The windows throughout your home open up to the outdoors, a way to let light in while you take in 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 plastered with condensation unsightly, they also can be a sign of a more substantial air-quality problem within your home. Thankfully, there’s several things you can do to resolve the problem.

What Produces Sweating along Windows

Condensation on the inside of windows is produced by the moist warm air throughout your home mixing with the cold surface of the windows. It’s particularly commonplace around the winter when it’s much cooler outside than it is in your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When discussing condensation, it’s important to know the difference between moisture on the inside of your windows versus moisture in between the windowpanes. One is an indoor air quality issue and the other is a window issue.

  • Moisture on the inside of a window is created from the warm moist air throughout your home forming along the glass.
  • Any moisture you notice between windowpanes is formed when the window seal fails and moisture slips between the two panes of glass, in which case the window has to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation on the inside of the windows isn’t a window situation and can instead be resolved by changing the humidity inside your home. Numerous things produce humidity inside a home, like showers, cooking, laundry or even breathing.

Why Condensation on Windows Could Mean Trouble

Although you might think condensation inside your windows is a cosmetic concern, it could also be evidence your home has excess humidity. If that’s the case, water may also be collecting on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a small film of water can cause wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, increasing the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Reduce Humidity Throughout Your Home

Fortunately there are several options for extracting moisture from the air throughout your home.

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

If you don’t have a humidifier going and your home’s humidity level is excessive, consider getting a dehumidifier. While humidifiers adds moisture into 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 a single room. However, those units require emptying water trays and usually service a somewhat limited area. A whole-house dehumidifier will extract moisture across your entire home.

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are controlled by a humidistat, which enables you to specify a humidity level just like you would choose a temperature on your thermostat. The unit will start instantly when the humidity level surpasses the set level. These systems work with your home’s HVAC system, so you should contact skilled professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Ames.

Alternative Ways to Lower Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Installing exhaust fans around humidity hotspots including the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by pulling the warm, humid air from these spaces out of your home before it can raise the humidity level across 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 up window treatments. Throwing open the blinds or drapes can decrease condensation by preventing the humid air from being caught 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 during the winter.