never 🙈🙈

I like to get the windows open for a bit at the weekend, but opening and closing windows before work is just one thing too much to faff about with in the morning. All our windows have open vents. We don't have windows in the bathrooms, but when I did I would normally open them for a bit whilst in their in the morning.

Oh, yes.

I live it when the weather is warm enough to leave the windows open all day.

It would be grim never to air the house.

I have my windows open all day every day until it starts to get dark. Unless it’s really cold.

I don’t understand how anyone doesn’t air their house daily. The thought of it gives me the heebie jeebies.

Yes! Bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen.

Never the front/living room because I forget to close those windows, which face the road.

Nope. In summer yes, not in winter. It wd be insane given the colossal cost of heating our house. No mould or condensation issues here - bathrooms and utility are fan ventilated, and we don't dry stuff on radiators.

I love airing the house out - feels so crisp and extra clean on a sunny winters day, too!
DH can like it or lump it but as he is at work and I’m not asking him to do it I don’t feel like he gets a vote.

I always have a window in the bedroom slightly open- even in cold weather. Fresh air makes such a difference. And regularly during the day I'll have a window open wider too to maximise it.

Popular thread! You can fit a fan in your loft to circulate the air if there's a problem.
We had a kitchen full of condensation and the front of the house is an A road so when we had the extension I fitted a ventilation system which takes fresh air from out the back and blows it in at the front, and vice versa. It also takes the heat from the outgoing air into the incoming.
Since then everything is fresh and no cold draughts. We also did a lot of draught proofing.
It's not exactly a super home but no more condensation and mould.

I don't understand what kind of windows people must have to find it a faff?

I get up, open the bed fully, open the windows, jump in shower, usually with the window open, I use really hot water anyway, leave window open in bathroom, make bed drag duvet across the bed and plump 2 pillows, 10 seconds , close window if it's pouring with rain or leave them open until I leave the house.

I open the windows downstairs for a few minutes while I drink my coffee. The heating is on 24h a day, opening the windows for a couple of minutes doesn't cool the house down.

I don't understand this need to air. What happens to the house if you don't air it? I can't say I've ever been in someone's house and thought 'this needs airing'.
In summer, yes I have the doors and windows open but that's to promote a draught and keep the house cool. In winter it's all about keeping the warmth in.

Yes, the things I've read in Germany say all windows open wide twice a day. Most modern windows (not ours, we have period ones) have a function where you can leave them 'tipped' - so they're open a few cm at an angle - and a lot of people leave theirs like this all the time, but this is Thoroughly Disapproved Of by whoever sets these guidelines (I'm rather surprised there isn't a formal Airing Authority, tbh).

I think a lot of the airing obsession comes from when most people lived in very solid tenements with thick walls that heated and cooled slowly. It's probably less necessary with more modern buildings or stand-alone houses. But Germans love a good dose of fresh air (and yes, 'the draught' is widely considered responsible for all sorts of ailments from kidney infections to Brexit).

If i opened all my wimdows gor half an hour (4 people x the 8 hors sleeping). All the heat would go from the house wouldnt it?making it rather expensive in winter.

But Germans love a good dose of fresh air (and yes, 'the draught' is widely considered responsible for all sorts of ailments from kidney infections to Brexit).

Love the idea of an Airing Table / Schedule.

Not as much as i'd like as i've got a young baby and a dog who get's spooked by windy noises and flapping curtains. I always have the kitchen window or door open when i'm cooking dinner. Bedroom and bathroom windows ideally would be open all the time unless very cold.

Occasionally.
At certain times of the year, at least every few days.

I noticed that Angryosaurus mentioned Radon but nobody seems to have picked up on that. Radon is dangerous and you need to open doors to get rid of it as it’s heavier than air!

That's interesting @glastogranny didn't know about opening doors too. We've always lived in high radon areas so possibly don't give it enough thought

Nope. In summer yes, not in winter. It wd be insane given the colossal cost of heating our house. No mould or condensation issues here - bathrooms and utility are fan ventilated, and we don't dry stuff on radiators.

Exactly this applies to us too.

Yes, every morning. Even though the window have vents, there is still condensation on the windows, plus I do hate stuffy rooms.

All of our little top windows are locked open a crack all year round, otherwise we get mouldy damp patches, particularly in the bedrooms where the ceilings slope under the eaves. I hate stuffy houses too.

Yes I open all the windows and they stay open until we get in again. Not open far enough to be a security issue obvs.

I live somewhere where the older people tend to hang their duvets out of the windows for an hour in the morning. That's a step too far for me.

No, I don't but then our house is very old and very large. We get enough ventilation from the draughty old single glazed windows and several chimneys. I can imagine it'd be much more of an issue with modern house and double glazed, sealed windows. Don't you all have trickle vents though? I thought they were standard in windows now.

I never open my windows. All my windows have vents which I assume are for air flow though the house. The vents are open all the time apart from when there is a really dtrong winde, in which case the vents on that side of the house are closed down to stop the huge drafts caused.

No issues with mould or smells either as a result.