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condensation on inside of windows in the morning.

28 replies

Toowittoowoo · 24/10/2013 09:15

We have Upvc windows which look as if they were fitted in 1995 so I am aware that we should be looking at changing them - unfortunately we do not currently have enough money. DC 2 is due any day so we will have 1 year of mat leave followed by 1 year of 2 sets of nursery fees. After that we will be in a finacial position to do something about the windows. In the mean time is there anything we can during the autumn and winter to reduce this problem. We already keep the windows open a crack all day and night but the blackout blinds do get mouldy and I need to replace them every 6 months or so. There is also a thin strip of black speckled mould around the windows which goes when I clean it but always comes back.

Any advice gratefully recieved as they are still covered in water and I opened the curtains and blinds at 7am (2 hours agao). Should I be wiping the windows every morning or should I be leaving it to dry naturally?

(Meant to add if it is relevant that the house dates to early 1980s so is not old and draughty).

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PseudoBadger · 24/10/2013 09:18

Wipe off the actual condensation and then air the room(s). If the house was draughty you wouldn't have the problem!

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LittleTulip · 24/10/2013 09:18

You need a dehumidifier. Will get rid of all the condensation and will also protect your walls and keep your house warm

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Bluecarrot · 24/10/2013 09:20

Dry off or the water just evaporates back into the room.

We leave our windows on the latch - so 5mm opening maybe? Don't dry clothes indoors if you can help it. ( or restrict to the bathroom if possible)

You can also get little boxes filled with a rough pebbly mix that evaporates extra water but the powder is highly dangerous to skin so shouldn't be used in reach of small children. I found they helped a little but I still needed to wipe up all the water daily and ensure good circulation of air.

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VivaLeFUCKER · 24/10/2013 09:22

The more airtight the house, ie with better windows the worse the problem will be.

Definitely dry off and get a dehumidifier if you can. If not you can buy little boxes which just soak up moisture, so you put them on windowsills.

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Sunnysummer · 24/10/2013 09:29

Another recommendation for the dehumidifier. We have one and it's great.

Also important to keep the bathroom door closed all the time, dry washing ideally outdoors but at least during the day and by an open window, and always use the fan when bathing, cooking and (if you do it) tumble drying. If you can handle it, having the windows cracked open at night does help too.

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Toowittoowoo · 24/10/2013 09:32

Yes, I was thinking that our lack of draughts was part of the problem. It all got worse after we did our loft and cavity wall insulation. I can work out how a dehumidifier would work as the problem is in every room upstairs. Any suggestions?

I also suspect that our roller blinds are making it worse as they are reducing the air flow - do you think this is possible? Our curtains are pretty rubbish but is dark when we go to bed and wake up so it might be possible to do witbout them?

I like the idea of the things that go window sill but it would probably only be possible in our bedroom as they would be too tempting in the DC's rooms

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noblegiraffe · 24/10/2013 09:41

We have this problem too, how do you use a dehumidifier? My parents had some big ones after a flood and I remember them being very noisy.
Do you leave it on overnight? Move it from room to room?

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specialsubject · 24/10/2013 09:49

laws of physics. Either stop breathing or wipe the windows in the morning.

you can reduce condensation with the obvious stuff like no drying washing indoors, lids on pans, extractor fans etc but only to a point.

don't bother with a dehumidifier. 10 mins housework is cheaper.

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funnyossity · 24/10/2013 10:02

I find morning condensation is reduced upstairs if I'm careful to keep both kitchen and bathroom doors shut when creating vapour and have extractors and windows open to dry them out afterwards.

Then it is a case of wiping dry and opening windows in the morning.

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ghostonthecanvas · 24/10/2013 10:08

We had this in our last house. I got a small dehumidifier. About £60. It was great. I do agree though, that wiping the windows dry every morning is a must. It is a pain but once you have it as part of your routine it is easier. The dehumidifier is an ongoing cost as it is on all the time, makes a noise too.

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VivaLeFUCKER · 24/10/2013 10:27

got our dehumidifier from here

We got one which said its suitable for a three bed house. We keep ours downstairs as that's where most of the problems are. I wouldn't say it sucks all the moisture out the air as we still need to wipe windows. But that's maybe as we have bedroom doors shut at night and when were at work so it won't really get to work in the bedrooms. Most of our problems were downstairs and its much better downstairs now.

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VivaLeFUCKER · 24/10/2013 10:28

Ours isn't noisy, its on all the time but you can set it to different moisture levels. So it only comes on if it needs to.

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Erac · 24/10/2013 10:32

It doesn't solve the problem but I use a window vac around this time of year to help get the condensation off. I have a dehumidifier too, but it's more costly to run so I don't use it every day.

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WowOoo · 24/10/2013 10:34

I wiped my window down and am now freezing in an attempt to air the house! I open the windows when I'm at home.

How I would love a laundry drying and sorting room....

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specialsubject · 24/10/2013 10:59

Lovely sunny day here in the Midlands and all windows open. Not tropical but that's why I am wearing a jumper. And the laundry is OUTSIDE.

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CarlaBrooni · 24/10/2013 11:29

When we were little this was really common (no heating and no double glazing). I can still see my mum wiping down all the windows that were running with water. I think she used to put down some towels on the window ledge just to soak it up. (I lived in a very humid part).

The ice patterns on the insides of our windows in winter were amazing.

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LittleTulip · 24/10/2013 11:59

Meaco and Ebac dehumidifiers are great, Ebac have some on offer at the minute with a 5 year guarantee. They are definitely worth purchasing. We use half as much heating as we used to due to using a dehumidifier. It's amazing how much water they collect. We just leave it on in the hallway of our apartment, they're not very noisy at all. Plus using the water collected from your dehumidifier in your iron will prevent scaling!

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PigletJohn · 24/10/2013 12:29

have you got an extractor fan in the bathroom?

Do you drape wet washing around the house or over radiators?

Do your windows have trickle vents?

It should not be necessary to spend thousands on new windows unless there is something wrong with the old ones.

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Toowittoowoo · 24/10/2013 15:51

No extractor fan in the bathroom but surprisingly the bathroom is the only room where the windows don't have condensation - although this is probably because there is no blind to the window and nobody sleeping in there and warming up the room.

We do dry washing upstairs in the spare room - although I have no idea what we are going to do with it in a few months when DC2 needs her own room and DD1 moves into the spare room!

Windows are rubbish and have no vents but I keep the upstairs ones open all the time.

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PigletJohn · 24/10/2013 16:31

wet washing releases a vast amount of water vapour, which diffuses around the house. If you spend some money on anything, spend it on a tumble drier.

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MinimalistMommi · 24/10/2013 18:11

I think this would be the answer to your problems right now:
www.robertdyas.co.uk/P~155723~Karcher-Window-Vacuum-Cleaner-As-Seen-on-TV
You can suck it all up and empty it down the sink to get rid of the moisture.

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MinimalistMommi · 24/10/2013 18:12

We have a really draughty house with old sash windows and we have really bad condensation.

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Spindelina · 25/10/2013 13:09

You get condensation on really old single-glazed sashes just because they are so cold. It isn't necessarily a problem - it doesn't necessarily mean the air is too damp.

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PigletJohn · 25/10/2013 13:44

that's true, but if you actually have water running down the glass, then you need to look at reducing the moisture load.

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MinimalistMommi · 25/10/2013 14:31

We have no line drying inside, we have a tumble dryer and we also air kitchen when we cook, we also shut bathroom door when showering and open window in bathroom. No condensation at all downstairs, just upstairs overnight when we are breathing i guess when we all sleep.

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