How to Reduce Condensation in Your Home

*This is a collaborative post 

Condensation leads to damp, and nobody wants damp in their home as it provides the perfect environment for nasties like mould and dust mites to proliferate. Damp can be a risk to your family’s health if left unchecked as it can cause respiratory illness and exacerbate existing conditions such as asthma. Condensation can also rot your window frames, ruin wallpaper and damage your walls.

So how do you know if you’ve got a problem with condensation, and how can you eliminate it?

Condensation occurs when warm air meets a cold surface, or when there’s too much humidity in your home. These conditions are most likely to occur in the winter months and early in the morning, or late in the evening when your central heating is switched on and the temperature outside is low.

Tell-tale signs that you have a condensation problem include moisture on your windows and window sills, musty smells in your home and walls that are damp to the touch. When condensation has been left unaddressed for long enough, you may find paint peeling from walls, stains on the wallpaper, lifting wallpaper, crumbling plaster and rotting window frames.

When is condensation not condensation?

If you have condensation on a window that you can’t wipe away, you’re probably looking at a failed double glazing unit with moisture in between the two glass panes. This can reduce the thermal efficiency of your window and cause more problems in the home, so should be resolved as a priority. Fortunately, it’s relatively inexpensive to deal with as you can have a new double glazed unit fitted into your existing window frame.

How can I get rid of condensation

1. Heat your home evenly

Condensation can be caused by some rooms being colder than others, with moisture forming on the adjoining wall. A simple solution is to make sure all the rooms in your home are heated evenly. You could achieve this by adjusting each radiator so that they’re all set to the same temperature, or do likewise with your thermostats if you have separate controls in each room. It may take a little while for any existing damp to evaporate and making use of a dehumidifier will speed things up, but after a while, everything should settle down.

2. Don’t hang your wet laundry indoors

One of the main causes of moisture in the home is the hanging of wet laundry inside where there’s inadequate ventilation, so if you’re able to hang washing outdoors then that’s always the better option. When that’s not possible, be sure to open a window in the room where the laundry is drying but close the door to prevent moisture from reaching other rooms. It also helps to select a fast spin cycle so there’s less moisture to deal with when it comes to hanging the washing.

3. Use a dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is a fairly inexpensive way of dealing with condensation – and in the winter the heat that it puts out can help increase the temperature in your room. Dehumidifiers are most efficient when windows and doors are closed, and should be placed as close as possible to the problem area. Capacity will differ so a smaller unit will likely need emptying more often.

If you do need to dry laundry indoors, using a dehumidifier will speed up the drying process and prevent too much moisture from getting into the air.

4. Install ventilation or extractor fans

Kitchens and bathrooms, in particular, would benefit from the use of extractor fans when people are cooking or showering.

Ideally, a kitchen extractor would vent to outside, dealing with the moisture created by boiling water and also cooking smells.

Bathroom extractor fans are best positioned close to the shower or bath and should also vent to outside. When showering, also open a window if possible but make sure the bathroom door is shut to prevent moisture from reaching other rooms.

Consult your local builder regarding the installation of ventilation or extractor fans – installation shouldn’t be a huge job but is more involved and fraught with pitfalls than the typical DIY task.

5. Have insulation fitted

If condensation is forming on your walls then the installation of cavity or external wall insulation might be a wise move, but there are a few things to be aware of before going this route.

Cavity wall insulation should keep the temperature of walls above the dew point of the air inside, preventing condensation from forming. While blown fibre insulation will normally allow any condensate to reach the damp-proof course, it’s important to make sure that the cavity space is clean. If mortar has dripped onto cavity ties these ‘snots’ will absorb water and, due to the newly installed insulation preventing evaporation, moisture may then transfer to the inner wall. Reputable installers will always check for snots, but you should insist on it and ensure that any necessary remedial work has been carried out.

You don’t have to worry about the above if you’re having external wall insulation fitted, but this solution doesn’t suit all properties.

Some households in the UK are eligible for insulation grants that could reduce the cost of installation significantly.