Blackout curtains: The best room darkening curtains

Blackout curtains have a number of different practical uses, new mothers and people who work odd shifts often find them very helpful to get a few hours extra sleep during the day. Of course like most curtains and blinds there are several different varieties to consider, each have their own advantages, I’ve written this post to try and advise you on which type of room darkening curtains and drapes to buy and recommend a few places you might want to purchase them from.

 

First of all you’ve got to figure out if blackout blinds are really something you need. If you constantly find yourself having to get to sleep in broad daylight due to a usual work schedule or because you’ve just had a baby and need to utilize every chance you get to try and get some sleep then you’ve come to the right place, blackout blinds have proved really successful in these situations. Alternatively if you’re a photographer you may wish to use a set of these curtains to create a dark room in which to develop all of your film. Other less common situations may include for installation in specialist sleep clinics laboratories which might require a minimal amount of light.

Blackout curtains are one of the most popular alternatives used for blocking out sunlight; many products out there are of an extremely high quality and are actually capable of eliminating close to 100% of light from a room. Ideal for rooms, labs, dark rooms and pretty much anything else these are probably your safest bet if darkness is key. If used in combination with drapes you can really make sure as little light makes it through as physically possible. Prices vary between products, cheap curtains can cost as little as $17 whilst some can cost closer to $60.

So what type of blackout shades do you need? Well this all depends on what you’re going to use them for and exactly how little light you are prepared to have in your ‘dark room’. If you just require a room to be dark regardless of the aesthetic appearance of the curtains you use then you might want to buy blackout drapes. These drapes can get the job done really well and really good ones can block almost all light from a room, the key is in preventing light from escaping through the sides. These are probably best used for photographer’s dark rooms or laboratories simply because they can look rather odd or not keeping with the existing decor in a house.

Blackout shades are probably more ideal for situations where you want to block out a significant amount of light but not actually encase a room in complete darkness. As a means of blocking out light completely these shades aren’t really the best solution for your needs. Many people find that these are perfect for having mid day naps, but this really is unique to the individual, if you really can’t rest if you can see day light these are not for you. Additionally, these aren’t suitable for labs or developing rooms either because of the amount of light they do allow to filter through.

Overstock.com offer an extremely high quality set of solid insulated thermal blackout curtains for $57, available in a variety of colours they are very good at blocking out sunlight and look great too. Room darkening windows don’t always have to be black, but you will generally have better luck with darker colours for obvious reasons.

Amazon.com offer a set of 84 inch wide by 54 inch long set of curtains for $50 from Eldridge Textile which is worth considering too. Additionally, they also offer a much cheaper velvet blackout curtains for $17, there are perfect for movie lovers who want to replicate the effect you get at the movies.