Best Window Treatments For High Humidity Rooms
Steam from a bathtub or shower can cause havoc on window treatments — if they are not made of the right material.
What Humidity Can Do To Your Window Treatments
A real wood shutter or blind can look great when first hung, but in a high-moisture room the humidity will eventually start to saturate the slats. As the moisture content increases, wood will start to expand. In constantly damp rooms, this saturation will eventually bow and warp the wood under the weight of the added water. When you see wood shutters and blinds that look “saggy” or won’t close properly, it’s usually a moisture problem.
The dampness of the room and possible window condensation make walkout basement doors especially hard to cover.
Humid rooms with variable moisture also pose a problem for many wood window treatments. When you take a shower in the bathroom or run the dishwasher in the kitchen, the steam might settle on your shutter or blind. Again, the wood will soak up the water molecules, causing the slats or louvers to expand. However, when the treatment dries, the wood shrinks, causing it to become hard and sometimes brittle. Over the years, this saturating and drying starts to take a toll, and your coverings degrade until the wood starts chipping or snapping apart. The hot steam can also cause discoloration.
Cloth window coverings don’t hold up much better. The cloth panels act like a sponge in high-moisture rooms, leaving them a perfect candidate for mold and mildew. Humidity makes cloth panels bunch together, leaving the treatments looking constantly wrinkled and prone to ripping. Laundering cloth treatments may help in the short term, but in the end, they still will become discolored as the moisture starts affecting the dyes. Even plastic and aluminum blinds are prone to breaking when their structural cords get wet.
Faux Wood Shutters May Be Your Best Defense in High Humidity Rooms
Faux wood treatments, like Polywood® plantation shutters, are made of materials that will never become saturated. Their water-resistant material works great in bathrooms, as the steam will just bead up on the outside coat, which then can be wiped away with a cloth or towel, but doesn’t have to be wiped down to stay in great shape.
The humidity created from steamy showers won’t affect Polywood.
Quality faux wood shutters work perfectly in damp rooms, too. Even though basements and mudrooms may have a cold humidity during the winter, your faux wood shutters still won’t warp or sag. They also provide a great deal of energy efficiency, so any condensation on the windows won’t add to the dampness of the room. Plus, the energy efficiency benefits keep your homes from losing heat, so even though your basement might be underground, it won’t feel so dank and musty.
Tame Your High Moisture Rooms With Polywood
As you look for window treatments that will hold up to your high-humidity areas like the bathroom and basement, don’t forget to call your local Sunburst representative. We will show you our complete line of moisture-resistant plantation shutters, including both our Polywood and Timberland® lines. Just call (877) 786-2877, or fill out the form below, to schedule your in-home consultation.
