germany

We may share some significant historical and cultural roots, but Americans and Europeans also have some distinct differences in the way they do things. There are the big things for us Americans like how we handle healthcare and young children doing active shooter drills at school, but there are also little things like how generous we are with ice and free soda refills.

And then there's something most of us probably don't think of as a difference, but apparently is: windows.

For the most part, in the U.S., windows are just…windows. You look out them. You clean them sometimes. When the weather is not too hot, not too cold, and not too windy or rainy, you open them for a while to get some fresh air.

Open Window Windows GIF by GarbageGiphy

In Germany and many other parts of Europe, window culture is an entire thing. First, windows have a tilt-open-from-the-top option that you rarely ever see in America. And second, Europeans use their windows actively, opening and closing them daily, all year round, regardless of the weather. And in Germany, it's not just daily, but multiple times a day.

Watch the creators at Radical Living humorously demonstrate this cultural difference by acting out someone learning about German windows from their first day in the country through 10 years of living there.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Stoßlüften literally means "shock ventilation" and refers to the German habit of replacing stale air with fresh air, which Germans do several times a day, every day. Yes, even in the dead of winter.

The discussion in the comments of the video is hilarious, as Europeans say they just thought this was normal and Americans (and apparently Australians?) are agog over the tiltable window design.

"I actually didn't knew that in other countries they had no tiltable windows. I just thought every country would have these."

"In Turkey, we call windows that open from the top 'vasistas.' The word comes from the German phrase 'was ist das,' which means 'what is this.' A bit silly, but really funny."

"I'm Australian. I had no idea windows that open on both axes existed. This is the first time I've ever seen this concept."

"My hotel in Italy had a tilting window like this, and until today I really thought that window was broken this whole time. Glad I didn’t complain to the front desk. That would have been embarrassing haha."

Snow Wind GIF by SnowmindsGiphy

"Used to live in Switzerland, and it is so true! You need to air out the kitchen and whole apartment during winter more often. The heater and closed room, mixed with our own body heat, gives off a very moist and warm feel in the room, which means more mold growing."

"I'm an American and do this during the winter too. My grandfather was German, maybe this is why I do it."

"I married a German woman. I LIVED THIS EXACT CHARACTER ARC."

If you're an American reading this, your first reaction to opening all the windows in winter is probably, "Doesn't that do a number on your heating bill?" Most of us get chastised just for leaving a door open longer than a few seconds in winter. According to some, it's not as much of an energy suck as you might think, since the change of air helps regulate humidity levels and it's only a short time that the windows are open.

As Carrie Bradon writes in House Digest, "While you may find that the air in your home feels a bit chillier following a Stoßlüften session, the limited amount of time that the indoors are exposed to outdoor temperatures is short enough to keep all of the walls, floors, and furnishings from getting frigid. This means that it will take limited energy and time to get your home back to your ideal indoor temp."

However, at least some of the American reactions to this idea and the European normalization of it has to do with the age of our homes. Europe has a lot of very old buildings that don't have the kind of ventilation systems newer buildings in America have. Air really does get stale there in ways that it rarely does in most U.S. homes.

Air Conditioning Summer GIF by Cartoon NetworkGiphy

Americans are also accustomed to right-down-to-the-Fahrenheit-degree climate control in our homes. Not everyone, of course, but many Americans have full HVAC systems with heating and air conditioning that blows through ducts with air filters and return vents and whole house fans, which not only circulate the air but keep it exactly the temperature we prefer. Whole house air conditioning is much less common in Europe, and heating in older buildings is often radiant heat, fueled by natural gas that heats water that gets pumped into radiators. So naturally, using windows for air purification and ventilation would be more necessary in Europe than in the U.S. and sensitivity to indoor temperature fluctuations may be less pronounced.

Still, getting fresh air into our homes on a more regular basis isn't a bad idea, and experts recommend opening windows at least once a day for 5 to 10 minutes—yes, even in winter. Looks like we should follow Germany's lead on this one, fellow Americans.