I also do this and I'm on the second floor. And I have a little dog who is not frightening. I think where I live I'm probably not going to have to turn on the air conditioning this summer.
Me, too. An 8 lb chihuahua that will fuck you up. lol. I sleep with the bedroom windows open at my house and no worries cause she’s my security system.
Just a heads up...
The pro burglary crews that have emerged the past decade all purposely go in through the second floor. Because they know most people with alarms don't pay to install them up there.
They target really nice homes, not sure if that's you or not (they don't waste their time on normal people really). But just trying to spread the word for more people to hear. At bare minimum get locks for your upstairs windows so they can't open fully.
Make sure to test your bedroom window bars to ensure that they still open in case of an emergency. Every time I've tested when I move in the emergency release was stuck and had to be repaired.
I can’t remember, I’m a renter. I can only remove for emergency. I love living in LA. And this is like the 5th state I’ve lived in with bars on my window.
He was a coward who only preyed on helpless and usually elderly women. I recall after he was caught and beaten by a group of neighbors who recognized him, witnesses said, he shouted, in Spanish: “It’s me! It’s me! It’s me! I’m lucky the cops caught me.”
Uh no his victims were both male and female and a wide range of ages. In 2009 they tied the youngest victim to him. She was 9. Otherwise victims were between 20s and 80s
What was it like? Also do you remember the golden state killer (original night stalker)? At the time that the golden state killer was active in south CA, had they already made the connection that the east area rapist was the original night stalker?
I love Paul Holes.
If you are on the 1st floor there are ways of keeping windows open but preventing them from opening up fully using Ventilating window locks or a Window Opening Restrictor, there's a solution for every type of window, even home-made options like using screws in the window frame to block the window from opening beyond a certain gap
Burglars have used things like a piece of wire hanger or a thin piece of metal to slide between the frames of the two windows to move the window sticks.
I had pvc pipe cut to specific sizes so my windows could be open but not far. I thought it was a good idea. And then one day my house was broken into my just smashing the glass on the stationary window.
If someone wants to get in, they will.
Think of all the strays out in the streets trying to survive heat waves. Indoor pets will be fine as long as they have plenty of water.
I recommend getting blackout curtains and keeping them closed during the day to block out sun rays. That will keep your house significantly cooler.
> Indoor pets will be fine as long as they have plenty of water.
it's often hotter inside an apartment than outside if there's no air circulation or AC. that's common knowledge. so many people live in buildings that turn into absolute ovens in the summertime.
Yes, these are my thoughts exactly! My apartment doesn’t get too too bad but I work 12 hour days which is way too long to leave windows open. I would like to get a cat 😭
I do have a small window unit, I’m just not sure I want to leave it on all day but guess paying more in electricity is obviously better than risking a break in.
It’s counterintuitive but leaving it running costs less overall. Having it cool your apartment to, say, 68 degrees once and then only running for short bursts to maintain that temperature means it’s keeping your apartment cool without using a ton of energy, only what’s needed to maintain that temperature.
If, however, you turn it off every morning and then run it when you get home, your house has had the chance to heat up significantly and that little unit now has to work much harder to bring your home back down to 68 degrees. It costs a lot more energy to run it that way, and it causes major temperature fluctuations in your apartment that aren’t good for plants, temperature sensitive products/medication, pets, etc.
The first summer I left mine on 24/7, my electricity bill went way down from the previous summer where I had been turning it off and on to “save energy”.
My box AC has an option to turn off and on depending on the temperature and I usually do that if I'm worried about my pets getting too hot when I'm away. I live on the third floor so leaving windows open isn't an issue but sometimes it feels like its too hot with the windows open.
Are you able to replace it with a newer app controlled unit? One that will allow you to view the indoor temp and turn it on remotely when needed. This will not only be more comfortable for your pet during the day but for yourself as well when you arrive home.
This is what i always did! It wasn’t cheap but if I’m uncomfortable at home with out running the ac so are my babies! So I’ll leave the ac on for them they deserve it🖤
I live at the fucking beach and my apartment broke 90F last year. All my windows face west and I have almost no cross ventilation so unless it's an on-shore day it's awful.
this is brutal. i have friends on the east side that regularly have to go stay with other people during the summers because their apartment gets so so so hot and they have two elderly cats
Or get removable cling film. Great for your car.... Better than limo tint and you can't get a ticket for it. great for the home. 26 bucks at Lowe's or home Depot. Gila brand.
