Do you leave your bedroom door open at night?

Jump to Last Post 1-21 of 21 discussions (28 posts)
  1. profile image0
    oldandwiseposted 12 years ago

    Many people like to leave their bedroom doors open at night. In the event of a fire, this could prove deadly. By keeping the door closed you will buy some time from heat, fire and smoke. If your excuse is small children, purchase monitors and close the doors. Keep in mind, the smoke will kill you before the fire will in most cases.

    1. gracenotes profile image89
      gracenotesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Nice to know that I'm doing it right.  I always keep my bedroom door closed at night.  This is because my two dogs sleep on my bed, and I do not want them to wake up during the night, get bored, leave the room, and exit out the doggie door to find some nocturnal animal or worse yet, to see something that sets off their barking.

      Yes, you can tell how close and hot the fire is by touching the closed door.  And judge your exit options based on that.

      Dog doors:  very good things to have at your house when you aren't home. Your dog can always get out in case of fire.

    2. CWanamaker profile image95
      CWanamakerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Growing up I always kept the door shut. I mostly did it to keep my room colder, quieter, and darker. The fire/smoke protection was a secondary benefit.  Now that I have young kids home, I keep the door open.  It's convenient to be able to hear them if they start crying or need someone to scare the monsters away at midnight. \

    3. Marisa Wright profile image86
      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's a good point, but I'm like UW - I leave mine open and there's a smoke detector right outside the door.

      If I sleep with the door shut, I can't sleep.  There's simply not enough air flow if I close the door, it gets too suffocating.  And I refuse to sleep with the air conditioning on.

      Our windows also do not open wide enough to allow exit, and that's not against Australian fire regs.

    4. LoriSoard profile image64
      LoriSoardposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I close my door. Mainly because I'm paranoid and scared someone will come in the house. I am buying myself time from intruders, but sounds like I'm also buying myself time from a fire. We are getting burglar alarm real, real soon. Can't wait.

  2. relache profile image73
    relacheposted 12 years ago

    I have the door mostly closed but not actually shut as I don't enjoy being woken up by our cat banging on the door when she decides she wants to sleep with me.  Also, in our house, all the smoke detectors are wired on a system.  If one goes off anywhere in the home, they all do which offers the most warning.

  3. Ms Dee profile image87
    Ms Deeposted 12 years ago

    My bedroom door is kept open for air circulation and a smoke detector is in the hall right near the door.

  4. profile image0
    Muldaniaposted 12 years ago

    My bedroom is very tiny, no more than a cell, with not even any room for a wardrobe, so I would feel far too enclosed to have the door shut.

  5. profile image0
    oldandwiseposted 12 years ago

    If fire broke out and the door was closed temperatures could exceed 500 f, where the temperature in the room may be normal. Having said this, should flash over occur, you would not have time to react or even wake up in a remote bedroom. By having the door closed you will have more time to escape via a window or alternate route.

  6. Greek One profile image63
    Greek Oneposted 12 years ago

    Hell no.. my wife might try to get in!

    1. Rosie2010 profile image68
      Rosie2010posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      lol

    2. Denise Handlon profile image85
      Denise Handlonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      lol  lol  always the wise cracker!

  7. Moon Willow Lake profile image68
    Moon Willow Lakeposted 12 years ago

    We do leave the door open. This is partially because we have a small child who sleeps in his room on the other side of the two bedroom home, and also because of the uneven temperature this place has. Our room, besides being incredibly small, is very warm. If we closed the door, it would become unbearably hot. Our son's room, on the other hand, is noticeably cooler. Since we aren't in a position to make repairs to the home in order to correct this, we ensure his room is warm enough even if it means we are too hot. So, no, we really don't want to feel like we're in a tiny sauna every night (which would really be the case if we closed the door). And, no, we don't want to open the window because then it would get way too cold in here too quickly so we're better off dealing with the warmth. Please don't get me wrong as I hear what you are saying about safety; but it's just something that won't work for us at this time. Thanks for the concern though. smile

  8. wilderness profile image95
    wildernessposted 12 years ago

    We keep it open for a couple of reasons.

    If we close the door our cat will cry and scratch at the door all night.  And I mean all night - there will be no sleeping.

