Jump Start May: Home Week: Day 2

Hello again, and welcome to Day Two of Home Week for Jump Start May. It’s Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK so there’s nothing too strenuous to do for this activity, it can be started in a few moments and then you can get back to relaxing during your day off.

Today’s activity is to air out your home. This is completely free, and it’s much better than spraying a load of artificial air fresheners around.

All you have to do is get those windows open wide for at least an hour. You might also want to prop the back door open if that doesn’t pose a security issue. Don’t leave any valuables unattended, and if in doubt only open smaller windows.

The aim is to let lots of air start to circulate. You can also help things along by putting a fan on, as this helps to move the air around even more.

Push curtains back or raise blinds to make this process easier. If you’re feeling especially energetic you might also like to clean windows, wash curtains / voile panels / nets, or wipe the windowsills. You might also like to shake out some cushions outside or beat a rug to get the dust out. Don’t overdo it though.

If you get very bad hayfever and the pollen count for the day is high, feel free to skip this activity or to put it off for a day when the count is a lot lower.

What’s happening here

I’m doing a little bit of gardening first thing in the morning for about an hour, so I’ll open the upstairs windows wide along with the door to the garden and the kitchen windows. I’m not going to open the two tiny windows at the front of the house because I’ll be out the back and won’t be able to keep an eye on the street.

Also, I noticed yesterday that there was a tiny bit of mildew around the spot where our double glazing has failed in the bedroom window, so I’m going to treat that to get rid of it and leave the top pane of the window open to allow it to dry completely.

Then it will be the end of chore time, and play time begins.

The other thing I haven’t mentioned is that I’ve had that weird lingering bug that’s worse than a head cold but not as bad as flu, and can’t seem to shift it. I’ve decided to go on a little health kick for May as well as doing the Jump Start, so I’ll also be taking my vitamins, eating my fruit and veggies, getting a few early nights and not having alcohol in an attempt to finally kick it and banish those boring germs.

None of that should be too expensive, and hopefully I’ll be back to full capacity sooner rather than later. Today’s fresh air might help too.

Do you have any tips for airing your home? How far are you going to take it today?