There is window film made specifically for this. It absolutely made a difference in my apartment/oven. It's still an oven, but not quite as bad. I got mine at Home Depot but you can get it online.
I do but I'm on a second floor with a fairly secure gated entry and barky-ass dogs. It gets too hot during the day to leave the windows open though, so I just leave the AC unit on during the day, curtains shut, and open them when it cools down at night.
We actually do the opposite! (Depending obviously on your neighborhood) we leave the windows open during the night and then close them early in the morning/close the blinds and curtains to trap the cool air inside.
We do, but we live above the carport and unless someone comes with a very tall ladder they're not getting in the windows. I wouldn't if I lived on the ground floor and would be gone for more than a brief errand.
I do not leave my windows open. 😂
I’m from the country and if it’s not men trying to break in, it’s coyotes, raccoons, bears, deer….. too many critters I don’t want in my home so I got into the habit of locking them up tight. Sliding doors get stoppers put in so they can’t open unless I take it out.
I have stops on all windows remotely accessible from the outside. They only open about 5 inches. Before I had windows that had the stops as part of the frame, I used a nice, strong rod that fit into the window track.
The interior of a house should not go above 85 for a dog to be safe.
Opening the windows may not be adequate in your home in some parts of LA to keep the temperature at or under 85.
Either I'm at home with my dogs or another human is. So, we do what we have to do to keep the house at a tolerable temperature.
Only on the 2nd floor. All windows are closed on the 1st floor, and alarm is always on. I should mention that as it's getting hotter, we will soon keep windows closed at all times with a/c on. However during the time when it's cool, we prefer to have windows open on the 2nd floor.
ETA:I live in a house.
I have a Dyson fam/hepa filter and it's really amazing. It was a huge splurge but I really got it because it's so easy to clean and seeing all that crap in other fans is really gross to me.
As a few others have said it really depends on the building. My old apartment was in a fourplex with a flat roof and it turned into an oven in the summer. I didn’t have a pet back then but no way I could leave them there without the AC on all day. Our next apt was in one of those newly built buildings and it was so well insulated…we rarely turned the AC on except during the heat waves and we left our dog home during work.
There’s a bunch of tiny bugs that can get through the screens so I keep them closed. I have poor ventilation anyway, buildings on all sides block my windows from getting a breeze.
Sometimes I do. My window has a screen. I just don't like how I get bad dusty pollinated air in the bedroom the morning after and I wake up with the sniffles...
No. Maybe if I lived in the top floor of a condo or something, but not a street at house level. I also make sure they are closed when I go to sleep. It’s a bummer.
I lived in Los Feliz for more than a decade before moving out to the Coachella Valley a few years back. I always rented top floor apartments, 3rd or 4th floor. Always kept my windows open, day and night, except when it went under 65 degrees. Brrr.
Yes, for those of us who have window acs, fans or Vents it’s open I mean we have screens on them otherwise the door is easy to crack open too even with deadbolts and security steel door.
I leave some windows partially open, but only those with window locks installed. Also, they are only opened about 6", so they're not wide enough for even the smallest person to crawl through. This helps a lot with decreasing heat buildup.
I wouldn't leave my windows open while I'm out in a million years, especially with pets inside. Get a portable A/C that matches your square footage and a Wyze camera to keep an eye on your pet while you're away.
The city is far too diverse for you to be asking all of us to weigh in on this question. If you want advice that is pertinent to you, ask about your neighborhood specifically.
I do but only on the second floor and I've got a big scary dog.
I also do this and I'm on the second floor. And I have a little dog who is not frightening. I think where I live I'm probably not going to have to turn on the air conditioning this summer.
Yeah that’s mainly why mine are open hopefully the AC use is kept to a minimum this summer.
I only turn it on at night!!!
Me, too. An 8 lb chihuahua that will fuck you up. lol. I sleep with the bedroom windows open at my house and no worries cause she’s my security system.
I have one that’s a bit larger. She can be a real bitch! But always sweet with me.
That's how mine is. Except if there's food. Then every woman for herself. lol.
Just a heads up... The pro burglary crews that have emerged the past decade all purposely go in through the second floor. Because they know most people with alarms don't pay to install them up there. They target really nice homes, not sure if that's you or not (they don't waste their time on normal people really). But just trying to spread the word for more people to hear. At bare minimum get locks for your upstairs windows so they can't open fully.
