I've tried those shrink-wrap kits a couple winters back, and honestly, they're not terrible. They did seem to help a bit with drafts, but I didn't notice a huge difference with fogging specifically. I think you're onto something about humidity levels indoors—once we upgraded our bathroom fan and started using the kitchen exhaust more often, the windows cleared up noticeably. Maybe it's more about ventilation than insulation...?
"Maybe it's more about ventilation than insulation...?"
That's a really interesting observation. I've noticed something similar in our house—after installing a humidity sensor and upgrading our exhaust fan, the fogging issue improved significantly. Perhaps managing indoor moisture is more crucial than we initially thought?
Good point, ventilation is definitely underrated. I've dealt with foggy windows in plenty of homes, and usually it boils down to moisture control rather than insulation alone. Here's what tends to work best:
1. Check your exhaust fans—make sure they're venting outside properly, not just into the attic or crawlspace. You'd be surprised how often that's overlooked.
2. Run bathroom fans during showers and for at least 15-20 mins afterward.
3. Crack open a window slightly in rooms prone to humidity when possible; even a small gap can help circulate air.
4. Consider adding trickle vents if your windows don't have them already—they let fresh air in without losing much heat.
5. And yeah, humidity sensors are great; they take out the guesswork.
Insulation matters too, obviously, but it's usually secondary if you're dealing with condensation. Keep moisture levels down first and you'll notice improvements pretty quickly...
Totally agree on the ventilation points, especially bathroom fans—made a huge difference for us. Have you also noticed if indoor plants affect your humidity levels? We had a bunch of houseplants grouped together in one room, and it seemed like windows fogged up there more often. Spreading them out helped a bit. Wonder if anyone else experienced something similar...
Yeah, plants definitely made a difference at our place too. We had this big fern in the corner of our living room—beautiful plant but man, that thing was basically a humidity machine. The window next to it constantly looked like someone was taking steamy showers nearby. Eventually moved it to another room with better airflow and things improved noticeably. Who knew plants could be such troublemakers...
We had a similar issue with a peace lily. Gorgeous plant, but it seemed like every morning the windows near it were completely fogged up—like someone had been cooking pasta all night or something. Took me forever to figure out the plant was actually causing it. I even blamed the kids at first, thinking they'd been messing with the thermostat or something, haha.
Anyway, moving it away from the window helped a bit, but eventually we ended up getting a small dehumidifier for that room. It felt kinda silly at first—buying a machine just because of one plant—but honestly, it's worked wonders. Plus, the room feels fresher overall now, and no more wiping down windows every day (which was getting old fast).
Funny thing is, I never really thought about plants adding humidity before this. Always assumed it was showers, cooking, laundry... stuff like that. But plants? Who knew? Guess it's one of those homeowner things you only learn after dealing with it yourself.
Curious if anyone's noticed certain types of plants being worse than others for humidity. Ferns and lilies seem to be culprits so far—wonder if there's a whole list of 'humidity offenders' out there somewhere...
Peace lilies are definitely humidity machines, but honestly, most leafy tropical plants are guilty of this. I had a monstera once that turned my living room into a rainforest... pretty, but not exactly energy efficient. Your dehumidifier move was smart—good thinking!
I've noticed monsteras can really crank up humidity too, but do you think plant placement makes a big difference? Like, maybe grouping them near windows or vents could help airflow and reduce moisture buildup... I've seen some folks swear by ceiling fans for this, but I'm not totally convinced it's enough. Curious if anyone's tried rearranging their plants to manage humidity better—did it actually help, or was it just another furniture-moving workout?
"Curious if anyone's tried rearranging their plants to manage humidity better—did it actually help, or was it just another furniture-moving workout?"
Haha, been there! I moved my monstera and pothos away from the windows last winter thinking it'd help with condensation... honestly, didn't notice much difference. Ceiling fan helped a bit more, but mostly it just made me chilly.
I tried the plant shuffle too, but honestly, it didn't do much. What finally worked for me was a combo of things: first, I got a cheap humidity gauge to actually see what was going on. Then I cracked open the windows for about 10 mins each morning (yeah, even when it's cold...) to let fresh air circulate. Lastly, I grabbed one of those moisture absorbers from the hardware store and stuck it near the worst window. Not perfect, but way less foggy now.