For many, throwing open the bedroom window is part of the morning routine. But the fresh air not only helps against tiredness. Regular airing is also important for one reason in particular: to prevent mold growth.

This can be especially necessary in the bedroom. Because overnight, humans (as well as pets) release moisture into the environment by exhaling and sweating. This can increase the humidity in the room by around five to ten percent, depending on the size of the room and the number of people.

You should pay attention to this when ventilating

In order to reduce the humidity in the bedroom, you should ventilate regularly and crossways in the morning. The duration depends on the respective season. According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the consumer advice center, the following guideline values ​​can be used as a guide:

• Spring: 10 to 20 minutes per airing process
• Summer: 20 to 30 minutes per airing process
• Autumn: 10 to 20 minutes per airing process
• Winter: 3 to 10 minutes per airing process

You should air the room at least in the morning and evening, but ideally three to four times a day. It can also help, especially in the bedroom, to air the room twice in a row in the morning. After all, moisture is often not only absorbed by the ambient air, but also by textiles, such as bed linen.

Double airing important in winter

Experts therefore recommend “double airing” in the morning, especially in winter. In this case, the air is first ventilated as usual with the heating turned off and the humid room air is replaced by drier outside air.

Then you should close the windows for 20 minutes and turn the heating up again. The moisture from the bed linen can now be absorbed by the dry, warm air. Then air out a second time with the heating off to dissipate any moisture that has just escaped from the bed.

This post also appeared at CHIP.de.