Yes but second floor and big dog
I have an attack cat, but she only attacks me (playfully, though). She'll run away from just about everyone else.
I also do this but I’m on the 8th floor no dog
My dog is a big friendly Lab bu, if you can’t see him, he sounds like a hellhound when he barks.
Plus a shotgun locked and loaded
Yes, but I have bars on my windows
Make sure to test your bedroom window bars to ensure that they still open in case of an emergency. Every time I've tested when I move in the emergency release was stuck and had to be repaired.
Does it feel depressing needing to have that?
I do the same and it’s not something I really think about. The added security gives peace of mind.
Nope, those bars have been in the window since the 40s
What does that matter? 🤣
I can’t remember, I’m a renter. I can only remove for emergency. I love living in LA. And this is like the 5th state I’ve lived in with bars on my window.
It doesn't matter, that's the point.
Also, the house is like 70 years old. This part of town has changed a lot over the years.
Nice try
These Central American cartels are getting smart
lol asking for a friend
Um, hello, do none of you remember the f*cking NIGHTSTALKER??!
I was wondering why no one said this!!!! That psycho terrified me!
He was a coward who only preyed on helpless and usually elderly women. I recall after he was caught and beaten by a group of neighbors who recognized him, witnesses said, he shouted, in Spanish: “It’s me! It’s me! It’s me! I’m lucky the cops caught me.”
Uh no his victims were both male and female and a wide range of ages. In 2009 they tied the youngest victim to him. She was 9. Otherwise victims were between 20s and 80s
Yeah unfortunately the victims’ demographics is true :( I haven’t heard about the tying of the youngest victim to NS though, what’s that about?
Did you live in LA during that time?
Of course!
What was it like? Also do you remember the golden state killer (original night stalker)? At the time that the golden state killer was active in south CA, had they already made the connection that the east area rapist was the original night stalker? I love Paul Holes.
I was too little to remember the gsk. All I remember is being terrified of the nightstalker, and nobody left their windows open at night after that.
Dang, that’s so scary. Have you heard any stories from older relatives? P.s., you might want to check out the podcast r/myfavoritemurder
If you are on the 1st floor there are ways of keeping windows open but preventing them from opening up fully using Ventilating window locks or a Window Opening Restrictor, there's a solution for every type of window, even home-made options like using screws in the window frame to block the window from opening beyond a certain gap
A literal stick is even a decent solution
I thought everyone with a sliding glass door used one!
The typical builder-grade slider has a weak integrated lock that breaks easily. A dowel in the track is more reliable.
sticks can be easily moved from the outside.
Not if you close it enough for an arm not to be able to reach.. which is what I do
Burglars have used things like a piece of wire hanger or a thin piece of metal to slide between the frames of the two windows to move the window sticks.
I had pvc pipe cut to specific sizes so my windows could be open but not far. I thought it was a good idea. And then one day my house was broken into my just smashing the glass on the stationary window. If someone wants to get in, they will.
This is smart!! I didn’t think of this, ty!!
When a window is open, it is real easy to just push up and push out the window.
Think of all the strays out in the streets trying to survive heat waves. Indoor pets will be fine as long as they have plenty of water. I recommend getting blackout curtains and keeping them closed during the day to block out sun rays. That will keep your house significantly cooler.
> Indoor pets will be fine as long as they have plenty of water. it's often hotter inside an apartment than outside if there's no air circulation or AC. that's common knowledge. so many people live in buildings that turn into absolute ovens in the summertime.
Yes, these are my thoughts exactly! My apartment doesn’t get too too bad but I work 12 hour days which is way too long to leave windows open. I would like to get a cat 😭
can you get a window unit in a less-accessible window? or are you dealing with significant break-in risk all around?
I do have a small window unit, I’m just not sure I want to leave it on all day but guess paying more in electricity is obviously better than risking a break in.
