It doesn’t matter whether you live in an old building or a brand-new apartment – everyone can get condensation on their windows, and everyone can struggle with the impact of leaving it unattended for too long.
Condensation itself isn’t a sign you should worry straight away, but if you don’t deal with the problem it can lead to longer-lasting problems – usually with pricey solutions.
This can include damp and mould, which can damage your walls and furniture.
Why do you get condensation and how can you stop it?
Why do you get condensation on your windows?
Condensation occurs when warm air collides with cold surfaces – this is called the dew point and causes warm air to turn into water droplets.
This is more common in winter, when your central heating comes on in the colder hours of the mornings and evenings.
It’s not just heating which can cause the condensation, though.
Everyday activities like cooking, showering, and drying clothes can release warm moisture into the air inside your home.
When this moisture-packed warm air comes into contact with a chilly surface, it cools down quickly and releases the water, which turns into liquid droplets on the cold surface.
What problems can condensation cause?
While a bit of water might sound harmless enough, if condensation isn’t dealt with immediately it can go on to encourage black mould to start growing on your walls, ceilings, and windows.
Black mould can then spread further, damaging your belongings, especially if you keep things by a draft.
For example, if you have a wardrobe by a window or a door, the mould can spread into your clothes.
In addition to being costly to repair damaged items, mould can cause health problems such as bronchitis and other respiratory issues.
With coronavirus affecting the respiratory system, this year is not the time to let condensation impact your health unnecessarily.
How to reduce or stop condensation?
When it comes to condensation, it’s easier to prevent it than it is to ‘fix’ longer-term damage, so proactivity is key here.
AXA advise that the only real way to avoid condensation in the long-term is to invest wisely in both ventilation and insulation.
Where possible, keep a window open when you are cooking and if you’ve had a shower.
If it’s too cold out for that, if you have an extractor fan, ensure it’s on during your shower and in colder months leave it on for a little longer than usual after your shower.
Window specialist Glass Doctor also suggest tips that could help.
These are:
- Buy a dehumidifier – Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air and keep moisture off of your windows.
- Move your houseplants – The more houseplants you have, the more moisture you’ll find in the air. By moving your houseplants outside during the winter can eliminate condensation inside your windows.
- Don’t air-dry your clothes indoors – drying wet clothes inside significantly increases interior moisture in your home.
A more costly solution – but a long-term one – could also involve improving the insulation in your home, which could include upgrading your windows to double-glazing if they aren’t already.
This has added benefits, including reducing the cost of your heating bills over time.
MORE: How to stay warm when you’re working from home without putting the heating on 24/7
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/11/why-do-you-get-condensation-on-your-windows-and-how-can-you-stop-it-13404812/
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