The windows of your home are a portal to the outdoors, a way to let light in while you enjoy the view of your garden, yard or other surroundings. The last thing you need to see is a sweaty window covered in a coating of condensation.

Not only are windows plastered with condensation unappealing, they also can be a symptom of a more substantial air-quality deficit throughout your home. Thankfully, there’s numerous things you can try to correct the problem.

What Produces Condensation on Windows

Condensation on the inside of windows is created by the damp warm air throughout your home reaching the colder surface of the windows. It’s particularly commonplace around the winter when it’s much cooler outside than it is inside your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When talking about condensation, it’s necessary to understand the distinction 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 moist air throughout your home condensing against the glass.
  • Existing moisture you find between windowpanes is formed when the window seal fails and moisture seeps between the two panes of glass, and by then the window should be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation inside the windows isn’t a window issue and can instead be solved by fine-tuning the humidity across your home. Different things cause humidity throughout a home, including showers, cooking, bathing or even breathing.

Why Sweating Windows Could Mean an Issue

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

How to Lower Humidity Inside Your Home

Thankfully there are numerous options for eliminating moisture from the air inside your home.

If you have a humidifier active within 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 running 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 dry out, a dehumidifier pulls excess moisture out of the air.

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

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are regulated by a humidistat, which permits you to specify a humidity level just like you would pick a temperature via your thermostat. The unit will start immediately when the humidity level overtakes the set level. These systems coordinate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will want to contact experienced professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation South Beloit and Belvidere.

Additional Ways to Reduce 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 areas out of your home before it can elevate the humidity level across your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Running ceiling fans can also keep air swirling inside the home so humid air doesn’t get stuck in one area.
  • Opening your window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can decrease condensation by preventing the warm air from being caught against the windowpane.

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