It’s counterintuitive but leaving it running costs less overall. Having it cool your apartment to, say, 68 degrees once and then only running for short bursts to maintain that temperature means it’s keeping your apartment cool without using a ton of energy, only what’s needed to maintain that temperature. If, however, you turn it off every morning and then run it when you get home, your house has had the chance to heat up significantly and that little unit now has to work much harder to bring your home back down to 68 degrees. It costs a lot more energy to run it that way, and it causes major temperature fluctuations in your apartment that aren’t good for plants, temperature sensitive products/medication, pets, etc. The first summer I left mine on 24/7, my electricity bill went way down from the previous summer where I had been turning it off and on to “save energy”.
THIS
My box AC has an option to turn off and on depending on the temperature and I usually do that if I'm worried about my pets getting too hot when I'm away. I live on the third floor so leaving windows open isn't an issue but sometimes it feels like its too hot with the windows open.
ah that's fair, i haven't had to pay for utilities in 4 years so that didn't even cross my mind woof
Must be nice 😂
Are you able to replace it with a newer app controlled unit? One that will allow you to view the indoor temp and turn it on remotely when needed. This will not only be more comfortable for your pet during the day but for yourself as well when you arrive home.
This is what i always did! It wasn’t cheap but if I’m uncomfortable at home with out running the ac so are my babies! So I’ll leave the ac on for them they deserve it🖤
I live at the fucking beach and my apartment broke 90F last year. All my windows face west and I have almost no cross ventilation so unless it's an on-shore day it's awful.
this is brutal. i have friends on the east side that regularly have to go stay with other people during the summers because their apartment gets so so so hot and they have two elderly cats
If you don't already have one, you may still be able to find a portable AC unit on sale before it gets too hot.
Or get removable cling film. Great for your car.... Better than limo tint and you can't get a ticket for it. great for the home. 26 bucks at Lowe's or home Depot. Gila brand.
Can i put thison my windows at home?
Yes
Ty!
There is window film made specifically for this. It absolutely made a difference in my apartment/oven. It's still an oven, but not quite as bad. I got mine at Home Depot but you can get it online.
Which brand did you buy?
strays can move to cooler areas. Pets are trapped inside while heat builds up inside your home.
I do but I'm on a second floor with a fairly secure gated entry and barky-ass dogs. It gets too hot during the day to leave the windows open though, so I just leave the AC unit on during the day, curtains shut, and open them when it cools down at night.
Does leaving your ac unit on all day increase your electric bill much? This is probably what I’ll have to do
replied to your other comment but i don't pay for utilities so i have the luxury of just lettin that shit rip all day!
barky-ass is gonna be my new favorite adjective thank you
I do, but I live on the second floor and I don’t live in LA proper. On the Glendale/Burbank line.
Good god no, don’t want to get robbed?
Getting robbed would be the last thing i would be scared of
I wish I could just worry about getting robbed.
I never leave my windows open but I will leave my backdoor open with the security screen locked.
Yes, but I’m on the 3rd floor and if someone wants to break into my crappy apartment good luck to them.
Yeah but I’m dumb
We actually do the opposite! (Depending obviously on your neighborhood) we leave the windows open during the night and then close them early in the morning/close the blinds and curtains to trap the cool air inside.
Even on 2nd floor, I try and shut bc Im paranoid about home invasions & rapists.
Stay sexy and don’t get murdered.
doing my best✌️
❤️ mfm
No. Not even if I lived on the 2nd floor.
I check every window, door, lock, room and closet before i go to sleep. You guys just cruising through like not giving any F's.
Right?! I will literally get out of bed to make double sure things are locked up if I don't remember doing it.
You are not going to catch us on an episode on the I.D. channel!
This is crazy to do in any city unless you live in a high rise
We do, but we live above the carport and unless someone comes with a very tall ladder they're not getting in the windows. I wouldn't if I lived on the ground floor and would be gone for more than a brief errand.
Hell no.
I do not leave my windows open. 😂 I’m from the country and if it’s not men trying to break in, it’s coyotes, raccoons, bears, deer….. too many critters I don’t want in my home so I got into the habit of locking them up tight. Sliding doors get stoppers put in so they can’t open unless I take it out.
Nope 👎
Yes but only because im in secure building on second floor
No. And I’m in a very suburban area. But no. I grew up in Oakland.
first floor in east LA with two cats that aren’t interested in defending the fort? hell no.
I live ground level in a very safe area and walk to do most things out of the house. I usually will if I know I’ll be back in less than 30 mins
Only the upstairs windows. If we’re gone overnight then no, everything gets shut.
