The windows throughout your home open up to the outdoors, a way to draw light in as you appreciate the view of your garden, yard or scenery. The last thing you need to see is a sweaty window coated in a layer of condensation.

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

What Produces Condensation on Windows

Condensation on the inner layer of windows is created by the moist warm air inside your home reaching the colder surface of the windows. It’s particularly commonplace during the winter when it’s much colder outside than it is within your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When dealing with condensation, it’s important to recognize the difference 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 produced from the warm humid air throughout your home collecting against the glass.
  • The moisture you notice between windowpanes is formed when the window seal breaks down and moisture slips between the two panes of glass, in which case the window has to be repaired or replaced.
  • Condensation in the windows isn’t a window problem and can instead be resolved by fine-tuning the humidity in your home. Numerous things generate humidity inside a home, including showers, cooking, taking a bath or even breathing.

Why Condensation on Windows Can Be an Issue

Even though you might consider condensation in your windows is a cosmetic issue, it may also be evidence your home has higher humidity. If this is in fact the case, water may also be condensing on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a small film of water can encourage wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, increasing the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Lower Humidity in Your Home

Thankfully there are numerous options for removing 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 decreases.

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

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

Whole-house dehumidifier systems are managed by a humidistat, which allows you to specify a humidity level just like you would pick a temperature with your thermostat. The unit will begin running immediately when the humidity level exceeds the set level. These systems work with your home’s HVAC system, so you should contact qualified professionals for whole-house dehumidifier installation Muskogee.

Other Ways to Reduce Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Installing exhaust fans near humidity hotspots like the bathroom, laundry room or above the stove can help by pulling the warm, humid air from these spaces out of your home before it can raise the humidity level inside your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Spinning ceiling fans can also keep air flowing inside the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one place.
  • Opening your window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can reduce condensation by stopping the warm air from being stuck against the windowpane.

By reducing humidity across your home and circulating air throughout your home, you can make the most of clear, moisture-free windows even in the middle of the winter.