Is this just a female thing?

Over many years experience I have noted a rather strange phenomenon which seems to pertain only to the female gender.
I think it's something to do with the cleanliness ethic, an ethic which us mere males don't seem to be particularly imbued with.
It goes further than just an obsession with cleanliness though, it also involves TEMPERATURE.
Let me explain. On the absolute coldest days of the year, my wife (whom I love dearly, I might add), has this bewildering habit of opening every window of our house as widely as possible, for as long as possible. I have also observed this strange ritual being carried out by my mother, mother-in-law and others of our female species.(in their own homes, of course.)
In reply to my apparently naive question of "Why?" my partner tells me in a sort of half-exasperated tone, "It's to freshen up the house!"
Now, in my opinion, I'm a very tolerant person. I can produce evidence of this. I allow our dog to sleep on our bed. I tolerate my wife watching shopping programs on TV in the bedroom while I am trying to go to sleep. I allow my wife to produce vast amounts of garden waste for me to dispose of. The list goes on...
But, how, (in my obvious ignorance of such matters), I ask, does freezing to our very core for several hours at a time, in the depths of winter, restore cleanliness, freshness, or whatever else you want to call it, to our humble abode? Is there a strong correlation between coldness and cleanliness?
There doesn't appear to be any rational answer to this. My wife, in the same half-exasperated tone as before, says, "It just does!"
Now, being an avid amateur hypnotist, I think I'll try and secretly hypnotize my wife into a more humane way of looking at how to achieve freshness in the home. I don't really like my chances of success,and I'm not 100% sure on the best way to approach it, but I figure it's worth a go, even if the end result is that our windows are only partially opened on wintry days!
Stay posted.