For over the past 20 years I have been visiting my great aunt in her little retirement home.
She lives in a cute little building with all of her old friends, where she engages in all sorts of fun activities to keep herself happy and socially engaged.
I think it’s a great situation for her. I like her tiny little space well enough, and it is comfortable to stay with her for short periods of time. Actually, the guest room that I usually sleep in isn’t all that comfortable. The space seems to have high quality indoor air handling equipment, but this tiny back bedroom feels much warmer and stuffier than the rest. I’ve mostly gotten used to trying to sleep in warm and stagnant indoor air. I mean, I accepted a long time ago that her house had one horrible bedroom, and that was my warm and humid option. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I found out there was an easy solution to my terrible, hot nights. My great aunt had been talking about her indoor air quality, so I called out to the nearest local heating and cooling specialist to take a look at her central HVAC plan. The ventilation specialists asked to inspect the air ducts to make sure there weren’t any blockages contributing to her poor air quality and circulation. I watched as they started carefully inspecting every air vent around the house. When they got to the little spare room in the back, they actually shouted out loud. The air duct was completely clogged with a mound of fur and debris that looked like a living creature. My great aunt never had a pet.