The windows throughout your home are a gateway to the outdoors, a way to allow light in while you appreciate 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 unsightly, they also can be a sign of a larger air-quality problem within your home. Luckily, there’s several things you can attempt to resolve the problem.

What Creates Condensation in Windows

Condensation on the inner layer of windows is created by the humid warm air inside your home reaching the cold surface of the windows. It’s notably commonplace around the winter when it’s much colder outside than it is in your home.

Inside Moisture vs. In Between Panes

When dealing with condensation, it’s important 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 inside a window is produced from the warm moist air inside your home condensing along the glass.
  • Any moisture you see between windowpanes is caused 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 on the inside of the windows isn’t a window issue and can instead be fixed by changing the humidity across your home. Different things cause humidity inside a home, such as showers, cooking, taking a bath or even breathing.

Why Sweating Windows Could Mean an Issue

Though you might think condensation on the inside of your windows is a cosmetic issue, it can be evidence your home has higher humidity. If this is in fact the case, water might also be condensing on window frames, cold walls or other surfaces. Even a thin film of water can help wood surfaces to mildew or rot over time, promoting the growth of mildew or mold.

How to Lower Humidity Inside Your Home

Not to worry, because there are numerous options for removing 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 decreases.

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

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

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

Additional Ways to Eliminate Condensation on Windows

  • Exhaust fans. Installing exhaust fans in humidity hotspots such as the bathroom, laundry room or above the oven can help by extracting the warm, humid air from these rooms out of your home before it can raise the humidity level throughout your home.
  • Ceiling fans. Turning on ceiling fans can also keep air swirling inside the home so humid air doesn’t get caught up in one area.
  • Open window treatments. Opening the blinds or drapes can lower condensation by preventing the damp air from being caught against the windowpane.

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