Heading into the cold months.
With winter looming, here’s a tip we have to share regarding your windows.
If you are going to use a heater, fireplace or air-conditioning to warm your home, you may get condensation given the air will be cold outside. Especially if you have no or little ventilation.
We’ve often seen windows with mould growing on the glass and frames because of this, and not only is it unsightly but very unhealthy to have in your environment. But we get the same question again and again.
“ Why is this happening and what can I do about it?”
Condensation
As mentioned the problem is condensation. Condensation occurs when warm air collides with cold surfaces. This would be common if your windows are cold from the winter air outside but you’ve got the heater on or the fireplace going. Now you’ve got condensation on your glass.
Now if you’ve got good ventilation in the house, this shouldn’t cause a problem, but not all houses have great ventilation. Next thing you know you’ve got small mould spores growing on your windows. Oh dear!
The solution
What can you do about it? Provide some ventilation to all rooms so that moist air can escape, whilst also keeping your property reasonably warm.
Here are some ideas:
- If you’re using a humidifier, turn it down a bit
- Remember to turn on bathroom or kitchen fans
- Open your windows- this one’s obvious but you’d be surprised how homeowners keep windows shut all winter long because it’s so cold
- Buy a dehumidifier. Check that your air con doesn’t already have it as a programme
At the very least, open your windows at some point during the day or a little at night.
Sounds simple but most people don’t understand how the mould has occurred in the first place, so ventilation is really important to keep in mind if your home doesn’t have in built vents or systems to allow air flow.
So keep your family both safe and warm in the winter months by simply remember to ventilate whenever you can especially after using heaters to warm up the house.
