In winter, keeping the air pure and dry in your house or apartment becomes a real question of comfort: maintaining regular heat, avoiding cold corners, circulating air in the rooms, limiting fogging on windows and walls, and stopping condensation. But this habit common to most homes generates humidity without us realizing it…
Every winter, it’s the same story. The cold sets in, the windows remain closed, and our interior becomes this warm and protective cocoon where we like to find ourselves. But be careful: without effective management of ventilation or climate control, a simple gesture can turn the situation upside down. Less visible than a water leak or condensation on windows, this phenomenon acts silently, but its effects are quickly felt.
It all starts with slight signs: heavy air when you wake up, a few drops on the windows, a musty smell in the sheets. Then mold appears on the window seals, the paint warps, the furniture becomes damaged. Humidity sets in and, with it, its host of allergens as well as minor respiratory problems. We look for the cause: too much heating, insufficient ventilation, faulty insulation? Not necessarily. The reality is simpler, more surprising too.
We repeat this guilty gesture almost without thinking about it. It nestles in our winter routines, those that punctuate the end of the day or the quiet weekend at home. It comes from a harmless reflex, which thousands of households reproduce every day to save money, save space, or simply out of habit.
It simply involves drying the laundry indoors without airing it out afterwards. Laundry releases several liters of water into the air with each wash, pushing humidity levels well beyond the comfort threshold preset by most home climate control systems. And when windows remain closed to preserve heat, this water vapor accumulates, saturates the walls, and ultimately deteriorates indoor air.
However, the solution is not complicated: choose drying outside when possible, use a dehumidifier, or simply open the window ten minutes after hanging out the laundry. This little reflex, repeated all winter, is part of good practices to preserve air quality and avoid many inconveniences.
