Let the air in Ventilating the home by opening the windows for even just 20 minutes a day can drastically reduce the effects of condensation and dampness in homes.
The most common condensation solutions are based around controlling humidity in your home and improving ventilation. To stop condensation forming on the walls in your bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom, you should: Open your windows to allow air to circulate more freely.
The simplest way to get rid of condensation inside windows is to just open them, even a crack. Doing so reduces the room's humidity dramatically. 'The key to reducing occurrences of condensation is to improve ventilation by opening windows after showers and baths in the bathroom,' advises Jenny Turner.
During the winter, if you open the window when the outside air is colder than the air indoors, the cold air will come into contact with the warmer air and the level of humidity will fall automatically.
Benefits of Sleeping with the Window Open in Winter
Outdoor air is generally much cleaner than the air in your home, and opening the window allows clean, fresh air to circulate, flushing out the stale, contaminated air. Letting the cool, winter air in can also help you sleep better.
Condensation and mould issues are generally worse in the winter when the weather is cold and wet, so spring and summer can be a great time to throw those windows wide open and air out your house to help keep condensation and mould problems at bay.
Warm air holds more moisture than cold air. The warmer it is, the more moisture it can hold. Heating one room, and leaving the others cold, will lead to more condensation forming in the cold rooms. If you have central heating with radiators in every room, it is best to have a medium level of heat throughout your home.
Increasing the temperature in your room, particularly overnight and in the winter, will prevent the build-up of condensation on your windows and walls. This is because condensation occurs when water condenses on a cold surface.
Warm air holds more moisture than cold air and when it rises, so do the suspended water molecules that are contained. As temperatures fall, the air can no longer hold all of its moisture, so it will find surrounding cool surfaces to transfer this moisture onto.
Lily Cameron, cleaning supervisor at Fantastic Service recommends ventilating your entire home for a minimum of 30 minutes daily by opening the windows. 'However, cross ventilation is necessary, so interior doors should also be opened along with the windows.
Open the windows wide.
In the winter months, about 5 minutes is enough to provide our rooms with the right amount of fresh air.
Ventilate your home
Mokler recommends even opening the windows for just 20 minutes a day as this can be enough to drastically reduce the effects of condensation and dampness in homes.
It's time to open your windows and experience a cozy yet fresh feel this winter! Keeping your windows closed can cause condensation issues and build up in your home due to lack of fresh air (i.e. weeping windows), allowing mould and other toxins to grow inside your home.
Rising damp is less likely to occur on or around your windows as damp will only rise to approximately 1 metre above the ground. While damp cannot be reduced by opening windows, it can help to reduce the humidity levels in your property to make sure that condensation is not a common occurrence.
Finally, if you can handle it, leaving the slightest opening in your window overnight will make the air circulating your room more comfortable. Yes, you will be losing some energy, but the health benefits you get from bringing fresh air into your home is unparallel and most definitely worth it.
He explained that keeping your heating between 15 and 17 degrees helps your home reach a "constant temperature" which stops water forming on the windows. This trick also helps to slash energy bills, as it helps your home stay at a more manageable temperature rather than going between being too hot and too cold.
Simply raising the temperature in your rooms while leaving windows slightly ajar will allow heat to circulate. Which may tackle your condensation problem, while also ensuring you stay warm as you try to sleep.
Keeping your home at an even, low temperature for prolonged periods of time is a good way to ward off condensation. This prevents areas of cold, which is where the condensation is most likely to occur.
Winter is often the time when you experience damp conditions in your home. Condensation is caused by warm moist air coming into contact with cold surfaces such as windows and walls. It happens mainly during the colder months, regardless of whether the weather is wet or dry.
Symptoms and illnesses associated with condensation
At the milder end of the scale, people can experience runny noses, sore throats and coughing as a result of condensation however, some people will also experience slightly more extreme symptoms possibly leading to rhinitis and sinusitis that will need treating.
“Fresh air isn't the enemy. Open your windows,” says Dr Appelles Econs, an allergy specialist at the Burghwood Clinic. Keeping your windows shut all day will allow chemicals and allergens to build up inside. Even if you live in a polluted city, you are going to have to open the windows from time to time.
Does Opening Windows Help Reduce Mold? As you might've guessed, opening windows can help reduce mold. Doing so lets excess moisture flow outside instead of settling on your walls, floors, and ceiling. Without the proper amount of moisture indoors, mold won't be able to grow.
Keeping a window open reduced concentration of carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and some particulate matter in participant bedrooms. People slept better. Keeping a door open also reduced carbon dioxide concentration, without a direct correlation to improving sleep.