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

Not only are windows covered in condensation unsightly, they also can be a symptom of a larger air-quality problem throughout your home. Fortunately, there’s several things you can attempt to address the problem.

What Produces Sweating along Windows

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

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When talking about condensation, it’s crucial to know the difference 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 notice between windowpanes is produced when the window seal fails and moisture gets in between the two panes of glass, and by then the window has to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation inside the windows isn’t a window issue and can instead be fixed by changing the humidity in your home. Many things produce humidity in a home, including showers, cooking, taking a bath or even breathing.

Why Indoor Sweating on Windows Could Mean an Issue

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

How to Reduce Humidity Throughout Your Home

Fortunately there are several options for extracting moisture from the air inside 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 comes down.

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

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

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are controlled by a humidistat, which allows you to specify a humidity level precisely like you would choose a temperature on your thermostat. The unit will run immediately when the humidity level overtakes the set level. These systems coordinate with your home’s HVAC system, so you will want to contact skilled professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Tomball.

Additional Ways to Eliminate Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Putting in exhaust fans around 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 raise the humidity level in your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Spinning ceiling fans can also keep air moving within the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one place.
  • Opening your window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can lower condensation by stopping the warm air from being caught against the windowpane.

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