Tips For Buying Blackout Curtains

Black-Out-CurtainsI guess you haven’t asked yourself until now how blackout curtains ended up being used in houses. They weren’t always that popular, but they are great at insulating from outside noise and from cold or heat, thus offering comfort and helping save energy and money. Well, it’s the World War II to „blame” for that, since during that time Britain had to hide interior lights from Nazi planes. A Nazi pilot would bomb any lighted structure, hence the need to function and not get bombed at the same time.

If you work at night and have to rest during the day, it’s quite difficult to do that when the curtains of your home can’t block daylight. Some of the blackout curtains on the market claim to block up to 99% of light (quite a relief, right?). If you’re looking for such curtains to buy, you may want to go through our selection of the best blackout curtains, with 5 of the top models that also give you great value for your dollars.

A blackout curtain is also useful when you want to create a home theater system – now you can feel like at the movies 24/7 🙂

Even though you might think they won’t, good blackout curtains will reduce noise. Some of them promise to block up to 40% of noise- so for those of you who struggle when falling asleep, this could be some useful information.

Did you know that 10-25% of thermal energy goes… literally out the windows? Blackout curtains can reduce this loss by 25%, which will have a direct impact on your electricity and heating bills.

Even though it may seem you got them covered, there are actually various types of blackout curtains for various types of windows, so keep that in mind when looking.

Blackout curtains are generally made of two layers or lined with a separate cloth panel and come in numerous sizes and prices.

If your current curtains aren’t blackout, you can always hang blackout liners between the curtain and the window using double curtain rods, hook-and-loop tape, or clip rings.

When your windows are quite small, you can go for a blackout roller and cellular shades. Just because your windows are small it doesn’t mean you have to give up a good, nice and deep sleep, right?

Do the right measurements when shopping for blackout curtains. The best fit provides the best protection against light, after all.

Style shouldn’t be a problem either; so many manufacturers offer so many styles when it comes to blackout curtains- you just need to figure out which style you want for yours.

No, you won’t need a handyman to install your blackout curtains. They get installed much the same as standard, unlined curtains. Keep in mind to be generous when taking the measurements (two or three times the width of the window should be a perfect size for your blackout curtains).

It’s important also to search for wraparound curtain rods that curve to bring the curtain’s outside edges close to the wall. And, if you want some incoming light during the morning, you can always go for sheer curtains beneath the blackout ones.

Last, but not least… what about cleaning a blackout curtain? You can find machine-washable blackout curtains just as you can find dry-clean only ones. So, it’s up to you to decide which type fits best your needs and… time 🙂

 

About Amanda

I love to buy a lot of products for the home, and dissect them out. I split them into duds and winners, and share the findings here on my site. As a reader of my site, I'm aiming for your next purchase to be an informed and inspired one.

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