The first time I saw a bowl of salt sitting on a windowsill, I assumed it was either decorative or leftover from some forgotten project. It turns out there’s a very practical reason people do this, and once I understood it, the habit made a lot more sense.
During winter, condensation on windows becomes hard to ignore. Warm, humid indoor air hits cold glass and leaves behind moisture. Sometimes it’s just fog. Other times it turns into droplets that freeze overnight. The bowl of salt is a low-effort way people try to deal with that moisture before it becomes a bigger issue.
Salt naturally absorbs moisture from the air. That’s the entire idea. By placing a bowl of it near the window, you’re giving that excess humidity somewhere else to go instead of letting it settle on the glass. This isn’t a new trick either. It’s commonly used in places like the U.K., where window condensation is a regular winter problem rather than an occasional annoyance.
How I use salt to reduce window condensation
Before trying this, it helps to understand what’s actually happening. Condensation forms when moist indoor air meets cold window glass. The salt doesn’t stop that temperature difference, but it can help pull some moisture out of the air nearby.
I use a small open bowl filled with regular table salt and place it directly on the windowsill. Over a few days, the salt usually starts to clump. That’s how I know it’s absorbing moisture and doing something. Once it looks damp or hardened, I toss it and replace it with fresh salt.
This works like a very basic, DIY dehumidifier. It’s not a miracle fix, and there’s no hard science saying it will completely solve condensation problems. But it’s cheap, simple, and easy to test. When it helps, I notice less moisture on the glass, and that alone makes it worth trying.
If condensation keeps coming back, that’s usually a sign of a bigger issue, like poor ventilation, failing window seals, or excessive indoor humidity. In those cases, salt bowls aren’t enough on their own. But as a small winter habit, placing a bowl of salt by the window is one of those quietly practical tricks that costs almost nothing and can actually make a difference.
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