Have you ever gone to sleep in a plush hotel room and woken hours later only to find that you have slept well into the morning, without even realizing the sun had risen? Many hotels install blackout curtains in their windows specifically to accommodate the varied sleeping patterns of their traveling hotel guests. That should be proof enough, even to the most skeptical person that blackout curtains work just as well as any other type of blackout blinds or shades. Not only do they keep out unwanted light, but they also reduce noise from outside, provide total privacy as no one can see in through the blinds, and they save energy as they insulate against both cold and heat.
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There are different types of blackout curtains; some are lined with a blackout material while others are made from insulated thermal material such as these Solid Insulated Thermal 63-inch Blackout Curtains shown here that are available from Overstock. A good blackout curtain should block out anywhere from 95% to 100% of the light and should not allow light to seep in through the seams sewn into the curtain.
Blackout curtains are available in a number of different shades and patterns. For example the DAMASK Jaquared Insulated Thermal Blackout Window Curtain
When purchasing these types of drapes there are some things to keep in mind. One of the main requirements is that they are machine washable. Many of the earlier style of curtains, due to the material they were made with, were not and had to be cleaned professionally by a dry-cleaner.
You will also need to decide what type of blackout material you will use. Some drapes are thermally insulated so you have only one length of curtain material. Others have blackout liners already sewn onto the back of the material. In other cases, especially if you are not particularly fond of the choice of blackout curtains, you may want to buy regular curtains and add blackout panels to them.
You will also need to find curtains that fit your curtain rods, or buy new rods. You can find curtains that use rod pockets, others that use eyelets or grommets. If you cannot find exactly the style you need you may be able to buy the material and have the curtains custom made for you however this will add to the cost of the curtains.
You will need to decide how much light you want to block from your room during the day. Some curtains will block up to 99% of the light from entering the room, even during the sunniest day. Naturally, you will have to pay slightly more for these curtains than for curtains that offer you 80% block. Your decision in this matter will most likely depend on how much you are willing to pay for the curtains and how essential it is that all of the light is blocked from the room during the day.
Do you want your curtains to block out noise as well as light? Some curtains can block out up to 40% of noise. If you are a light sleeper or you need to sleep during the day when there is a lot of noise, either from traffic or construction during the day, you may want to opt for curtains that include this option. The Eclipse Sanderson Thermaweave Blackout Panel is very relatively priced at just under $30 for a 52” x 84” curtain and it supposedly blocks out light and sound, and it is also machine washable.
These are all things that you may want to take into consideration when you look into purchasing blackout curtains.