Opening the windows and 'airing out' the house is so pleasant. The cool breeze is refreshing and brings a nice, clean smell into the home. I was reading the other day about how our homes these days are so insulated and sealed up that it creates an unhealthy environment and actually can make us sick. The author of the article was talking about how she opens the windows each morning to allow fresh air to blow through her home and pulls back the comforter to freshen her sheets each day. Unfortunately, we don't live in an area where you can do this except on rare occasions - October is usually one of those months.
As I was reading that article, it prompted me to remember something that I hadn't thought about in years - an attic fan. My grandmother and grandfather (we called them Bumby and Poppy) had an attic fan in their house. I haven't seen those installed in any other home around here that has been built recently. I guess this was mainly a thing in older homes? I recall that thing being so effective in pulling a breeze through the house. Right inside their front entry-way, in the ceiling between the living area and the attic, was a louvered grate that looked somewhat similar to the photo below:
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During the day you keep the windows closed and at night the outside temperature and humidity drops, so you open the windows and turn the fan on. This forces air in the house up through the attic and out, drawing cool air from outside into the home. It is more economical to run this than an air conditioner and depending on the outside temperature, you'll want to have a quilt handy because it gets mighty chilly! While we don't have a fan like Bumby and Poppy did, opening the windows on opposite ends of the house is the next best thing and brings refreshing air circulation into a house that has been sealed up all throughout the preceding summer months.
Anyway, while we're talking about attic fans, or whole house fans, it reminded me of one quirky thing that I used to do without fail every single time I passed it. Do you remember the pull-down stairs that lots of people have in their homes to get into the attic? We don't have one because we have an entry door to our attic, but some people have the string that you pull down in the ceiling that reveals a fold-out ladder. The string has a little white, plastic end piece that looks kind of like the top to a bottle of Elmer's glue, like shown in the photo below:
Image Credit |
Image Credit |
I don't know why, but as a kid every time I passed by it, I would jump up and hit it with my hand. Like a moth drawn to a flame, I'd hit it every time. Is this just me or did anyone else do this? If I had a dollar for every time I did this, I would be able to retire tomorrow.
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