    In addition, we have forced air heating and cooling, but there is no return air duct. That means that as air comes in it must exit the room somewhere - the open door is the only avenue out.  If we close the door the bedroom gets very hot in summer and cold in winter.

  9. profile image0
    oldandwiseposted 12 years ago

    I'm amazed how many people sleep with the bedroom doors open, given the "fact" it puts you and your family in harms way. Keep in mind the average home fire will be out of control in about 5 minutes. So as you can see, it's imperative to change one's sleeping habits. Many are under the impression smoke will wake them up and in reality in most cases it won't. So again,in the unfortunate event of a house fire, keeping the doors closed in most cases keep you and your loved ones alive. With only minutes to react for an escape route, this time is valuable.

  10. Uninvited Writer profile image80
    Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

    Actually, I am safer leaving my bedroom door open because there is no way out from my bedroom if there is a fire. I live on the 9th floor of an apartment and the window has a lock that only allows it to be open 2 inches.

    The smoke detector is right outside the bedroom door. And it will wake me up before I am overcome with smoke. It is literally 5 steps from my bedroom door to the apartment front door.

    Mine is also left open because of a cat...

    So, you see, your theory is not right for everyone.

  11. profile image0
    oldandwiseposted 12 years ago

    Actually my theory is correct for everyone in the event of a fire. As for your apartment window, if it only opens 2 inches it is out of compliance with any Life Safety requirements set forth by State Fire Marshalls. In the event you have a fire outside your door, you run your hand from top to bottom. If the bottom is cool, get on all 4's, cover your face with a wet cloth and seek escape. If the door is hot, top to bottom, don't open the door (as fire is outside and temperatures deadly) and your "Only" means of escape will be that window.

    1. Uninvited Writer profile image80
      Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So, do i jump out a 9 th floor window?

  12. profile image0
    oldandwiseposted 12 years ago

    No, if you are unable to escape because the bottom of the door is hot, Stuff towels under the door and wait at the window for fire rescue. If you open the door, and the bottom of the door  is hot to the touch, you will die. That's a fact.

  13. Reality Bytes profile image74
    Reality Bytesposted 12 years ago

    My bedroom door is always open.  I have two dogs to keep me safe if anything happens.  My Chuihuaha even barks at smoke.

  14. Axaflaxar profile image41
    Axaflaxarposted 12 years ago

    No I don't! I am afraid to leave my doors open. This is because as I child I always thought something was looking at me between that little gap between the door and the door frame. It is eery to me to this day! My girlfriend thinks I  am crazy!

  15. WriteAngled profile image75
    WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

    I don't have a door on my bedroom. There used to be one once, I think. I didn't even notice it was missing when I bought the house lol

    I keep all the other doors in the house open too, because I have four cats who raise hell if they find any route blocked. Some of the doors do not shut fully anyway.

  16. profile image0
    oldandwiseposted 12 years ago

    Wow some of the responses worry me. Being a parent, I understand, wanting to leave the door open to hear the kids. But, I strongly recommend you use monitors. As Americans, many of us never were taught fire protection. Only thing we knew was, if its hot, don't touch it. People don't plan a house fire and being prepared can save your life. That was the reason for this question. To educate those of us, who were never taught in school the things we really need to know. So I hope, those of you who sleep with your doors open, will reconsider. I thank you all for your responses!

  17. profile image0
    icountthetimesposted 12 years ago

    I tend to shut my door at night. I guess it's a privacy thing, I've never really thought in detail about why I do it.

  18. AEvans profile image74
    AEvansposted 12 years ago

    My door is ajar and my son's room is closed. My niece's room is also closed and their rooms are close by along with the pets who are kenneled. They also have a room to themselves and their door is also closed.

  19. Denise Handlon profile image85
    Denise Handlonposted 12 years ago

    Closed

  20. Anamika S profile image68
    Anamika Sposted 12 years ago

    Never! That is a habit which I have not changed at all. Bedroom is my private space and I mostly I wear next to nothing when I am there.

  21. profile image60
    logic,commonsenseposted 12 years ago

    I leave it open and sleep in the nude so as to not have any clothes catch on fire.  smile

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)