Top tips to thwart condensation in your conservatory

Building a conservatory is a great way to boost living space in your property, offering you an area to house a dining room, study, family room or even an office.

Aside from adding value to your home, in summer your conservatory becomes a sun-kissed haven where you can enjoy streams of natural light that help to improve your mood.

Additionally, conservatories allow you to enjoy your garden's scenery as you kick back, relax and watch the world go by in comfort.

But what happens as the winter months roll round and condensation rears its ugly head?

What causes condensation?

Admittedly, condensation is a problem in every area of the home, not just the conservatory - but the risks are elevated in this space as ventilation tends to be poor in the winter months.

The moisture building up in the freezing air will condense and turn to water as it clings to the cold glass surface in your conservatory.

The watertight nature of the structure can lead to problems with condensation, resulting in mould creeping in and settling on furniture.

Throughout your home, water from everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning and hanging up wet clothing is released into the air, with warmer air doing a better job of holding it.

In a bathroom, for example, water vapour turns into droplets of water, causing the mirror to mist up as the vapour comes into contact with a cold surface.

Win the battle against condensation

Quite simply, in the fight against condensation in your conservatory, the most important tactic is to ventilate the area by opening a window and ensuring the room is heated properly.

It may sound obvious, but keep windows open when you're taking a bath or shower to slash the overall amount of water present in your home.

In a conservatory especially, your window coverings can exacerbate the problem as the moisture in the room gets trapped against the window.

Importantly, make sure your windows have trickle vents installed as they can aid air flow and help keep your space free from condensation.

If your conservatory seems moister than ever, the next step may be to invest in a dehumidifier to suck moisture from the air in an effort to protect your windows.

Although pricey to buy, dehumidifiers can be hired over the winter when it becomes more difficult to keep your windows open to ventilate the room.

Photo credit: Dave Gostisha

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