Window Condensation

It’s that time of year again – cold temperatures outside and adequate indoor humidity in some homes to produce condensation on windows.

To solve the problem, you really only have two options: 1) decrease the indoor relative humidity, or 2) increase the temperature at the window surface. Depending on the circumstances, either of these might be difficult to achieve. Increased air flow in the house is often the easiest approach.

Consulting with an HVAC contractor or a replacement window supplier/installer can help you set a course, if you have window condensation problems to navigate. If condensation has been happening for a while this season, or has been a problem in previous years too, consulting with an indoor air quality (IAQ) and mold inspector could also prove helpful. Window condensation can become much more than an inconvenience; it can quite quickly lead to mold problems, window damage and even health issues.

When minor microbial growth sets in, an environmentally friendly enzyme-based cleaner might be a short-term answer to the growth and discoloration problem. Protective coatings like Bac-Shield might also be an important part of your plan.

My own home, heated with in-floor radiant heat, has given me personal experience in the troubles that can exist with window condensation. I hope you take the issue seriously in your own home and bring in some expertise to help form a plan to resolve the issue soon (before it becomes a structural and/or health problem).

Can You Smell it?

Here is another often discounted Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) problem.  Periodically, I hear statements like, “Oh, EVERY basement in the Midwest smells musty – no big deal.” Depending on what microbiological activity is actually going on in that basement and who spends time in that building, it could be a very big deal.  It could affect the health of individual occupants as well as the structural integrity of the building.

If you can smell it, it is alive and thriving.

If you can smell it, you had best find the source of moisture that is sustaining the mold and eliminate or seriously reduce that moisture.

If you can smell it, it would be wise to take appropriate steps to sanitize or physically remove mold affected materials (the sanitization or remediation path depends largely on the type and quantity of mold growth – use of a pro is advised).

If you can smell it, it would be strategic to put a plan in place to prevent future mold growth issues, all the while making sure that your actions to address the mold do not further contaminate other areas of the building.

Mold/IAQ Inspectors and Assessors can be of great assistance in diagnosing the problem and defining a clear plan for both correcting the problem and minimizing the risk of future mold problems.  When mold contaminated materials need to be removed, specially trained Mold Remediators are the smart choice for taking the step beyond diagnosis to select and implement safety-oriented protocols to effectively remove contaminated materials and restore the structure of a mold-damaged building.

Not all basements in the Midwest smell musty – and they shouldn’t.

Hidden Indoor Air Quality Problems

The more homes that I visit, the more subtle Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) problems I see.  So many people think that the air in their homes is just fine, but they use a whole host of air quality damaging cleaning products, including various types of air “fresheners.” 

If you are using a chemical of some kind, and you can smell it, you are breathing in gasses, liquids or solid particles from that chemical product.  Are those chemicals good for your lungs?  Or are they bad? They are not likely neutral in their effect.  Our bodies are designed to take in air that has a specific makeup.  When we add other chemicals to that air, we are not doing our bodies a favor.

I started out saying that I see many subtle IAQ issues, and you might or might not think that fragrance-laden cleaning products and odor masking sprays are subtle IAQ issues.  When I see some cleaning product cabinets in homes and businesses, they jump out at me and red flags fly into the air.  But for most home owners, property managers and cleaning staff, the likely negative impact on indoor air quality is not even considered.  The resulting impact on the health of the building occupants can be significant.

I encourage you to take a close look at what chemicals you use and/or store in your home or business, and consider the health implications of their use.