Facing her first winter in a new ground-floor London flat, writer Ellen Jenne encountered a persistent and frustrating problem: heavy window condensation. Each morning, her windows were covered in moisture, with black blemishes appearing on the frames and small pools of water collecting on the sills. Airing out the flat let in the near-freezing chill, and without the space or funds for a dehumidifier, she turned to two popular and affordable home hacks to find a solution.
The Great Condensation Experiment Begins
Ellen decided to put two highly recommended methods to the test. The first, a favourite among Mrs Hinch cleaning fans, involved filling a sock with cat litter, tying it with a hairband, and placing it on the windowsill. The theory is that the litter absorbs ambient moisture, preventing it from settling on the cold glass. For her larger living room window, she used a bowl of cat litter. At the same time, she prepared to test a second method using coarse table salt, which a colleague had previously praised for its effectiveness.
Both hacks are intended to work as natural desiccants, pulling moisture from the air to stop condensation in its tracks. With her windows 'crying' every morning, Ellen was desperate for a solution that wouldn't break the bank.
The Disappointing Failure of the Cat Litter Hack
Ellen placed the cat litter-filled socks on her bedroom windowsills and a bowl in the living room, then waited for the magic to happen. After six hours, then twelve, and ultimately a full two days, there was no improvement. The misty windows persisted, and the glass continued to shed tears of condensation.
In a final attempt, she repositioned the socks to touch the glass directly, but this made no difference. Upon inspection, the cat litter was bone-dry, crumbly, and the sock weighed exactly the same as when she first put it in place. The hack, much to her disappointment, was a complete and resounding failure, leaving her to once again air out the flat in the cold.
A Salty Solution Delivers Stunning Overnight Results
At her wit's end, Ellen swapped the failed cat litter for bowls of coarse salt on Wednesday evening. She placed small bowls on her bedroom windowsills and a larger one in the living room, rolled down the blinds, and went to sleep with low expectations.
To her utter astonishment, she woke up on Thursday morning to completely dry windows. All signs of condensation had vanished. There were no tears, no streaky glass; just a few small spots of frost on one larger window and a significantly reduced pool of water. When she checked the bowls, the salt had become dense and almost solid to the touch, proving it had absorbed a substantial amount of moisture.
Worried the condensation would return, Ellen left the salt bowls in place throughout the day. The result? Her windows remained clear and condensation-free all day long.
The Verdict: One Hack to Use, One to Lose
Ellen was left in complete shock by the starkly different outcomes. While she acknowledges that salt is not a permanent fix for underlying damp issues, its effectiveness as a short-term, budget-friendly solution was undeniable. The experiment proved that not all viral home hacks are created equal. She will never use the cat litter method again, but the simple bowl of salt has earned its place on her windowsill, saving her from having to fork out for a dehumidifier, at least for now.
