Do you feel like your home smells musty or the air is a bit thick? It’s likely down to poor ventilation, which is a problem many homes face in this country. They’re built to retain heat and be insulative, but this means you trap a lot of stale air inside. Here are four clever ideas that will get rid of stale air and make your house far more breathable.
Choose the right windows
Some window styles are better for ventilation than others. When it comes to improving the airflow in your home, a casement window is the obvious choice. This design fits flush in your wall and gives you outward openings from either side or top. The result is a window that controls your air flow better because it can catch breezes and bring fresh air into your home.
Additionally, you gain the ability to adjust how much air enters your home by altering how far the window opens. It might not seem like your window choice makes a difference, but you will feel the ventilation improve if you swap your windows for casement ones.
Utilise trickle vents
Gain even more ventilation power from your windows with trickle vents. If you’re getting brand-new casement windows installed, then they often come with these as standard. Those of you who already have this window type can go to a hardware store and buy trickle vents to install on the windows.
Get a pro to do this if you’re too scared, but the idea of a trickle vent is simple. When your windows are closed, you have this small vent at the top that you can slide open. It allows extra air into your property without making it too cold. Ideal during the colder months, where ventilation is key to prevent condensation, yet you don’t want to freeze!
Get proper extractor fans (or clean yours)
All homes should be built with extractor fans in these key areas:
- The kitchen
- Every bathroom
- Anywhere else that generates steam or moisture (e.g. a laundry room)
For starters, if you don’t have an extractor fan in any of these areas, then be sure to install one right away. Most of you will have extractor fans, but they probably don’t work as well as they should. Give them a really deep clean to see if that makes a difference – if not, you may need to replace them with newer versions.
The purpose of these fans is obvious: they exist to extract moisture and smells from your home, improving the general ventilation. An absolute must in bathrooms to prevent condensation and mould.
Generate cross-ventilation
Here’s a quick little hack to end things on: open the windows on opposite sides of your house to create what’s known as cross-ventilation. You’re basically making a nice tunnel for the air to flow through. You will notice a difference in the air within a couple of minutes – it feels fresher, almost like you’re outside despite being inside.
When it comes to home improvement projects, enhancing the ventilation and airflow in your home is probably quite low on your list. Regardless, it’s an extremely beneficial thing to try as it can improve the air quality, make your home more livable and prevent costly problems like damp and mould.
Because we live in a world where money is needed to survive, Latte Lindsay runs a number of affiliate programmes and offers contributed or partnered content. If you choose to click the links and read the posts, the site may earn a commission or receive a payment. All of the opinions are my own. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any partner brands/company(s), beauty & lifestyle brands, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities unless specified.