Smarter: Should You Open Windows During Winter?

By Pang-Chieh Ho
Senior Home & Appliances Writer

February 23, 2023

Do you open your windows during winter? In our Instagram poll, 60 percent of those who responded said they don’t, while 40 percent said they do.

This week, I’m weighing in on whether opening windows during the winter helps improve air quality. Also in this issue: Does the “natural” label on eggs mean the same thing as “organic,” and the best handheld vacuums from our tests.

THE BIG STORY
‘To Air Is Human’

Back in the day, I was a window-cracker.

That’s because back in the day, I lived in an apartment where the heat would be cranked up so high that I felt like I was traveling between winter and high summer when I went from outdoors to indoors. To balance that, I left my windows open every day.

Now I live in an apartment that tends to run on the cooler side, so most of the time in the winter I have my windows shut. I do, however, miss the bracing feeling of a winter breeze, and I also wonder whether it’s better for my health for me to open my windows and let in the fresh air.

So should you open windows during winter?
There are certainly benefits to having a window open. By opening one for as little as 5 minutes a day in winter, you can improve the air quality of your home by letting out stale air and decreasing the concentration of indoor air pollutants, says Heather Viola, DO, a primary care physician at Mount Sinai Doctors-Ansonia, a healthcare practice in New York City.

Cooler air also has a soothing effect on our nasal lining, which can make us think we can breathe better, even in cases when there’s not an actual improvement in air quality, says Neil Bhattacharyya, MD, an ear, nose, and throat doctor at Mass Eye and Ear at Mass General Brigham, a Boston-based hospital and physician network.

So yes, periodically airing out your home by opening some windows for a short time during winter can feel rejuvenating. But if you’ve already taken care to maintain good air quality in your home, you don’t have to do it, says Katherine Pruitt, the national senior director for policy at the American Lung Association.

Are there situations when you wouldn’t want to open your windows?
If the outdoor air quality is poor—say, there’s smoke pollution—it’s probably better to wait until conditions improve to air out your home. And if you live close to an industrial plant or in a city with air pollution problems, you might not want to open your windows.

What about heating costs?
It’s worth noting that opening a window will create an air leak in your home and cause your heating systems to work harder.

But will your heating bill be affected significantly by a window cracked open? We haven’t conducted tests on this, but here’s our experts’ personal take. If you do desire some fresh air, opening the windows for a few minutes a day likely won’t make a major change in your heating bill, assuming you’re just opening a window a few inches, says Chris Regan, an engineer who oversees the testing of air conditioning units at CR.

It’s probably best to not open a window that’s close to your thermostat, Chris says. A cold draft may fool your thermostat into thinking your home is much cooler than it actually is, making your heating system work harder and increasing your expense.

You might also want to consider the temperature outside before you open the windows. It’s likely to be okay to let some fresh air in on a day that tops out at 50 degrees than if it was 20 degrees, says John Galeotafiore, CR’s associate director of product testing. He has managed the testing of CR’s home environment products, including air conditioners, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, and air purifiers, for the past 14 years.

Are there other ways to improve air quality?
Yes. One of the most energy-efficient ways is through a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) that’s part of an HVAC system. HRVs use a minimal amount of electricity to bring in fresh air from the outside into a home.

Maintaining your HVAC system is also important. For example, make sure to check your furnace’s air filter once a month, especially during the heavy-use months of winter. At a minimum, clean or replace it every three months, says Leslie Jones, a media and public affairs specialist with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star.

Room air purifiers are helpful, too. They’re designed to filter the air in a single room or area, so you can focus on having it in your bedroom or living areas where you’re hanging out a lot, says Misha Kollontai, who oversees the testing of air purifiers at CR. You can check out the best air purifiers of 2023 here.

You can also use fans to move the air in your home. Floor fans, table fans, and ceiling fans all improve airflow and assist with the ventilation process, says Ingrid Berkley, a senior product marketing manager at the heating and ventilation company Lennox Industries.

And last but not least, mitigating indoor pollutants at the source is one of the most important approaches to improving air quality. Using a kitchen hood can help remove cooking aerosols and, to some extent, the nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide emitted by gas ranges, says Jim Nanni, CR’s associate director of appliance testing. An exhaust fan in the bathroom can remove excess heat and moisture that leads to mold growth.

Bonus link: 20 products that will help you improve your indoor air quality.

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QUIZ

Yes or no: The “natural” label on eggs is the same as “organic.”

(The answer is at the end of the newsletter.)

THE GOOD STUFF

These are the best handheld vacuums from our tests to help you tackle the small messes on your floor and elsewhere.

You can also check out the best vacuum deals available right now.

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

Photo illustration of a stack of different cell phones with a thumbs up and thumbs down.

One of the first things you might consider when buying a new phone is which brand to go with. But what are the most reliable phone brands (available to CR members)? Here’s our verdict, based on reliability and owner satisfaction data from CR’s annual smartphone surveys of our members.

Apple and Samsung both score high in predicted brand reliability in our smartphone ratings (available to CR members). The two brands also earn top marks in owner satisfaction ratings.

OnePlus also has a high reliability rating, though its owner satisfaction rating is only okay and not as high as it has been in previous years.

What about the least-reliable brands? Check out our findings (available to CR members).

QUIZ ANSWER

The answer is no, “natural” and “organic” labels on egg products don’t mean the same thing. Eggs are already a natural food product, so slapping “natural” on the packaging doesn’t mean anything, frankly.

But the “organic” seal means the eggs were laid by hens that were fed grains grown without synthetic pesticides or GMOs. It also means these birds can’t be raised in cages or given antibiotics.

What about other egg labels, such as “farm fresh,” “free range,” or “no hormones”? Which terms actually have real meaning and which are just marketing hype? Read more to understand the egg labels that actually matter.

"The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind."

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