Good points about laminated glass—it's definitely not a cure-all for icing issues. A few years back, my windows iced up so badly I joked about needing an exorcist instead of a contractor... Turns out, upgrading to double-pane IGUs with argon gas made a huge difference. No more frost creeping in, and the house felt noticeably warmer. It's a bit of an investment, but honestly worth it for the comfort alone. Hang in there—your ghostly windows will be history soon enough!
"A few years back, my windows iced up so badly I joked about needing an exorcist instead of a contractor..."
Haha, been there—sometimes those windows really do seem possessed. You're spot-on about laminated glass; it's great for safety and noise reduction, but won't magically banish frost demons. Double-pane IGUs with argon gas are definitely the way to go. A bit pricier upfront, sure, but you'll thank yourself when you're sipping coffee comfortably instead of scraping ice off the inside of your windows... Hang tight, warmer days ahead.
"Double-pane IGUs with argon gas are definitely the way to go."
Agreed, but have you checked your humidity levels lately? Even the best windows won't help much if your indoor moisture's through the roof... might be worth a quick look before blaming the glass entirely.
- Totally get where you're coming from. I just moved into my first place and noticed the same thing—windows icing up even after we put in new ones.
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Agree with this. Checked my humidity and it was way up after we started using a humidifier for the baby. Dialed it back and the ice problem got a lot better."might be worth a quick look before blaming the glass entirely."
- Upgrading windows helps, but it's not always the magic fix. Sometimes it's just small stuff, like drying clothes indoors or cooking without the fan on... learned that the hard way.
- Hang in there—figuring out these little things is all part of homeownership.
- Noticed the same thing after moving into a 70s split-level—brand new windows, but still got that frosty edge in the mornings.
- Humidity’s a sneaky one. We started line-drying clothes inside (bad idea), and the glass turned into an ice rink.
- Exhaust fans are underrated. If I skip using the bathroom fan, the windows fog up like clockwork.
- Sometimes I wonder if it’s just “old house problems” or if my house is actually trying to tell me something...
- Window upgrades help, but chasing down every little source of moisture made a bigger difference than I expected.
I’ve been scratching my head over this too. We moved into a place built in the late 60s—windows were supposed to be “energy efficient,” but we still get ice around the edges, especially after showers or when we cook a lot. I’m starting to wonder if it’s more about airflow than the windows themselves. Has anyone actually fixed this by adding more ventilation, or did you have to mess with insulation too?
We moved into a place built in the late 60s—windows were supposed to be “energy efficient,” but we still get ice around the edges, especially after showers or when we cook a lot.
Had a client with the same issue—mid-century ranch, “efficient” windows, yet frost every winter. Honestly, ventilation played a bigger role than they thought. Added a bathroom exhaust fan and made sure the kitchen range hood vented outside. Helped a ton, but still had to hit some window caulking too. Sometimes it’s both airflow and insulation... old houses like to keep us on our toes.
Sometimes it’s both airflow and insulation... old houses like to keep us on our toes.
Totally agree, it’s rarely just one thing. I had to reseal around my windows twice before the drafts finally stopped. Did you notice if the frost is worse on certain windows or just all of them? Sometimes orientation makes a difference too.
I’m not entirely convinced it’s just sealing or orientation, honestly. In my place (built 1920s), I found the real culprit was humidity—too much moisture inside, especially during cold snaps, made even the best-sealed windows frost up. Even after upgrading insulation and sealing gaps, I still had to run a dehumidifier in winter. Sometimes all these fixes just mask the bigger issue. Anyone else notice that?
Even after upgrading insulation and sealing gaps, I still had to run a dehumidifier in winter.
That’s been my experience too. My house is 1940s, and no matter what I did—weatherstripping, caulking, even new storm windows—if I let the humidity creep up, the glass would ice over. I finally started tracking indoor humidity with one of those cheap meters. Turns out showers, cooking, and even drying laundry inside were pushing it way up. Now I crack a window during showers (yeah, even in January) and it’s made a surprising difference. Not perfect, but less scraping in the mornings.
