A wet window in your home can be a symptom of a few different causes and fall is the perfect time to get your windows fixed, repaired or replaced, before the cold winter months are here. Interior window condensation is caused by excessive moisture in your home, and it happens often in the wintertime when the warm air in your home condenses on the cold windows.
Frost or water on your windows is how condensation forms, when warm moist air comes in contact with cool dry air, like when your bathroom mirror fogs up after a hot shower.
One quick tip to keeping your home windows from fogging up is by applying shaving cream foam to the surface of the window, wiping it down with a clean rag, and then repeating this step every few weeks.
To reduce condensation on your windows in your home, here are numerous other things you can do this fall to prepare for winter.
Circulate the Air
If you circulate the air in your home, it can help reduce the condensation on your windows. So, use your ceiling fans, even in the winter, but you will want the fans to rotate in a clockwise direction to push warm air off of the ceiling and back down to the floor.
Open Your Windows
If it is not too cold, you can open your windows in your home, releasing some of the moist warm air that is still trapped in the house.
Turn Down the Humidifier
In your kitchen or bathroom, you may notice condensation. If you use a humidifier in any part of your home, you can try turning it down. As a result, your humidifier will release less moisture into the air, hopefully reducing condensation.
Kitchen and Bathroom Fans
Speaking of your bathroom and kitchen, use your fans every time you cook or shower. Cooking and showering releases a lot of moisture into the air, and sometimes this moisture cannot escape from your home as well. However, the exhaust fans in your kitchen and your bathroom will help remove this moisture from the air. In addition, run the fans for about 15 – 20 minutes after you shower or cook.
Add Weather Stripping
When you add weather stripping to your windows, it can help keep warm air from leaving your home. And if you are planning on using storm windows during the winter months, this can help reduce even more condensation. Weather stripping also makes your home more energy efficient.
Raise the Temperature
Did you know that raising the temperature of the windows will reduce the condensation on them? To raise the temperature of your windows, you can slightly raise the temperature of your home. You can also use curtains, blinds, or drapes to raise the window temperature as well.
Use Storm Windows
Using storm windows during the winter months can help reduce condensation on your interior windows. The space between the two windows allows the interior window to stay warmer. Storm windows can also help reduce your heating bills during the winter. And condensation on the storm windows sometimes indicates a leak in the interior windows, so you will want to check and/or reapply your weather stripping as needed.