Black Out Blinds Vs. Black Out Curtains – How To Choose The Best One For You!
Both blackout curtains and blackout blinds are examples of blackout window treatment, which is essentially anything that you put over your windows for a variety of reasons, including the ability to control the amount of light in the room, privacy and even indoor room temperature. Both examples of blackout window treatment come in a wide variety of colours, patterns and materials. Making it easier for you to find a blackout treatment option that suits your existing home decor.
History Of Curtains And Blinds
Curtains
Curtains are much more traditional, having been first used from around the early 3000 B.C. Early versions of curtains were often animal hides and hung in doorways on hooks. Curtains evolved into more of the materials we would recognise today over time, such as wool, silk and cotton. These materials are much more flexible and can be used for a greater range of purposes, they also provide a similar level of temperature insulation as the animal hydes used previously. An additional benefit to the newer material being used is the fact that they were usually easier to dye, leading people throughout history to experiment with different colour options, using materials on hand the create the dyes. Jumping ahead to the 17th century early window glass was first manufactured in Britain leading to an increased demand for curtains. Throughout the next couple of centuries, curtain patterns continued to evolve in step with popular culture.
On the 1st of September, 1939 blackout regulations were introduced just before the start of WW2, these required all householders to cover up any sources of light emitting from their house. Making it more difficult for enemy bombers to locate built-up areas. People had to spend a few minutes each evening making sure that there wasn’t any light emitting from their homes into the streets. Air raid wardens and police would dish out fines to people who did not properly block the light emitting from their houses, if people still refused to comply they could have been arrested. It wasn’t only householders that had to comply with these rules, businesses and factories not only had to black out their windows but also had to ensure that people could enter and leave without light emitting outside.
Blinds
Surprisingly Blinds also have an almost equally expansive history, primitive versions of blinds were used during Egyptian times when they were made using reeds. Additionally in a multiple discovery moment, blinds were also used in ancient China however these were made using bamboo. Jumping forward to 1769 an English inventor discovered that you could place wooden slats in a frame and control how much light is allowed into a room. These days you can get both horizontal and vertical blinds in a range of different colours and designs. You can even get blinds that have a printed design that you can choose from expensive catalogues online, or you can supply your own design to be custom-printed onto your new blinds.
What Are The Benefits Of Black Out Window Treatment
Blackout window treatment is anything that you put over your windows, both blinds and curtains are examples of window treatments.
They Block Out Light
Most obviously the first benefit of blackout window treatment is the fact that they block out light better, aiding uninterrupted sleep. Blackout window treatments can be particularly useful if you work during the night and sleep during the day. Additionally, scientific research reducing the light in the room whilst you sleep will increase your quality of sleep, as light can induce a natural feeling of having to rise up with the sun. Blackout window treatment doesn’t just benefit sleep, it can benefit you when you are watching TV in your house as you won’t be affected by outside glare.
Privacy
In the rooms within your house that are most important to be kept private from the outside world such as the bathroom and toilet blackout window treatment can provide a visual barrier that is not opaque to the outside eye. Getting back-out window treatment is likely cheaper than textured glass options which can also prevent people from being able to clearly see through the glass.
Blocks Out Noise
Black-out window treatment can also assist in blocking out the noise coming from the window that it is covering. Whilst black-out window treatments tend to be thicker than regular window treatment options, it is worth noting that getting thicker window treatment options such as a heavy curtain can further reduce the noise that penetrates your room.
Keep Heat In The House
Blackout window treatments tend to be thicker than regular window treatment options, plus most blackout window treatments tend to have thermally resistant materials already inside. This helps you keep a more consistent heat within your house.
Black Out Blinds Pros & Cons
Pros
- Blackout blinds can be better than blackout curtains for achieving a total blackout during the night, but can still let in a good amount of light during the day. This can be very useful if the window in your bedroom is situated very close to a streetlamp, if you find yourself in this situation your room is likely to be illuminated for much of the night if you don’t have an adequate preventative measure – blackout blinds are your answer!
- Blackout Blinds are available in a wide range of colours, styles, materials and sizes. This makes it easy for you to find blackout blinds that complement the existing decor of your room. You can even virtually see how blinds would look like within your home, all you need is a mobile phone and a blind visualiser app downloaded. This can help prevent you from buying and installing blinds that you later decide don’t fit with the existing decor or you don’t like them for an alternative reason.
- Due to the fact that blinds in general are actually installed and attached to the window, they take up less space than curtains, especially as blackout curtains tend to be thicker and therefore take up more space than regular curtains. This can be useful in smaller rooms, or rooms that are especially full.
- Blinds can be motorised, allowing you to open or close your blinds at the touch of a button. This can help you easily control how much light enters your room, you will also be less likely to break your blinds as you won’t be manually manipulating them to adjust how much light is able to enter your room. According to Blind Technique, motorised blinds can also be a good option if installed in rooms where young children are going to be present, as motorised blinds do not have cords – cords can be dangerous for younger children who may not understand the consequences of their actions.
This can help your family stick to regular sleeping schedules and reduce the chances of accidentally breaking your blinds when manually manipulating them to adjust how much light is able to get through them. Motorised blinds can also be a
Cons
- Blinds can be more difficult to clean than curtains as they are fixed to the window. For example, if you accidentally spill a sticky drink onto the blinds you may have to end up having to painstakingly take the blinds down in order to clean them.
- Blinds tend to offer less temperature insulation than curtains, which is why it is beneficial to make sure that your windows are at least double-glazed if not triple-glazed in order to help retain heat in your house. Alternatively, you could use both blinds and curtains to attain a mixture of all the pros of blinds and curtains.
- Weaker noise dampening than curtains, this is due to blinds being slimmer than curtains.
Black Out Curtains Pros And Cons
Pros
- Black Out Curtains can provide more insulation than blackout blinds, as blackout curtains are typically made out of thicker materials than blackout blinds. This makes it easier for you to maintain the heat of the rooms in your house.
- Blackout curtains come in a wide variety of different shapes and sizes. Which means that they are applicable to a wider range of window sizes and shapes.
- Blackout curtains come in a wide range of colours, styles and materials. Which makes it easier for you to find blackout curtains that complement the existing decor of your room. You can also get curtains that are digitally printed in a huge range of styles and patterns.
- Blackout curtains are typically cheaper than blackout blinds, making it more cost-effective to outfit your house with blackout window treatment.
Cons
- Blackout curtains tend to be thicker than blackout blinds leading to blackout curtains taking up more space. For smaller rooms or rooms that are especially full blackout curtains may take up valuable space.
- Blackout curtains offer less light control as opposed to blackout blinds, as you can ever so slightly open the blinds to let a small amount of light into a room, however, it is more difficult to achieve a low light environment through manipulating curtains.
Both blackout blinds and blackout curtains have their own distinct set of advantages and disadvantages. Understanding what to expect from each blackout treatment option allows you to choose the option that most suits your personal circumstances. But don’t forget that you can actually use both, allowing you to benefit from all of the benefits of both options. You can also achieve a visually appealing layering effect if you pick colours that complement each other.
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