The windows in your home open up to the outdoors, a way to allow light in while you enjoy the view of your garden, yard or landscape. The last thing you would want to see is a sweaty window plastered in a coating of condensation.

Not only are windows covered in condensation unappealing, they also can be a sign of a more substantial air-quality deficit within your home. Luckily, there’s numerous things you can do to address the problem.

What Causes Sweating on Windows

Condensation on the inner layer of windows is produced by the damp warm air inside your home reaching the colder surface of your windows. It’s particularly prevalent around the winter when it’s much colder outside than it is in your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When talking about condensation, it’s necessary to know the contrast between moisture on the inside of your windows compared to moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an air-quality issue and the other is a window issue.

  • Moisture on the inside of a window is caused from the warm moist air inside your home collecting along the glass.
  • Any moisture you notice between windowpanes is produced when the window seal breaks down and moisture seeps between the two panes of glass, and by then the window needs to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation in the windows isn’t a window issue and can instead be resolved by fine-tuning the humidity across your home. Numerous things produce humidity inside a home, like showers, cooking, bathing or even breathing.

Why Sweating Windows Can Be a Problem

Though you might consider condensation inside your windows is a cosmetic issue, it can be evidence your home has excess humidity. If that’s the case, water could also be collecting on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a small film of water can help wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, increasing the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Reduce Humidity Throughout Your Home

Fortunately there are numerous options for extracting moisture from the air throughout your home.

If you have a humidifier active in your home – whether it be a small-scale unit or a whole-house humidifier – lower it further so the humidity inside your home decreases.

If you don’t have a humidifier going and your home’s humidity level is excessive, consider getting a dehumidifier. While humidifiers put moisture inside your home so the air doesn’t become too dry, a dehumidifier extracts excess moisture out of the air.

Small, portable dehumidifiers can remove the water from one room. However, these units require emptying out water trays and most often service a small area. A whole-house dehumidifier will extract moisture from your entire home.

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are regulated by a humidistat, which permits you to specify a humidity level precisely like you would pick a temperature with your thermostat. The unit will run instantly when the humidity level surpasses the set level. These systems work with your home’s HVAC system, so you will receive the best results if you contact skilled professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Alliance.

Additional Ways to Decrease Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Adding exhaust fans near humidity hotspots including the bathroom, laundry room or above the kitchen range can help by extracting the warm, humid air from these spaces out of your home before it can increase the humidity level in your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Running ceiling fans can also keep air circulating inside the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one spot.
  • Open window treatments. Pulling open the blinds or drapes can decrease condensation by stopping the damp air from being caught against the windowpane.

By lowering humidity inside your home and dispersing air throughout your home, you can make the most of clear, moisture-free windows even in the middle of the winter.