Hachoo, Hachoo!! Whether you find yourself walking in the park, sitting on your deck or eating hot dogs at your neighbor’s last minute Sunday BBQ, it seems like everyone these days is puffy eyed, red nosed and sneezing. The tulips and cherry trees are nearing the end of their spring show and what the late blooming 100 ft. tall oak, maple and sycamore trees lack in color they surely make up for in the incredible amounts of bright green powdery pollen they dump over everything. How ironic that the nicest weather of the year to many of us, should come with a stark warning label that clearly states the following: Today’s beautiful 65 degree sunny day with a light easterly breeze and white fluffy clouds was manufactured in a facility that contains incredible amounts of pollen. If you are allergic to pollen, go back inside your home and wait for the humidity and mosquitoes to come out and only then will you once again enjoy being outdoors in the fresh air.
While all of these thoughts are bouncing around in my head, I overheard my customer comment to their spouse that, “it’s fine the windows were painted shut. You know I hate it when we open the windows anyway.” As incredulous a comment as that may seem to be, it is surely not the first time I have heard this sentiment. For one reason or another it appears that more and more people are opting to leave their windows closed 365 days a year. Historically, opening and closing windows/doors was a key form of temperature control in a home. When HVAC systems took off in the middle of the 20th century it became more and more common for individual home owners to opt out of outdoor temperature fluctuations by keeping the windows closed and setting the a/c to 72 degrees in the summer and the heat at 72 degrees in the winter.
On a walkthrough with a builder and my client, the idea of only installing screens on the sides and rear of the house was brought up. The builder explained that less and less of his clients building new homes were focused on airflow. “ Screens become an eye soar to those inside looking out and to those outside looking at your house!” Interesting, I thought. The builder suggested that opening windows on the two sides of the house would be sufficient. I have heard security companies echo a similar sentiment. An operable window merely offers those undesirables who wish to enter your home another point of entry.
While I can’t say my husband and I always agree on temperature control, we both get our best nights rest with the windows open and a fan over our bed for circulation. I recall in my earlier years that many more fans were being installed in bedrooms and family rooms to ensure fresh air circulation. I can’t say for sure, but my gut tells me this is happening far less frequently as more and more families opt to keep the windows closed! I wonder … would wearing a mask outside help with allergies?
Nechama Polak is the broker of record and owner of V and N Group LLC located at 1401 Palisade Ave in Teaneck. [email protected] 201 826 8809.
