How do you convince someone....

[meriad]

to open a bloody window and let fresh air into the house?

My neighbour Trish who looks after my cats - she's a lovely lady with a heart of gold, but for some reason she seems to have an aversion to fresh air in her house. She's always got the windows and doors firmly closed and the house stinks; it's actually really not very pleasant at all.

So now she's not feeling well - she's got that cold that's doing the rounds (well she's not done a lateral flow so it could be covid for all I know, but hey ho).... anyway she's been quite unwell with this cold, but it really can't be helping at all that she's just not getting any fresh air? Just how do you convince her open a window and get the stale air out and fresh air in.

[JanB]

Tell her it will blow the cold away

No idea, I've always got a door or window open at least for a few hours, even in this weather.

Very difficult to tell some-one they small, or their carpet smells.

[Workingman]

Since the day she moved in the woman downstairs has had the curtaians firmly drawn shut. They must be like blackout curtains because there in not a chink of light when it is dark, but lights are always on, day and night - I can see them through the door fanlight. She now has the heating on 24hrs because hte boiler fires up at all hours.

I sometimes get deliveries left for her when she is not in, whether I want them or not, and it is not a pleasant smell when she opens the door.

Ria, you have my sympathies.

[Ally]

I'd be Betty Blunt and just tell her.

As someone who has windows open virtually all year I'd really struggle with a stuffy house.

You have my sympathy.

[victor]

When I see that advert for Febreeze on tv I always shout --- try opening the bleeding window

[meriad]

At a minimum I've always got the two cat flaps propped open so there's always a bit of an airflow. But usually there's always a window or two (and depending on just how cold / windy / rainy the back sliding door ) open as well.

I'd be Betty Blunt and just tell her.

I've done that once before Ally - a few years back she came back from a week away and was really ill; so ill in fact that she called me to ask if I could help her with her animals. The house was in a dire state (and make no mistake; I'm not exactly the queen of clean) and at one point I really laid into her - because she just wasn't doing anything to help herself to get better - fresh air being one of the things. But nothing has ever changed.

It's quite sad really, her own family never visits her because of the state of her house and the way she lives and I don't think she ever has any visitors besides two friends But it's not that bad that any authority would get involved.

[Ally]

How sad Ria.

[cromwell]

It's pretty obvious she isn't going to change after all this time and the failure of previous attempts.
As Ally says it's sad, but these things happen.

[JanB]

She obviously has a problem Ria. She needs to see some-one about her phobia, or whatever it is.

I was talking to Grumpy earlier and we always had at least one child in our class who smelt, stank in some cases. He knew of a family who looked immaculate when they went out, but the smell of their bodies just was over whelming.

Sad for Trish, she needs help-

[Kaz]

I open the kitchen window and patio door downstairs every morning, summer and winter. Ditto our bedroom and bathroom. They don’t stay open long when it’s cold, but it’s enough to change the air. Having had two dogs, I am quite paranoid about the house smelling “doggy” but am assured by friends that it doesn’t.

You can’t change people Ria, unless they want to change - sad but true