Room Darkening Blinds & Blackout Shade Options

Room darkening blinds are great if you want to completely eliminate the entry

of light into your room. Although everybody loves somesunshine, there are just instances when you don’t want any sunlight coming in.

One of these is when you sleep. Sometimes you just want to take a nap in the afternoon, or maybe you work the graveyard shift and sleep during the day. Studies show that people get more comfort and are able to sleep better in the dark. Of course, they’re not only good for the bedroom. You can use room darkening blinds in the kitchen and living room as well. Aside from providing you with privacy, these energy efficient blinds can help reduce the amount of heat or cold that escapes the room, enabling you to save costs on your air conditioning or heating systems.

Yet another use for these is for your TV room, especially if you want to achieve the feel of a home theater. With room darkening draperies, you can easily block out the world outside while you’re immersed in another type of world.

Room Darkening Window Treatments: What’s Out There?

There are many types of room darkening window shades you can use, depending on your choice of style and preference. Here are some that may look good in your home:

Darkening vinyl shades. If you want tougher window blinds then go for faux wood blinds. Not only do they look as beautiful as wood; they are even more durable. Aside from being cheaper, they won’t easily get damaged when used in areas that are exposed to a lot of sunshine and moisture. These are good for kitchens and bathrooms.

Cellular shades, also known as honeycomb shades, are best if your main considerations are insulation and light control. The individual cells create air packets that control the room’s climate, enabling you to save energy. These are available either as horizontal or vertical blinds. To create the darkening effect, simply add darkening fabrics on top of the blinds.

Slider panel blinds. Use these for large windows or glass walls. You can also use them for patios or sliding doors. To keep sunlight from seeping in, you can use vinyl darkening materials with them. Note that these blinds are easier to clean, as you can just vacuum or wipe the dust off, whereas fabrics need to be thoroughly washed.

Room Darkening Shades for Your Home

If you’re shopping for casual window blinds for your home then you might like the following products from one of the top brands:

Redi Shade 1617201 Black Out Pleated Shade 36-by-72-Inch, 6-Pack.

At around $30.00, these can fit your lifestyle if you move a lot and don’t want to fuss over complicated installations. Simple yet effective at blocking out light, these are made of very thick flexible and heavy paper with an accordion pleat design. They come at a very affordable price and are easy to replace and set up. They are kept in place by plastic clips. Take note, however, that these may not be the best shades for you if you raise and lower your window shutters a lot.

Redi Shade 3003236 36-by-64-Inch Room Darkening Vinyl Shade with Cord, Dove.

If you’d rather have your shades in white then these are for you. Around $15.00, these casual shades are good if you already have standard blinds installed.

They don’t do much in terms of darkening a room, but they can help reduce the light that comes in if you already have existing blinds. They are also quite difficult to cut and may not look as good as you would want but hey, you can’t really expect too much quality with the very low price you purchase them for.

The adhesives used for holding them in place are not very strong, but you can remedy this by putting foam tape across the top of the shades.

If you just can’t wait for night time or if you find the neighbor’s lighting to be too much, use room darkening blinds and instantly get to block out all the light – good night!