It’s been a mild enough November so far but with temperatures finally dropping and the heating coming on, households up and down the country are facing an old winter enemy again: condensation.
Whether you’re drying clothes, cooking or showering, condensation can creep up on you and cover your windows in a fine layer of water droplets which hang around, ruining your air quality and can even damage your window frames due to mould and damp.
Certain condensation is triggered by your activities within the house. Cooking, drying clothes indoors, and keeping windows closed can all contribute to moisture accumulating on windows which, if not addressed, can result in unsightly black mould forming on walls and windowpanes, potentially causing health issues.
Fans of cleaning guru Mrs Hinch have discovered a nifty trick typically reserved for winter – and it’ll only set you back 70p.
Placing some salt in a bowl and setting it on the windowsill is touted as an effective solution, with one Mrs Hinch enthusiast stating: “Salt works wonders.
“Put salt in a bowl on the window sill. It will draw the damp to it.
“Leave a little pot or two of salt on your window sill. It draws the moisture. Just put a fresh pot/bowl out each night.”
Table salt can be purchased for as little as 65p or 70p depending on the supermarket, or if you’re looking to save every penny, collect any unused spare salt sachets when you visit cafes or restaurants and place them in a bowl on the windowsill when you return home.
If you’re battling with persistent and chronic condensation issues, it may well be a sign that its time to look into replacing your windows.
Everest, a leading window firm, advises: “If you have double or triple glazed window, condensation between the panes of glass inside the glazed unit means that the seals have failed on the glazing unit.
“Double glazed units actually hold a low level of moisture internally. To stop the moisture forming on the glass inside, the unit also has crystalline desiccant (like the ones you find in a new bag or shoes) contained in the spacer bar. The desiccant draws the moisture out of the air gap and keeps the internal space between the panes dry.
“Internal condensation happens when the seals on the sealed unit begin to fail and more moisture is drawn into the unit. The desiccant becomes saturated and can no longer hold moisture and as a result, condensation forms inside the unit.”