Close your bedroom door tonight—your life may just depend on it. While you may love a fresh breeze or want to hear your kids rustling about, recent investigations show that this nightly habit isn’t as harmless as it seems. Good Housekeeping magazine has even gone as far as to say: the choice between open or closed can literally mean life or death. So, why are we still snoozing with doors wide open?
Why Do 60% of Us Sleep with the Door Open?
Let’s face it, old habits die hard. Around 60% of people prefer to sleep with the bedroom door open. Why? The reasons are as varied as the excuses we use to skip gym day. Some love the circulation of air, others feel safer being able to sense what’s happening in the rest of the house—especially parents who want to hear every creak, cough, or nightmare down the hall. For all its comfort, this tendency is exactly what experts and firefighting professionals are urging us to rethink.
Fire—Faster and Deadlier Than Ever
Time for some tough love: our beloved modern homes are packed with more than twice, sometimes three times, the flammable materials compared to a few decades ago. Plastics, in particular, are the troublemakers—catching fire quickly, spreading it even faster, and releasing extremely toxic gases that you definitely don’t want to breathe in during the night. A September 2018 report from the National Fire Protection Agency brings the point home: residents today are more likely to die in a house fire than back in 1980. Cheery thought, right? But knowledge is power (and possibly life-saving).
Here’s where the simple act of closing your bedroom door becomes heroic. With plastic lurking in every corner, the fire has a hearty fuel source. When the bedroom door is left open, the oxygen feeds the flames, letting the fire choose its own adventure—through your house, unchecked. But with the door closed, oxygen is much more limited, meaning the fire can’t blaze a trail wherever it pleases.
The numbers are startling. According to the Firefighter Safety Research Institute (UL FSRI), if your bedroom door is open during a fire, temperatures can soar up to 500°C in no time. Keep that door closed, though, and the temperature lingers around a far more survivable 37°C for much longer. That’s not just a slight comfort; it’s the difference between having a chance and…well, not. The door also forms a physical barrier, keeping dangerous smoke from sneaking into your sleeping space.
Time: Your Best Ally in an Emergency
The ‘Close Before You Doze’ campaign, spearheaded by the Firefighter Safety Research Institute, makes it clear: this one habit gives you more time to react when the smoke alarm blares. And time, in a modern house fire, is the real luxury. Thanks to that omnipresent plastic and a prevailing love for open-plan homes, escaping a house fire is now a race against the clock. Where we once had 17 minutes on average to get out, today we might have just 3 minutes—or even less.
- Closed doors buy precious minutes for you and your loved ones to wake up and escape safely.
- They slow blistering heat and keep those toxic gases at bay—for a while, at least.
- This small act could transform a tragedy into a narrow escape.
It’s Not Just Fire: Think Burglaries Too
If you believe an open door is safer, think again. Closing your bedroom door before bed can also help during a break-in. Studies indicate that the average burglary lasts only 5 minutes. The first minute is spent opening the front door, three minutes on collecting valuables, and the final minute on making a hasty exit. If your bedroom door is shut—especially locked—it creates a small but significant obstacle. The burglar can’t quietly move from room to room. You’re far more likely to hear them trying to open your door, buying you precious seconds. And, frankly, a locked door could very well make your valuables, or at least yourself, a bit more difficult to reach.
Conclusion: Change One Habit, Change Everything
No one wants to imagine the worst, but small changes can make an enormous difference. Next time you crawl into bed, take a second to close that door. Whether it’s flames or thieves, you’ll be giving yourself—and everyone you love—a fighting chance. After all, what’s a bit of stuffy air in exchange for peace of mind? Sleep tight…and keep that door shut tonight.
