Opening a window isn’t just for nice days. There are many good reasons to leave your windows open all year long. Even if you only open a window for a short time on a cold day, there are still benefits to doing so.
The tight seals on modern homes keep us warm, but the air inside gets stale. Even though HVAC systems move and filter the air, they don’t bring in fresh air on their own. So, even if you have air conditioning, the air inside is not nearly as clean as the air outside.
If you open a window for as little as five minutes a day, you can get some of these benefits.
Feel the breeze
When it’s warm outside but not hot enough to turn on the air conditioner, open the windows to control the temperature in your home. When you open windows on opposite sides of a room, you get a nice cross breeze that can help you stay cool without having to run the AC.
Reduce moisture and mold
Does your house have windows that leak? When windows are shut and there isn’t enough air flow inside, condensation can form on the glass. If this moisture isn’t taken care of, it can cause big problems.
Mold, bacteria, and other toxins can start to grow, which could make the people who live there sick. If these toxins are in your home, you need to take steps to get rid of them. If you open a window every day for a few minutes, condensation won’t form in the first place.
Lower your chance of getting sick
Most of the time, there is more oxygen in outdoor air than indoor air. When you take in more oxygen, your body gets more of what it needs. Extra oxygen makes your lungs expand, which helps repair and clean your tissues. It also makes your heart relax, which could lower your heart rate and blood pressure. Oxygen also helps your body quickly replace damaged cells, which may even help you get better faster.
Getting fresh air is especially important in the winter, when viruses spread more easily in stale air that has been recycled.
Improve airflow when doing home projects
Whether you’re sanding, painting, or doing other repairs around the house, your work can add a lot of dust and other particles to the air inside. Personal protective equipment can keep particles from getting into your eyes, nose, and mouth, but better airflow inside can help push dust and fumes outside.
When you have to do things like deep clean your carpets, open windows can also help. Getting more air into a room can cut down on the time it takes to dry, so you can put your furniture back in place and use the room again sooner.
Lower the levels of radon
Radon gas can get into a home’s basement or crawl space through cracks or holes in the foundation. This naturally occurring radioactive gas doesn’t have a color or smell, so you might not know it’s in the air you breathe. Over time, breathing in radon can make you more likely to get some serious health problems.
Radon and other air pollutants can get out of a room by opening a window. For peace of mind, though, it’s a good idea to have your home tested for radon and to call in a professional to fix any problems if the radon levels are high.
Expel unpleasant odors
Some rooms can have smells or odors that don’t go away, like the smell of a diaper pail in a nursery. Instead of letting these smells stay in the air, open a window and let fresh air in to replace the smell.
Bad smells spread quickly through the house when there isn’t enough fresh air. Most of the time, this is a better way to get rid of smells than trying to cover them up with a room freshener.
Give pets easy access
During the day, an open window can be a great way for pets, especially cats, to get outside. Cats often scratch at the door or meow nonstop when they want to go outside. This can damage furniture and get a little annoying after a while. If you leave a window open for a few hours a day, your cat friends can come and go whenever they want. This saves you from having to open and close the door for them.
Avoid a smoky/ smelly kitchen
How often does a certain person’s cooking set off the smoke alarm? If your home cook is known for burning meats or overbaking cookies, crack a window in the kitchen before turning on the oven. If fish is on the menu, an open window will quickly get rid of any bad smells in the kitchen.
Some stovetop meals, like pasta, can make the air in the kitchen very humid, which can sometimes cause condensation on the windows. When you open a window, the steam will escape and the glass will stay dry.
