Whether it’s a frosty December morning or a breezy summer day, Germans will embrace the ancient art of lüften, part health practice, part cultural quirk – and many experts would recommend you give it a try yourself.
Lüften, meaning “to air” in German, simply involves opening windows and doors to replace stuffy, stale air with fresh air. Out with the old, in with the new.
What Is Lüften?
Many people in Germany will habitually carry out this mini-ritual in the mornings to “air out” their rooms, even in the dead of winter, while others will swear by opening windows for a bout of fresh out at least twice a day. In fact, a regular dose of lüften is sometimes a required clause in German tenancy agreements.
Keeping with the German tradition of compound words, there are a few different ways to lüften-up your house.
There is stoßlüften (shock-ventilation), a technique where all windows are suddenly opened simultaneously, kept open briefly, then promptly shut after 10 minutes or so, to minimize energy wastage. Uber efficient. And don’t forget querlüften (across-ventilation), in which windows at opposite sides of a room are opened, allowing a breezy cross-flow of air to ventilate the space.
What’s The Science Behind Lüften?
The logic behind lüften is straightforward: fresh air is good for you and good for buildings.
There’s a centuries-old belief in German culture that fresh air is imperative for physical health and a fully functioning respiratory system. This isn’t some ill-founded superstition touted by someone’s grandparent; it’s an idea that has since been loosely backed up by a wealth of scientific studies.
A 2022 Danish study found that sleeping with the window open improved people’s sleep quality and improved their next-day work performance. Another study found that more frequent window ventilation was associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms in older people.
A large body of evidence shows that good ventilation – even just occasionally opening windows – also helps to slow the spread of infectious illnesses.
The issue of ventilation was a hot topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in September 2020, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that opening windows “may be one of the cheapest and most effective ways” of containing the spread of the airborne coronavirus.
Along with helping human lungs, opening windows can benefit your home. Mold and other fungi thrive in warm, humid environments where the air is still and stagnant. While there’s less robust evidence on this side of the story, it is evident that ventilation is key to preventing moldy corners and cervices in houses because it helps remove moisture.
The Downside Of Lüften
For editorial balance, we must point out the downside of lüften. One of the most persistent stereotypes about German people is that they’re incredibly efficient. Regularly opening windows, however, is not the most energy-efficient practice in the world.
A 2021 paper argued that the costly energy-efficiency features of Munich’s highly insulated buildings have been undermined by residents’ regular lüften practices.
Amelie Bauer, a researcher at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University and one of the study’s authors, told Politico: “The buildings we looked at were well insulated, but residents didn’t fully understand the heating features, or the air recovery systems incorporated into the home. They stuck to their habits and kept opening windows to ventilate in accordance with their preferences.”
This is precisely why many German authorities and ventilation experts will favor the stoßlüften shock ventilation method; always remember to lüften with care.
Source Link: What Is Lüften? The Age-Old German Tradition That's Backed By Science
