The windows in your home are a portal to the outdoors, a way to allow light in when you enjoy the view of your garden, yard or scenery. The last thing you need to see is a sweaty window covered in a film of condensation.

Not only are windows coated in condensation unsightly, they also can be a sign of a more substantial air-quality problem throughout your home. Luckily, there’s multiple things you can attempt to resolve the problem.

What Causes Sweating on Windows

Condensation on the inner layer of windows is formed by the humid warm air in your home mixing with the colder surface of your windows. It’s notably commonplace around 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 important 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 in your home forming along the glass.
  • The moisture you see between windowpanes is formed when the window seal breaks down and moisture slips between the two panes of glass, and at that point the window needs to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation in the windows isn’t a window situation and can instead be resolved by fine-tuning the humidity inside your home. Different things generate humidity throughout a home, such as showers, cooking, taking a bath or even breathing.

Why Condensation on Windows Can Be a Problem

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

How to Decrease Humidity Inside Your Home

Fortunately there are various options for eliminating moisture from the air inside 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 decreases.

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

Small, portable dehumidifiers can eliminate the water from an entire room. However, those 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 enables 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 overtakes the set level. These systems collaborate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will receive the best results if you contact skilled professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Carpentersville.

Alternative Ways to Lower Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Adding exhaust fans near humidity hotspots like the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by extracting the warm, humid air from these spaces out of your home before it can increase the humidity level throughout your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Running ceiling fans can also keep air swirling throughout the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one spot.
  • Opening your window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can reduce condensation by preventing the damp air from being trapped against the windowpane.

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