I Wiped My Bedroom Windows Dry Every Morning for Two Weeks Before I Figured Out What Was Actually Wrong

Where It Was Coming From

The first source was obvious once I thought about it: me.

Two people breathing in a closed room for eight hours pump out more moisture than you’d think. Every exhaled breath is warm and humid, and with the door shut all night to keep the cat out, none of it was escaping.

The second source was hiding behind my nightstand.

I’d been watering a cluster of plants every few days—a pothos, a snake plant, and a peace lily. Damp soil releases moisture constantly, especially when the room is warm. I moved the hygrometer next to them for an hour: the reading climbed to 71%.

The third one I stumbled on by accident when I pulled back the bedspread.

I’d been using a cool-mist humidifier on my partner’s side of the bed for her winter dry skin. It ran on a timer, four hours every night, pointed directly at the wall with the windows.

I’d been fighting condensation while adding moisture to the air on purpose.

So what actually worked?