The quick fix that stops windows from fogging in cold weather

Foggy windows make a house feel damp and colder than it really is. You wipe them once, and ten minutes later the glass is hazy again. It’s annoying, but it’s also your house telling you the humidity and air flow are off.

You don’t have to redo all your windows to help. One simple combo—moving the air and giving the moisture somewhere else to go—usually makes the biggest difference.

Figure out where the moisture is coming from

Foggy windows happen when warm, humid air hits cold glass. So before you grab a towel, think about what’s adding moisture in that room.

Common culprits are hot showers, boiling pots, drying clothes indoors, and lots of people in a small space. If the windows closest to the kitchen and bathroom fog first, that’s a clue.

You don’t have to stop cooking or showering. You just want to know which habits to pair with better ventilation so the extra moisture doesn’t park itself on the glass.

Use the fans you already have (but use them longer)

Most of us flip the bathroom fan on out of habit and shut it off as soon as we’re done. Same with the kitchen vent. The problem is, the moisture hangs in the air longer than the fan runs.

An easy fix: run exhaust fans for 15–20 minutes after showers and cooking. You’re pulling humid air out of the house instead of letting it drift over to your cold windows.

If you don’t have a great vent hood, even cracking a window in the kitchen while something’s boiling helps more than you’d think, especially if the nearest windows are always the first ones to fog.

Open up blinds and don’t block vents

It’s tempting to keep blinds and curtains closed in winter to “hold heat in,” but when they sit tight against the glass, they trap a cold pocket of air. Humid air sneaks in, hits that cold zone, and instantly condenses.

Try this instead:

• Keep blinds slightly tilted open, not clamped shut.
• Open curtains a few inches so air can move behind them.
• Make sure heat vents below windows aren’t blocked by furniture or heavy drapes.

You want warm air from your vents to wash up over the glass, not be stopped at the floor.

Flip your ceiling fan to the winter setting

If the room has a ceiling fan, it can help more than you think. Most fans have a small switch on the side of the motor housing. In winter, set it to spin on low in the reverse direction so it gently pushes warm air down without creating a draft.

That keeps the air moving in the room, which helps moisture spread instead of concentrating on the glass. Less “stagnant” air in front of the window means less fog.

You don’t need it on high. Even a low, barely noticeable setting is enough to keep warm air circulating and glass temps a little more even.

Do a quick dehumidifier or “small room” trick

If you have one room that constantly fogs up, a small dehumidifier can be a game-changer. You don’t have to run it nonstop—run it during showers, cooking, or when you notice fog starting.

No dehumidifier? A low-tech option is to close the bathroom door during showers, run the fan, and crack the window for a few minutes afterward. In living areas, limit drying laundry inside or move drying racks away from the coldest windows.

The goal is to keep the overall humidity in a reasonable range, not bone-dry. When the air isn’t overly damp, the glass has less to collect.

Use towels and squeegees as backup, not the only fix

You can still wipe the windows when they fog, but treat it like a band-aid, not the whole plan. A small squeegee kept on the sill is handy, especially for bathrooms.

After wiping, leave blinds slightly open and make sure a vent, fan, or ceiling fan is dealing with the moisture that caused the fog in the first place. If the air in the room doesn’t change, the glass will go right back to cloudy.

If you consistently pair a quick wipe with better airflow and a little humidity control, you’ll see the fog show up less often and disappear faster when it does.