If you’ve just gotten new replacement windows in West Richland, WA, the last thing you want is mold growing on the sills. They cause discoloration and ruin the beautiful view.

Here, we will teach you how to prevent them from growing and remove them if they are already there.

How to Prevent Mold from Growing on Windows

Mold grows around windows because of the difference between the temperature inside the house and outside.

When there is excess indoor humidity, it causes condensation, providing the ideal environment for mold buildup.

Ideally, getting a window that delivers air infiltration and water penetration performance, aka, seals tightly, should be enough to prevent mold.

But since you already bought one, you have to reduce the amount of condensation on your windows.

Some ways to do this is to —

• run the vent fans for 10-15 minutes after cooking or showering
• keep the lids on your pots while cooking
• repairing leaky faucets and pipes
• restricting house plants to one room

If, after doing all this, you still have damp air inside your home, poor ventilation might be the problem. Run the air conditioner on “fan only” for an hour a day.

It will remove excess moisture from the air and filter out mold spores.

Other ways to prevent mold from growing on windows include cleaning your home regularly, especially the bathroom and bedroom.

These areas accumulate more dust than other parts of the house, so regular wipe downs and vacuuming keep mold spores away.

How to Remove Mold from your Windows

If you discover mold on your windows at any point, you should never leave them there. Even if it looks small, the mold you see is never the total amount of the mold accumulated in your home.

Large amounts of mold are dangerous to you and your family’s health. Mold can also destroy wood window frames.

Here is how to remove them once you find them.

First, protect yourself by putting on safety equipment – goggles, gloves, and a dust mask. You mustn’t ingest mold spores you will release in the air.

Then —

• cover the floor under the window to catch falling mold
• make sure the room is well ventilated. Crack a window or open the door so the molds can escape
• mix 1/2 cup of powdered dishwashing detergent and 1/2 cup of borax inside 1 gallon of water
• use a soft scrub brush to scrub the moldy areas gently but firmly. use a clean rag to remove the mold you loosened.
• close the window when the window sill has completely dried, and wipe off any residue.

You can also use distilled vinegar or pour hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle and spray into the moldy wood. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then scrub the area with a soft brush.

That’s it. If you have additional questions about how to maintain your new replacement windows, reach out to Perfection Glass. We are a West Richland, WA, replacement windows provider. We are here to help. Call us or visit our location today to get the answers you need.