During the cold winter months, insulation is the key to a comfortable home. In older houses however, sometimes a lack of thorough insulation can result in the appearance of ice on the inside of your windows. It can also indicate excess moisture in the air. The main causes of icy windows are cold temperature, drafts and condensation on the glass, a guaranteed formula for frost. Of course, the long term solution would be to improve your insulation, lining cavities and perhaps even fitting new windows. In the meantime though, here's an easy, step-by-step guide to cleaning windows of frost and ice.
For this technique, you'll need some kind of directional heater (even a hair dryer will do) as well as plastic window sheeting and double sided tape. The latter two should be easy to acquire from any large home-wares or DIY outlet.
Step 1. Heat the Room Up!
You can start by beginning to heat the room and the window itself. Point your hair dryer or other heater at the glass, and move the jet around in circles until the ice begins to melt. As it turns to moisture, wipe it away - and keep going until you have removed the ice and your window is dry.
Step 2. Place the Plastic Sheeting!
Place the plastic sheeting neatly over the glass, using the double sided tape to affix it into position there. This step can sometimes be a little fiddly, so if there's someone you can call on for help then it might be easier to have two pairs of hands! When you’re finished cut it so that it's an even fit for your window.
Step 3. Heat the Sheeting!
With the plastic sheeting now pinned across the window, it's time to shrink it to fit. Point your heater at the plastic, and once again begin to warm the window - rotating the air stream in circles, in order to deliver a good, even effect across the whole sheet of plastic. As you do this, you'll find that the plastic sheet begins to shrink into place, becoming taut across the glass.
Step 4. You Are Done!
Once the plastic has reached the point of being smooth, taut and evenly spread across the window, your seal is finished. Now all that remains is to get rid of any lingering moisture in the room. Use a larger heater this time, or an air dehumidifier, to gradually de-moisturise the air in the room and help to protect against future condensation.
Additional Tips
Indoor ice tends to form as the result of too much moisture in the air, so it might be worth thinking about better ventilation. Modern homes tend to be very well sealed and that means that every time you take a shower, use a kettle or boil some potatoes, the steam created is going to need to go somewhere.
If you have exhaust fans fitted in your bathroom, or above your kitchen range, it might be worth checking that they're fully serviced and in good working order. By combating moisture at its point of arrival, you'll be able to go a long way towards creating a dryer, less humid atmosphere inside your home - and this in turn can help to prevent ice from forming on windows in cold weather.
Naturally, keeping your home a few degrees warmer is likely to help as well. If you turn your heating up just an extra notch or two - especially overnight - then you'll be making it just that little bit less likely that you'll come across ice the next time you're window cleaning.
One final suggestion would be to keep curtains and blinds open during the night. What this does is to ensure the air around your windows is constantly moving. By allowing the room's air currents to pass over the surface of the glass, they won't be trapped with pockets of stationary, cold air… and again, it'll make it just that little bit harder for ice to form.
Ultimately, the best thing you can do to prevent ice building up inside your home is to look at improving insulation, improving window seals and maintaining a dry and low-humidity atmosphere - but the tips outlined here ought to go a long way toward keeping you warm and ice-free this winter.
The information was kindly provided to you by http://www.professionalwindowservices.co.uk/
