The cold winter months are all about staying warm and cozy inside by turning the heat up and keeping all the cold air out. But, that should not be the case this year – or any winter, to be frank. Health care professionals highly recommend we start opening our windows in the winter to ventilate our homes, ultimately reducing the risk of getting the Coronavirus. However, there are still a ton of other health benefits to opening your windows in the colder months, Coronavirus or not, which means you’ll have to make sure your screens are in tip-top shape!

Keep reading to discover the many benefits of opening your windows in the winter and how Doctor Screen can help you repair your screens for these frigid months!

Decreases the Risk of You Getting Sick

Opening your window for only a few minutes a day can drastically reduce your risk of becoming ill. We all know the winter season is a time when most people get sick, and it could be due to recycled, stale air and lack of fresh, clean air circulating within the home. Especially with Coronavirus around, you want to do everything in your favour to avoid getting sick this year. It’s time to open your windows and experience a cozy yet fresh feel this winter!

Keeping your windows closed can cause condensation issues and build up in your home due to lack of fresh air (i.e. weeping windows), allowing mould and other toxins to grow inside your home. Other toxins can include dust, smoke, viruses, and bacteria. Any of these compounds can make you extremely sick. Breathing in any of these for a long period can be detrimental to your health, causing drowsiness, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and infections in your eyes, throat, and nose. Worse of all, it can lead to more serious illnesses like BRIs (Building-Related Illnesses), causing symptoms like fever, cough, tightness in your chest, and muscle aches. But, this can all be avoided by simply opening your windows for at least 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day!

Keeps You Safe from COVID

With the Coronavirus keeping us all inside this year and our safety being the number one priority, The Department of Health is encouraging everyone to open their windows to decrease the risk of catching the virus. Particles from this virus can linger in enclosed spaces, increasing one’s chance of contracting it. Letting fresh air into your home through the window can reduce your risk of infection by more than 70% — now that’s a huge difference and shows just how incredibly important it is to complete this small task this year. Opening your windows regularly throughout the day will keep you safer and healthier.

Improves Air Quality

As we all are spending a lot of time indoors at home this winter, it’s essential to have high-quality air running through your home. Most people don’t realize that pollutants from everyday household items are getting trapped and lowering the air quality inside their homes. Items like candles, cleaners, perfumes, and our own CO2 is accumulating pollutants inside your home without you even realizing it. You don’t believe these toxins are that harmful? Indoor air pollution has been ranked as one of the top five environmental risks to public health by Environment Canada. Just keeping your window open for a short amount of time each day can significantly reduce indoor pollution and bring fresh air inside to dilute any toxins. In winter, especially, air can become old and stale quickly, so you’ll want to keep things fresh and clean.

Some people may also think their furnace is bringing in the fresh air, so that’s why they don’t need to open the window, but this is not always the case. Furnaces have two vents — one for exhausting old air and one for air intake. You would think the new air coming in would be fresh air from outside, but older furnaces from 12 to 15 years ago don’t collect air from outside. They take the air from within the home, recycling your used air. People may even think ceiling fans are doing the trick as well, but that, too, is only circulating recycled air within your home. Fans don’t allow toxins to exit the household.

Has Many Incredible Health Benefits

As we have mentioned, you don’t need to keep your windows open for hours; 15 to 20 minutes is enough to make a difference. Yes, you will lose a bit of energy, but the health benefits you get from bringing fresh air inside can offset the money and energy you lose — your health takes priority! Not only will you feel more alert, you’ll save your lungs and get the clean oxygen you need to lead a healthy lifestyle. Although open windows help drastically, make sure you change your furnace filter at least once every three months and once a month during the winter season. If you or your family are experiencing symptoms related to poor indoor air quality, such as BRI, we recommend getting a home inspection that includes indoor air sampling. It’s smart to get these done regularly before anyone gets really sick. When it comes to your health and the quality of the air you breathe, you can’t afford to take any chances.

Since your windows will stay open this winter, you’ll need to keep your screens on and intact, so snow and debris stay out of your home. Make sure your screens are free from rips, tears, or any damages, and get them repaired before the winter month. If you haven’t gotten them fixed or installed yet, it’s never too late! Call Doctor Screen today!

Contact Doctor Screen

If you need your screens repaired for the winter, contact the experts at Doctor Screen today for efficient, quality installation services!

Doctor Screen will come to your home or business to provide you with mobile screen installation and repair through our customized screening trailers. With our mobile service, we can customize hard to fit screens on-site. All of your screens are guaranteed to be secured nicely!