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

Not only are windows plastered with condensation unattractive, they also can be a symptom of a larger air-quality issue inside your home. Luckily, there’s several things you can try to address the problem.

What Produces Sweating on Windows

Condensation on the interior of windows is created by the damp warm air inside your home mixing with the cold surface of the windows. It’s notably common during the winter when it’s much cooler outside than it is within your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When talking about condensation, it’s important to understand the contrast 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 inside a window is caused from the warm damp air inside your home collecting on the glass.
  • The moisture you find between windowpanes is produced when the window seal stops working and moisture slips between the two panes of glass, and at that point the window has to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation inside the windows isn’t a window problem and can instead be resolved by fine-tuning the humidity inside your home. Many things produce humidity throughout a home, like showers, cooking, laundry or even breathing.

Why Sweating Windows Could Mean a Problem

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

How to Reduce Humidity Inside Your Home

Not to worry, because there are various options for removing moisture from the air throughout your home.

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

If you don’t have a humidifier active and your home’s humidity level is high, think about getting a dehumidifier. While humidifiers put moisture inside your home so the air doesn’t dry out, a dehumidifier extracts excess moisture out of the air.

Smaller, portable dehumidifiers can absorb the water from a single room. However, these units require emptying water trays and most often service a somewhat limited area. A whole-house dehumidifier will extract moisture from your entire home.

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are managed by a humidistat, which permits you to establish a humidity level just like you would pick a temperature on your thermostat. The unit will run immediately when the humidity level exceeds the set level. These systems coordinate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will receive the best results if you contact qualified professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Mankato area.

Additional Ways to Lower Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Putting in exhaust fans around humidity hotspots like the bathroom, laundry room or above the stove 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 swirling within the home so humid air doesn’t get trapped in one place.
  • Opening your window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can decrease condensation by stopping the humid air from being stuck against the windowpane.

By decreasing humidity across your home and dispersing air throughout your home, you can enjoy clear, moisture-free windows even in the middle of the winter.