Does Opening Windows Reduce Damp?

Our daily activities such as taking a hot shower, cooking, drying clothes etc… produce a lot of moisture. This leads to dampness which leads to mold growth. That’s why we have appliances like bathroom and kitchen fans. However, these don’t always prove effective, so we need to seek out additional methods to reduce damp.

Normally, everyone’s first instinct will be opening the window. Although it looks reasonable, many homeowners with advanced ventilation systems have been questioning the method. I guess you are dealing with damp in your home, so you would like to know for sure. That’s our task for today, let’s see if opening the windows does actually reduce damp?

The answer is not as simple as yes or no. The effect of opening the window to reduce dampness depends on the air outside. Opening the window works if the air inside the house is more humid than the air outside.

Some other factors can come into play, keep reading for the thorough answer.

Why is my house damp?

You probably noticed the dampness in your house because of moist walls near windows or toilets. This isn’t always the case; it all depends on the source of the moisture. Let’s go over the usual reasons for dampness in homes.

Dampness from showers or toilets

This is a very common issue among homeowners. During construction dealing with the moisture from the bathroom is planned out. This is not one-hundred percent effective though. For an example, opening the bathroom door after a hot shower lets out a lot of moisture no matter the ventilation.

In some cases, the natural ventilation in the bathroom is just bad. A lot of issues can spring from bathrooms, from bad plumbing to broken pipes. Fortunately, water leaks are easily noticeable. So, if you know everything is okay with your plumbing in pipes, it’s the hot steam that’s causing the dampness. After some time, you will notice that the walls around the bathroom door are getting damp.

Damp windows during winter

Have you ever noticed that your windows are getting foggy during the winter? You may have not thought this to be an issue. However, the dampness in the windows can affect the walls nearby, especially with wooden windows.

The thing is, homes have to be warmed up during the winter. When that warm air meets with the cold air outside it creates a vapor. Repeated occurrence can damage your windows or walls seeing as how moisture spreads.

Dampness from cooking

This is not that common because in most houses there is a kitchen fan. More so, kitchens are designed to prevent dampness. The dampness from cooking can be dangerous in a weekend house where the kitchen wasn’t actually planned. Also, sometimes people just don’t want to use the kitchen fan.

Seeing as how water is an essential ingredient for cooking, it’s easy to see how kitchens are a damp place. Most of the things you are cooking release steam which is moist. If the kitchen is not properly ventilated, the walls around it may be damp.

Dampness from water damage

Now, I’m guessing if you have had water damage in your home, you would have dealt with it. But, water may have gotten in some places which you didn’t notice. If that place isn’t ventilated, the moisture can spread throughout the room.

Professionals always run a dehumidifier throughout the house when dealing with water damage. This makes it easier to deal with the moisture. Even those with experience can’t always track how the water travelled.

We’ll end this section here, I’m sure you’ll find your situation in one of the cases.

Does opening windows help?

We’ll explain this as simple as it can be. As I said, it all depends on where the moisture is coming from and whether the air outside is dry.

For example, if you’re dealing with dampness from the bathroom or the kitchen, opening the window does help. No matter how dry the air outside is, your house already has excess moisture. Opening the window helps with letting the humid air out of your house. No can deny that this doesn’t have an effect.

On the other hand, dampness from water damage or foggy windows can’t be fixed by opening the window. Water damage means your home will be full of moisture and opening the window just isn’t enough. It can help a little though. With foggy windows, you just deal with the problem temporarily. After some time, the vapor will occur again.

Couple more things to keep in mind.

Temperature counts too. You can open the window and let cold moist air come in and let the warm damp air out. Then, as the room is being heated, the cold air is heated too. This only works in situations where the temperatures outside are colder.

Opening the window doesn’t reduce dampness if it’s raining outside or it has just rained. This helps with reducing dry air in your home. The dampness from outside enters the room with the window, it doesn’t spread throughout the house though.

So, you’ve got your answer there. Connect your situation with one of the answers above. One more thing to go over, and we’re done.

How to reduce dampness in the house?

Now, there’s a number of ways you can deal with moisture. Most advice on buying a dehumidifier, it’s a useful appliance, especially if you have a sump pump. Bigger houses require installing vents for a ventilation system. The best way is to plan ahead, constructing your house to be naturally ventilated.

As we said, you can open the windows when the opportunity arises. If you recently had a water leak, a dehumidifier (affiliate link to Amazon) is the best way to go. Make sure you clean out any mold growth before getting rid of the moisture.

That’s it for this post guys, hope you found your answer here. Good luck!

Related questions

Is it safe to sleep in a damp room?

It’s not advised to sleep in a damp room? If the dampness is recent, sleeping is okay if necessary. Avoid sleeping in a damp room and deal with the situation as soon as possible.

Why is my bedroom damp?

Dampness in a bedroom means there is moisture present elsewhere in the house. Search and find where the moisture is coming from. Deal with it before getting mold growth.