Are blackout blinds a good idea?

Are blackout blinds a good idea? That really is a question only you can answer.

With my family for bedroom blinds the answer is most definitely yes !

When we had my granddaughter to stay in the summer holidays she would always be awake around 4.30am.

My wife also has a massive problem with any light in our bedroom, even something as small as a standby light on our TV will keep her awake.

Not all blinds make good blackout blinds for bedrooms in fact most I would describe as room darkening but would be good enough for your TV / cinema room or your home office. 

It is my job to make sure you get exactly the right blinds for your home. So I had 4 of the most popular blinds made to fit the same in my home and took photos of each to give you a really good idea of how good each blinds is as a blackout blind.

Are blackout blinds a good idea? Roller blinds

Roller blinds are the most common blind to be described as blackout blinds.

The photo shows a roller blind with a blackout fabric, and as you can see you would never describe it as a blackout blind.

A roller blind with a blackout fabric would work well in your lounge or office as it will block out enough light so you have no problem viewing your screen.

Are blackout blinds a good idea? Vertical blinds

The design of the vertical blind (individual strips of fabric) means you will have increased light gaps.

Again a Vertical blind with blackout fabric will do a good job where room darkening is enough, but probably not good enough for your bedrooms.

Are blackout blinds a good idea? Wooden Venetian blinds

As with the Vertical blind the design of a wooden venetian blind is not the best for blocking out as much light as possible.

You will get no light through the slats themselves but as you can see the light comes through the gaps between the slats.

The wooden venetian in the picture has 50mm wide slats (which is the most popular width), if you changed to the 63mm wide slats that will reduce the number of slats so reducing the number of gaps between them.

Adding tapes to your venetian blinds will also help in reducing light as they will cover the vertical holes that the cord runs through.

Are blackout blinds a good idea? Thermal Blackout blinds

These are the blinds that have solved the problems in my home. As you can see not 100% blackout but very, very good.

My wife now sleeps pretty well and my granddaughter wakes up closer to 7am.

The blind is made with cellular / honeycomb fabric with the cords running through to centre of the fabric so there are no holes.

 The fabric is fitted in a 4 sided frame to help eliminate the light gaps at the sides, the top and the bottom.

This is the only blind I recommend if someone asks for blackout blinds in their bedrooms.

I hope this helps you with making the right decisions for the blinds in your home.

If you are in Leicestershire and would like more advise please give us a call on 0116 2769771