“They (the little girls) were for the most part downstairs in the big playroom….One or two windows had been partially opened to air the room in their absence.” – from Mother

“the nurseries must be kept sweet and thoroughly aired…..The beds and bedclothes should be turned down to air for a couple of hours before they are made up.”
– Home Education Vol 1

The idea of airing out the house has come up again and again lately though I admit it was not my first exposure to the concept. I was an exchange student in high school and spent one summer living in the Netherlands where it was rather common to open the windows and ‘keep things sweet’. Later, as a newly married couple we lived in Germany, where there was also a wonderful absence of both insect screening and the need for same. One of our first purchases was a thick down comforter which we diligently aired from the second floor window just like our neighbors.

After returning to the United States where we had screened and insulated, super airtight homes we fell out of the habit. Reading vintage homemaking books has rekindled the fascination with a simple but effective means of freshening the home. My own dear Gram has a habit of sleeping with the window of her room cracked a smidge which is maddening to my relatives. I wonder now if this is less a sign of old age and muddled thinking as it has been attributed to and more a throwback to what was once a very common practice.

I am beginning to suspect that neglecting this simple practice may be contributing to the decline in our indoor air quality. This is a critical consideration for many of us. Growing up my mother was a chain smoker. She had a very meager income and the house was closed tight all winter with every hint of draft carefully plugged. This was the kiss of death for my airways and I came to equate winter with pink antibiotic syrup and Vicks.

Our own home houses 10 or 11 of us most of the time. When a virus hits, it tends to sweep through no matter how clean you keep things. I realize though we are only hitting the surface germs and anything airborne remains locked in the rooms with us. I have tried this spring to open the windows in each room for just a bit each day, in particular the rooms where someone had been convalescing. It is too soon to report back but I will say it helps to freshen things up considerably.

I have read that you only need a few minutes a day. If you heat your home with a wood stove you should wait til the stove is “out” that day before airing the room in which it sits. If you have a regular furnace, turn it off for those minutes. Obviously the same applies in summer when the a/c is on.

Most of us are grateful for our insect screening yet it does inhibit airing of bed linens. It will take more forethought to be sure they get some time to sun periodically. While sheets often hang outdoors in summer, don’t forget the bedspreads and comforters which may be in greater need since they are laundered less frequently. If you have allergies be encouraged that exposure both to sunlight and temperatures below freezing both kill dust mites. It is worth the effort!