It has often been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Proactively working to prevent damage to your home not only saves you money in materials and labor, but it also saves you from the headaches and hassle of dealing with the effects of the moisture damage to windows and the rest of your home.
To prevent moisture buildup, consider the following:
- Avoid hanging clothes to dry inside your home. Either hang your clothes outside, or use a dryer that vents moisture outside your home. If you must dry your clothes indoors, choose to do it inside your bathroom, keeping the door closed and a window open.
- Keep bathroom and kitchen doors closed. Bathrooms and kitchens are the most humid areas in your home, meaning they have the highest level of moisture in the air. To prevent all of that moisture from finding their way into your home and onto your windows, keep the doors to these rooms closed. Even with an exhaust fan in place, it’s still a good idea to keep the doors closed to keep humidity levels in check.
- When a room is in use, keep a window or trickle vent open. This helps ensure air is circulating and that the room is being ventilated properly. When a window is open, don’t forget to open window treatments like drapes and blinds as well to guarantee that air can come in and flow out.
- Leave space between furniture and walls. This too will allow air to circulate freely in a room, helping preventing moisture from building up.
- Remove objects such as books, picture frames, and other knickknacks if you get a lot of condensation on window sills, as even small objects can hamper the flow of air around a window and prevent a window sill from drying out completely after moisture accumulates.
Excessive moisture can be a problem but it’s nothing that you can’t do anything about. If moisture truly has gotten the best of your windows, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local contractor to check out replacement options available to you.
