When is it best to air your home?

Why should you air your home?

Do you know the exact meaning of the verb "to ventilate"? According to the Larousse dictionary, it is a verb that means "to renew the air in a closed space". Like other verbs, it is part of the daily actions that are essential to keep the air in your home healthy.

It's winter, it's 3 degrees outside the blowing wind is cold and it's raining. You feel so comfortable at home, locked behind closed double-glazed windows. However, the indoor air quality is deteriorating and regular ventilation is not an option. In winter as well as in summer, airing out your home allows you to combine thermal comfort and the purity of your indoor atmosphere.

Building materials, decorative elements, walls, cigarettes, carpets, candles, incense, household products, carpets, dust, pets, and clothing emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air in the home.

Indoor air is subject to many pollutants, particularly harmful to the health of vulnerable people (but not only). This is why indoor-air-quality is even more polluted than outdoor air, even though we often think that it is better to breathe the air inside our own homes! There are many causes, but also CO2, which is unfortunately very present in our homes. And for good reason: CO2 is a molecule produced and released by living beings during respiration. It is therefore important to air out the rooms in your homes as well to avoid high a concentration of CO2.

There is a myth about this that needs to be debunked: opening windows does not bring in pollution, except in exceptional cases and during rush hours. On the contrary, outside air ventilation refreshes your indoor air quality and sometimes stale air.
No room should be left confined for too long. Without sufficient ventilation at home, the words "breathe" and "replenish" no longer rhyme, as indoor-air pollution brings elements with a harmful effect into the body.

If you ventilate too little, the indicative humidity level also rises, making the atmosphere heavier and less comfortable.
So don't leave your window closed for too long and remember to ventilate as much as possible! It's a small thing to do, but it makes a big difference to the air quality of the interior of your home. Don't let your climate be imperfect.
Ventilate, air, sanitise, breathe… whatever your favourite words are, you need to renew your indoor air. The important thing is that the verb chosen means to let in some fresh air.

Airing your home is simple

L'Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie (Agency for the Environment and Energy Management) also recommends that care be taken to open several windows in the house several times a day. Ideally, heat radiators should be turned off during this time.

In addition to these basic recommendations, the Agency also recommends that the verb "to air" be used in conjunction with activities such as sport, cleaning, DIY, work, cooking, or showering. Indeed, all these activities emit pollutants that need to be aired in order for them to be effectively removed.

If you have had several people in your home for a long period, it is also advisable to air out the interior of the house.
Recap: remember to air your entire interior by opening the windows several times a day for a few minutes.

Ventilation is necessary but not enough

Regularly airing your home is good. But opening your windows for a few minutes every day is not enough to keep your air clean. So we must ventilate, but we also vacuum at least once a week. Sheets and pillowcases are changed (and washed) every month, children's stuffed animals are washed every few weeks, carpets are shaken out of the window every week. And let's not forget the sometimes neglected curtains!

All this is necessary to combine clean air and a clean home. Cleaning once a week should become an obligation, and if you're a neat freak, even better: your home will be cleaner!
Health, budget, comfort… there are many reasons to take care of the quality of your indoor air, especially by airing. Remember that 15 minutes of airing a day is enough!

Airing your home is therefore a daily obligation to maintain clean, healthy, and good quality air inside. Don't let pollution, humidity, and airborne pollutants poison your daily life. Take the lead and open your windows frequently to let in the fresh air and improve indoor air quality. So, let's take action and air out the interior of our homes!