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How often do you air out your house?
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happymom123




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:41 pm
Every day. We keep the windows open as much as we can. When we leave the house we leave them open wide and we get home and close them, takes a few minutes to warm up after. We live in a Brooklyn apartment if that matters.
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vintagebknyc




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:42 pm
sequoia wrote:
That is so insane for me. If you told me you had three green hearts I’d be less surprised.


Find me the science that says you need to do this!
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watergirl




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:46 pm
sequoia wrote:
No damp in NJ, a coastal area?

You are mistaken.

There’s no damp in Arizona.

Coastal areas are damp climates.

It’s not just that, though — it’s that fresh air is necessary.

This is really enlightening. One time it was like minus 20 in Chicago and my mom’s landlord was calling every tenant, asking if they’re okay. When he called us, he said, “You’re Ukrainian, so you probably have the windows open.” We were like... yeah... so?

This thread made me realize Americans actually don’t open windows in their home.

Oh, I open my windows all the time. Davka once a day, all at the same time though? To “air out the house”? No. When I want a window open? Of course. During spring and fall? Yes I am more likely to have lots of windows open just to bring that nice air in. But specifically to “air out the house” once every day? I’ve never heard of this.
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sequoia




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 4:47 pm
vintagebknyc wrote:
Find me the science that says you need to do this!


It’s mostly cultural, I think.

I was genuinely surprised.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:14 pm
vintagebknyc wrote:
My mother never opens windows, ever. She has central heating and central air. She also never opens her blinds. She’s nearly 90, lives ten miles from industrial areas, and perfectly healthy.

While I always have windows open (the why should be obvious) I don’t believe there is any rule or law or specific health benefit to airing out your house.


No, but...ODORS. I can always tell when I visit someone who never opens windows. Odors have nowhere to go and eventually the house has a dreadful, unpleasant odor that is a combo of all the odors combined. The residents don't smell it, but everyone else does.

There is a health benefit, btw. By opening windows you dilute the indoor air pollution. CO from a stove that doesn't burn cleanly, volatile household chemicals, bodily emissions, mold and mildew...all build up and cause problems if you don't bring in clean outdoor air.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:21 pm
Most houses are leaky like a sieve. Fresh air gets in through cracks, loose windows and doors , doors opening and closing. That's why you don't eventually suffocate even if your windows are closed and you never go out. However, if your house is very new and "tight", every crack sealed, can't get a sheet of paper around the doors and windows, you are ripe for tight building syndrome, a poorly-understood malaise believed to be caused by a buildup of a variety of pollutants ranging from formaldehyde offgassing from your carpeting and engineered-wood furniture to carbon monoxide leaking from your furnace to gas from your stove to smoke from the burgers you burned last week.

The cure for tight-building syndrome is easier than identifying the compounds to blame. Open the windows, Mac, and let some fresh air in.
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harriet




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 5:25 pm
I’m confused. Wouldn’t it be incredibly energy inefficient to have my heat (or ac) running while my windows are wide open?

My house is huge, people come in and out (thereby opening the door to the outside air) all the time, why would I have a problem with air circulation?
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 6:15 pm
It's a balance between energy-efficiency and good indoor air. Tight Building Syndrome was born in the 1970s when the energy crisis inspired tight building design that relied on filtering and recirculating building air to save on heating and cooling costs. Building owners could choose to bring in as little as 10-15% fresh outside air and filter the rest. Filters remove particulates of a certain size but not gases and very small particles. The result was a buildup of stale air and indoor pollutants that created a sense of stuffiness and from time to time made people physically ill. People would typically say they felt fine when they went outside and got sick when they returned to the building.

In your own home you have to find the balance, too, between saving on heating costs and breathing clean air.
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mybusyima




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 6:26 pm
In Israel, there's mild weather for a large percentage of the year. In new York, I could probably count the mild days on two hands. It's usually either too hot and humid or too cold to open windows.
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sequoia




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 6:28 pm
harriet wrote:
I’m confused. Wouldn’t it be incredibly energy inefficient to have my heat (or ac) running while my windows are wide open?

My house is huge, people come in and out (thereby opening the door to the outside air) all the time, why would I have a problem with air circulation?


Well no you wouldn't open windows with AC running. Its an electrical appliance. Its not on all the time.

Heat is always on, its steam... Do you mean you have never opened a window in winter?
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watergirl




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 02 2022, 6:33 pm
sequoia wrote:
Well no you wouldn't open windows with AC running. Its an electrical appliance. Its not on all the time.

Heat is always on, its steam... Do you mean you have never opened a window in winter?

Ok I think you are applying what YOU are used to seeing to everyone. Some apartment renters can not control their ac or heat. I can control both in my home, and no my hear is not always on. I can turn it off whenever I want. Today, it’s not cold where I live, so the heater is off.
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