How do i keep my bed room warm and fresh at the same time?

December 21, 2006 11:11 AM

How do i keep my bed room warm and fresh at the same time?

In the summer i keep my window open for hours at a time but im looking for a solution for the winter that wont sacrifice warmth. Im aware of freshening sprays or whatever theyre called but the ones ive tried just didnt do it for me. It seems theyre all suited for large living rooms etc so id like an alternative.

posted by freddymetz to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

FeBreeze-Allergan reducer removes odors and makes fabrics seem fresh without leaving a lingering scent itself.
posted by stormygrey at 11:14 AM on December 21, 2006

Can you crack the window open a teeny bit either at night (when you're under the covers) or during the day when you're out of the house?

I can't stand closed-up rooms, either. I don't think there's much alternative to fresh air -- most everything else is just putting chemicals in the air.

Oh! Except for an air purifier, I would guess. From what I've seen, those certainly help.
posted by occhiblu at 11:18 AM on December 21, 2006

After I wash our sheets, or whenever I want a dash of freshness in the bedroom, I put a few drops of essential oils on our pillows (not the pillowcases, it might stain). If that is too potent to sleep on, you can drop it down by your feet, or get a diffuser. I have been using these two scents most recently. But there are quite a few to choose from.
I don't necessarily buy into the 'aromatherapy' talk, but I know that I love these pure, fresh scents better than any bottled spray you can buy off a shelf.
posted by iurodivii at 11:31 AM on December 21, 2006

Clean and dust like a madman. Vacuum and rotate the mattress. Wash your sheets often, and in a nice smelling detergent. Pull your duvet down during the day to let your sheets air out a bit. Pull the drapes or shades so if there is any sunlight, it can shine in. Put a houseplant in the room, they clean the air.
posted by LoriFLA at 11:37 AM on December 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

Keep three or four sets of sheets on hand, so you can change them often, and fabric-softener the hell out of them. I feel horrible without a fresh air source, and I can usually get away with cracking the window in the winter, but in the summer the sheet-changing is the best option.

You might also consider keeping a bowl of citrus fruit in the bedroom. There's clementines in all the stores around here right now, and flavorless lemons that still smell pretty good.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:46 AM on December 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

HEPA Air Purifiers. Some units also ionize the air they suck in which eliminates a lot of odours.
posted by porpoise at 11:52 AM on December 21, 2006

I use a small vorando fan in my room, even in the winter, which circulates the air and helps prevent the room from getting stuffy. It doesn't do much to cool the room without a window being open (in fact, I have mine near the heater and it dissipates the warmed air) but helps the room feel more "fresh" because the air isn't stagnant. As a bonus, the white noise it makes helps me sleep.
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:56 AM on December 21, 2006

Best answer: Dry air takes less energy to warm than humid air, so will heat quicker. Bedroom air is humid, because you've been breathing in there for either hours. If you can open up all the windows to swap out the air on a frosty morning, the air outside is very dry, so while your bedroom will turn very chilly while you change the air, it won't take much to warm it up again, and the air is fresh. Humid air also feels warmer, but it's a bedroom - the air won't stay dry for long.
posted by -harlequin- at 12:06 PM on December 21, 2006

Like harlequin says, every morning as I make the bed I fling open the windows. By the time I'm done the room is freshened and warms back up quite quickly.

I agree with you: every US commercial air freshener I've ever tried sucks, but I've heard nothing but good -- even ecstatic -- things about Alora. It's expensive as hell, though, which is why I haven't tried it myself. (If Santa's nice this year, that will change.)

I also agree with LoriFLA: keep your bedding well laundered and vacuum frequently. Get fresh flowers as often as you can. In bang for the buck terms, I find Chinese lilies have a wonderful scent and last quite a while; if you don't want to grow your own, you can easily pick up a cheap bouquet; if your grocery carries flowers, chances are they'll have them.
posted by melissa may at 12:20 PM on December 21, 2006

meh, sorry for the semicolon abuse.
posted by melissa may at 12:38 PM on December 21, 2006

The Swiss love fresh air. Even in the winter it is common on a cold morning to see bedding hanging out of windows to air. When I was a student there, it was common to have classroom windows open in the cold of winter, toilet windows as well.
posted by retiree at 1:16 PM on December 21, 2006

I run a fan in my bedroom year round. That works for me.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:33 PM on December 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

put your down duvet on the radiator for a spell. it will get all lofty and dry out the funk. if you have no radiator, lay it out in a sunny space for a few hours.
posted by DenOfSizer at 1:38 PM on December 21, 2006

Sachets of dried herbs. You can buy them in bulk at places where they do the aromatherapy thing. If a silk sachet isn't manly enough for you tie your herbs up in a new cotton sweatsock and leave it somewhere inconspicuous. Consider cedar or cedar shavings, pine cones, or pipe tobacco as well.
posted by SMELLSLIKEFUN at 1:45 PM on December 21, 2006

Two inexpensive things that I have found help dry out and freshen a room:

Damp-Rid.
Basically these little crystals soak up the moisture and turn to liquidy goo (which you can see at the bottom).

Zeolite
This stuff sounds totally whacky (volcanic rock!) but it totally got the bunny-poop-and-b.o. stench out of my old roommate's room and made it smell and feel normal again. You can buy it at BedBathandBeyond

A combination of the two should help keep the humidity down and freshness up.
posted by radioamy at 3:01 PM on December 22, 2006 [1 favorite]