The windows throughout your home are a gateway to the outdoors, a way to draw light in while you appreciate the view of your garden, yard or scenery. The last thing you want to see is a sweaty window plastered in a coating of condensation.

Not only are windows coated in condensation unattractive, they also can be evidence of a larger air-quality issue within your home. Luckily, there’s multiple things you can do to address the problem.

What Creates Sweating on Windows

Condensation on the interior of windows is produced by the humid warm air throughout your home mixing with the cooler surface of the windows. It’s particularly common over the winter when it’s much chillier outside than it is inside your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When dealing with condensation, it’s crucial to understand the contrast between moisture on the inside of your windows versus moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an air-quality issue and the other is a window issue.

  • Moisture inside a window is produced from the warm damp air throughout your home condensing along the glass.
  • Any moisture you find between windowpanes is formed when the window seal stops working and moisture gets in between the two panes of glass, and by then the window should be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation in the windows isn’t a window situation and can instead be fixed by fine-tuning the humidity in your home. Many things cause humidity in a home, including showers, cooking, taking a bath or even breathing.

Why Indoor Sweating on Windows Could Mean an Issue

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

How to Lower Humidity in Your Home

Fortunately there are several options for extracting moisture from the air in your home.

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

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

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

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are regulated by a humidistat, which permits you to set a humidity level the same like you would select a temperature on your thermostat. The unit will run automatically when the humidity level surpasses the set level. These systems collaborate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will receive the best results if you contact qualified professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Winnipeg.

Other Ways to Decrease Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Installing exhaust fans in humidity hotspots including the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by extracting the warm, moist air from these spaces out of your home before it can elevate the humidity level inside your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Turning on ceiling fans can also keep air moving inside the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one place.
  • Open window treatments. Pulling open the blinds or drapes can reduce condensation by stopping the damp air from being trapped against the windowpane.

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