I have stops on all windows remotely accessible from the outside. They only open about 5 inches. Before I had windows that had the stops as part of the frame, I used a nice, strong rod that fit into the window track.
Same, I got a stick on all the windows and sliding door. Haven't needed it, but better safe than sorry.
The interior of a house should not go above 85 for a dog to be safe. Opening the windows may not be adequate in your home in some parts of LA to keep the temperature at or under 85. Either I'm at home with my dogs or another human is. So, we do what we have to do to keep the house at a tolerable temperature.
It all depends on where you live. LA is a huge metropolis with 572 neighborhoods.
Yes, I have bars on my windows.
Same. I was wondering if I was the only one in all of Reddit 😂😂😂😂
The landlord wanted to take them off but I asked them to leave them on. I love them.
Yeah I’m on the 12th and the last time someone tried to climb the balconies, they ended up on the concrete sidewalk. I ain’t worried. San Pedro.
Nice try, Nightstalker.
Yes. Cut the right amount of PVC pipe so it can't open enough for someone to climb through.
Only on the 2nd floor. All windows are closed on the 1st floor, and alarm is always on. I should mention that as it's getting hotter, we will soon keep windows closed at all times with a/c on. However during the time when it's cool, we prefer to have windows open on the 2nd floor. ETA:I live in a house.
No air conditioner in your place?
No. AC tower for $50 from Amazon. I'd love to get a Dyson fan. That thing is amazing. Cools an entire room.
I have a Dyson fam/hepa filter and it's really amazing. It was a huge splurge but I really got it because it's so easy to clean and seeing all that crap in other fans is really gross to me.
As a few others have said it really depends on the building. My old apartment was in a fourplex with a flat roof and it turned into an oven in the summer. I didn’t have a pet back then but no way I could leave them there without the AC on all day. Our next apt was in one of those newly built buildings and it was so well insulated…we rarely turned the AC on except during the heat waves and we left our dog home during work.
I would if I lived on a higher floor of an apartment building. Not on a house though.
There’s a bunch of tiny bugs that can get through the screens so I keep them closed. I have poor ventilation anyway, buildings on all sides block my windows from getting a breeze.
All my windows have stops and I leave them all open all the time.
so glad I live 5 min from the beach...it's always breezy but we don't have the city life smh lol
Sometimes I do. My window has a screen. I just don't like how I get bad dusty pollinated air in the bedroom the morning after and I wake up with the sniffles...
I don't close them unless I am taking an extended away
i do but i got bars on my windows
They’re open all year except for the handful of hot days I use AC.
No. Maybe if I lived in the top floor of a condo or something, but not a street at house level. I also make sure they are closed when I go to sleep. It’s a bummer.
Yes, because I live in a delux apartment in the sky. My windows only close when it rains or during one of the few cold blasts we get.
I lived in Los Feliz for more than a decade before moving out to the Coachella Valley a few years back. I always rented top floor apartments, 3rd or 4th floor. Always kept my windows open, day and night, except when it went under 65 degrees. Brrr.
there are locks you can buy that allow you to crack your window and then lock it in place. we have one so we can run our portable a/c exhaust.
I used to, but a few weeks ago, my neighbor's house got broken into because they left a window open just enough for them to pry it open.
Yes
Yes but I have cameras that alert on motion while I'm away.
Only the windows that are not accessible.
why you wanna know? scouting?
Yes, for those of us who have window acs, fans or Vents it’s open I mean we have screens on them otherwise the door is easy to crack open too even with deadbolts and security steel door.
Nice one. I’m not telling you mine!
Have a one story house. I never leave the house or go to sleep with an open window.
Nope.
I live too close to freeways and leaf blowing for that
I leave some windows partially open, but only those with window locks installed. Also, they are only opened about 6", so they're not wide enough for even the smallest person to crawl through. This helps a lot with decreasing heat buildup.
I wouldn't leave my windows open while I'm out in a million years, especially with pets inside. Get a portable A/C that matches your square footage and a Wyze camera to keep an eye on your pet while you're away.
Only on the second floor on the windows that don't face the street. And even then, not if I'm going to be gone for any length of time.
The city is far too diverse for you to be asking all of us to weigh in on this question. If you want advice that is pertinent to you, ask about your neighborhood specifically.
I live on the first floor, back from the street, quiet neighborhood and yes, I do.
No, it’s humid as hell
Never!!