Windows

How to Protect Your Home from Condensation

When humid air comes into contact with a cold surface, it cools and condenses, leaving droplets of water. In cold weather, the temperature of your external walls and windows is lower than the air indoors, so moisture may condense and run down your windows and onto walls.

Difficulty rating: Low

These tasks should be fairly straightforward, whether you have experience doing DIY or none at all.

Before you get started on any of our ‘how to’ guides, please take a moment to read through our DIY safety tips.

Step 1

Wipe down the windows and sills every morning and wring out the wet cloth rather than dry it on a radiator.

Step 2

Buy condensation channels and sponge strips and fit these to your windows to collect condensation. This will help prevent window frames from rotting and avoid damp forming under sills.

Step 3

Some ordinary daily activities produce a lot of moisture very quickly so consider how you can cut down on the moisture produced by simple things like cooking, washing and heating. Extractor fans and window vents can ease this problem.

Step 4

You can ventilate your home without creating draughts. Keep a small window ajar or better still, use a humidistat-controlled electric fan (these come on automatically when the air becomes humid and are cheap to run). Insulate and draught-proof your home. When the whole home is warmer, condensation is less likely.

Step 5

In cold weather, the best way to keep rooms warm enough to avoid condensation is to keep low background heating on all day.



Homebase

Homebase

Writer and expert