The windows of your home are a portal to the outdoors, a way to let light in while you appreciate the view of your garden, yard or scenery. The last thing you need to see is a sweaty window coated in a layer of condensation.

Not only are windows plastered with condensation unsightly, they also can be evidence of a more serious air-quality issue throughout your home. Fortunately, there’s multiple things you can try to resolve the problem.

What Produces Sweating in Windows

Condensation on the inner layer of windows is created by the damp warm air inside your home mixing with the cooler surface of the windows. It’s especially common over 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 crucial to understand the distinction between moisture on the inside of your windows versus moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an indoor air quality issue and the other is a window issue.

  • Moisture on the inside of a window is produced from the warm moist air throughout your home collecting against the glass.
  • The moisture you find between windowpanes is formed when the window seal stops working and moisture seeps between the two panes of glass, and by then the window has to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation in the windows isn’t a window problem and can instead be solved by changing the humidity across your home. Different things cause humidity in a home, including showers, cooking, taking a bath or even breathing.

Why Indoor Sweating on Windows Can Be an Issue

Even though you might consider condensation inside your windows is a cosmetic problem, it could also be a sign your home has excess humidity. If this is the case, water may also be accumulating on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a small film of water can help wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, promoting the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Lower Humidity Inside Your Home

The good news is there are several options for extracting moisture from the air inside your home.

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

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

Compact, portable dehumidifiers can absorb the water from an entire room. However, those units require clearing water trays and usually service a somewhat limited area. A whole-house dehumidifier will eliminate moisture across your entire home.

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are regulated by a humidistat, which allows you to set a humidity level just like you would pick a temperature via your thermostat. The unit will start instantly when the humidity level exceeds 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 Bloomfield.

Additional Ways to Lower Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Adding exhaust fans around humidity hotspots including the bathroom, laundry room or above the kitchen range can help by drawing the warm, moist air from these spaces out of your home before it can elevate the humidity level throughout your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Turning on ceiling fans can also keep air flowing inside the home so humid air doesn’t get stuck in one spot.
  • Opening your window treatments. Throwing open the blinds or drapes can lower condensation by preventing the damp air from being stuck against the windowpane.

By reducing humidity inside your home and circulating air throughout your home, you can take advantage of clear, moisture-free windows even during the winter.