Do You Need Blackout Curtains?
Blackout curtains can help you control your home’s lighting, temperature and privacy. While ordinary curtains can help make a room darker during the day, they still allow some light into the room from outside. Blackout curtains, on the other hand, are thicker and heavier and can block much more light. They also have insulation properties that can help maintain the temperature of a room.
How to Choose a Set of Blackout Curtains
Blackout curtains are ideal if you want to darken or cool down a room, especially when it’s light outside. They can also be particularly useful for shift workers who need to sleep during the day. Blackout curtains can help keep rooms cool at night in warm months. To help save on air conditioning costs, install blackout curtains in rooms you don’t use often, such as guest rooms. Lastly, if you’re watching a movie, these curtains can help you create a completely dark, cinema-style experience in your bedroom or living room.
Benefits and Features
- Light Control: Heavyweight fabrics with multiple layers of thick, woven threads enable blackout curtains to block out exterior light.
- Appealing Appearance: Much like regular curtains, blackout curtains have a cozy and appealing aesthetic that can complement existing home décor. They’re available in a wide variety of colors, patterns and textures.
- Better Privacy: Blackout curtains are completely opaque, so they’re ideal for maintaining privacy in your home.
- Easy Installation and Removal: Heavyweight curtains have the same headings as their lighter counterparts. Choose between rod pockets, grommets and pinch pleats.
- Noise Reduction: Some blackout curtain materials can make a room nearly soundproof. If it’s noisy outside, these curtains can suppress sound and help keep your home quiet.
- Thermal Insulation: Blackout curtains can also help improve your home’s energy efficiency. Like big, thick blankets, insulated blackout curtains can either absorb or block out exterior air and help maintain indoor temperatures.
Color
Blackout curtains are available in various colors, including white. The curtain color affects how much light can penetrate the fabric. Light-colored fabrics are more penetrable than dark fabrics, but white, tan, light-gray and other light-colored blackout curtains can still block out about 95% to 99% of light. To completely block out all light, choose black or other dark-colored curtains.
Materials
Blackout curtains are available in many different materials. All blackout curtain materials are thick and durable so they can effectively block sunlight. Some even contain multiple layers. The most noticeable differences among the various curtain materials include softness, feel, texture and other cosmetic features.
- Polyester: Polyester is a popular material choice for blackout curtains because it’s a reliable synthetic fabric. Polyester is a plastic that reflects light instead of absorbing it. It’s also one of the easiest fabrics to clean.
- Cotton: Natural fabrics, like cotton, have a cozy aesthetic that can make a room more inviting. While polyester reflects sunlight, thick cotton absorbs it and prevents it from penetrating into the room. Cotton is also effective at noise reduction, so outdoor sounds aren’t as audible from indoors.
- Blend: This type of blackout curtain uses both polyester and cotton to block light and reduce noise. If you want affordable cotton blackout curtains, consider curtains with this blend for an efficient and attractive alternative.
- Linen: While blackout curtains help make rooms dark, it’s important that they look good when not in use, too. Thick linen is a practical yet elegant blackout curtain material.
- Velvet: Velvet has an old-fashioned charm and is available in many beautiful colors. With soft, fuzzy fibers, velvet can block out light and effectively insulate warm or cool air.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to some common questions about blackout curtains.
What’s the Difference Between Blackout and Darkening Curtains?
Both types of curtains have thick fabrics that provide privacy, block outdoor air and help improve a home’s energy efficiency. Blackout curtains allow minimal to no light to enter a room, which can promote productive sleep or rest during the daytime. Room-darkening curtains also block out sunlight, but not as much as blackout curtains do. They’re ideal for keeping rooms dark enough for sleeping, but light enough that you can still see and navigate around the room.
Do Blackout Curtains Keep a Room Cool?
Yes. Blackout curtains can block heat from entering through windows during the day. They also provide insulation so indoor air doesn’t escape via the windows.