‘Three-minute’ tip to put a stop to window condensation

The warmer weather may be on its way but that doesn’t mean many Britons aren’t still waking up to find their windows are covered in condensation. Bedrooms, in particular, can fall victim to condensation and if allowed to build up, you might begin to see mould forming around your window frames.

As well as being unaesthetic, mould also poses a risk to our health if allowed to grow freely.

However, there is a German technique which can put a stop to condensation in your home in a matter of minutes. The tip came from a Reddit forum, where one user explained the technique.

« In Germany, we have a technique called ‘Stosslüften’,” explained a Reddit user posting under the moniker Ukes91.

“What that basically means is that instead of having maybe one window open all day (which is a huge waste of energy), open several windows all over the house for three minutes, creating a strong draft to exchange most of the warm humid air inside the house with cold air from outside.

« A cool feature about cold air is that it can ‘hold’ less water vapour. If this relatively dry cold air enters your house, it warms up.

« Being warmer, it is suddenly capable of taking up some of the extra humidity from inside your house.

« This might sound a little weird at first but is advocated in schools and so on. I use that technique and it works. Do this several times a day and you should really see a change. » [SIC]

Condensation can also be made worse by everyday activities including drying your clothes inside, cooking or even washing.

While it is more common to experience condensation in your home during the winter, that doesn’t mean that you can’t also see water droplets forming on your windows during the spring.

The more moisture that is in the air, the more likely condensation will occur – whether that is from drying your clothes or from your breath while you sleep.

Dehumidifiers are another great way to eliminate the risk of condensation building up, and it’s also advised that you wipe down your windows each morning to reduce the risk of mould growth.