The windows throughout your home are a portal to the outdoors, a way to allow light in as you enjoy the view of your garden, yard or landscape. The last thing you want to see is a sweaty window covered in a coating of condensation.

Not only are windows coated in condensation unappealing, they also can be evidence of a more serious air-quality deficit inside your home. Fortunately, there’s multiple things you can attempt to address the problem.

What Creates Sweating along Windows

Condensation on the interior of windows is created by the damp warm air throughout your home mixing with the colder surface of the windows. It’s especially prevalent during the winter when it’s much cooler outside than it is in your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When talking about condensation, it’s crucial to understand the difference between moisture on the inside of your windows in comparison to moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an air-quality issue and the other is a window issue.

  • Moisture within a window is created from the warm damp air inside your home condensing on the glass.
  • Existing moisture you notice between windowpanes is caused when the window seal stops working and moisture gets in between the two panes of glass, in which case the window should be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation in the windows isn’t a window situation and can instead be resolved by fine-tuning the humidity across your home. Many things generate humidity in a home, such as showers, cooking, laundry or even breathing.

Why Sweating Windows Could Mean a Problem

Even though you might think condensation in your windows is a cosmetic concern, it could also be evidence your home has high humidity. If that’s the case, water might also be condensing on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a small film of water can encourage wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, fostering the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Reduce Humidity Inside Your Home

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

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

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

Small, portable dehumidifiers can eliminate the water from a single room. However, portable units require clearing water trays and usually service a fairly small area. A whole-house dehumidifier will remove moisture throughout your entire home.

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are controlled by a humidistat, which permits you to specify a humidity level just like you would choose a temperature on your thermostat. The unit will begin running automatically when the humidity level surpasses the set level. These systems collaborate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will want to contact experienced professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Front Royal.

Alternative Ways to Lower Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Putting in exhaust fans around humidity hotspots such as the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by drawing the warm, humid air from these areas out of your home before it can elevate the humidity level across your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Spinning ceiling fans can also keep air circulating inside the home so humid air doesn’t get trapped in one place.
  • Opening up window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can decrease condensation by stopping the humid air from being stuck against the windowpane.

By reducing humidity across your home and dispersing air throughout your home, you can take advantage of clear, moisture-free windows even in the winter.