Hello darkness my old friend

January 14, 2022 11:32 PM

Please help me find an excellent blackout curtain for my doorway!

As a sleeper, I am very sensitive to light. I need a single ~96" tall x ~40" wide blackout curtain to hang over my bedroom door, to block light from the adjacent dining room and bathroom which my housemates sometimes use at night. (I have a large and powerful feline friend who will very noisily object if the door's closed, so that isn't an option.) I already have a great, simple pressure rod (like for a small shower) that works in the space; I just need the curtain itself.

I currently have excellent blackout curtains over my window to block the streetlights. These work great, but unfortunately I made them custom (purchased a blackout insert fabric and two layers of cotton to go over it), with an old housemate doing the sewing for me. I don't have a sewing machine now and I need these curtains yesterday due to ongoing sleep interruptions, so DIY is not an option this time.

I already tried purchasing this very pretty "blackout" curtain from West Elm. It came today, and it is not actually a blackout curtain. I test-drove it and saw that it glows faintly from the bathroom light. My homemade curtains, despite being a light color, do not let any light pass because of their blackout insert; the only light that gets in is from around the edges. Honestly, I'm flabbergasted that something this expensive labeled as blackout is not actually opaque, and a bit gunshy about what to order next.

Thus, I am hoping to avoid more of the order-and-return dance by getting recommendations *from you* for a curtain that is actually a full blackout curtain, hopefully one you are personally familiar with and know doesn't let any light in.

Extra requirements:
- 84" is too short, need at least 92"
- cotton or woven look preferred, not satin
- lighter color preferred with some minor variegation (to disguise the inevitable cat hair -- if I had a solid black curtain I'd have to lint-roll the entire thing 3x a day)

Thank you!

posted by cnidaria to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

I have been pleased with light grey blackout curtains from Nicetown from Amazon (I know, I know, it is the worst, I got them 2 years ago if that makes better ). But they are really actually dark-making, everywhere but the edges as expected, even in afternoons in west facing windows in Southern California.
posted by holyrood at 12:47 AM on January 15, 2022

I'm following this question because I live in a tiny condo, on the first floor at the back of what started life as a Victorian house, facing the parking lots of other condo and apartment buildings and their respective motion sensor lights. In other words,. I too need to block the illumination.

Nicetown blackout curtains can be ordered directly from the company, skipping the Bezos Behemoth altogether.

I know a couple of people who are handy with a sewing machine, so I may take OP's idea for a custom-made curtain and run with it, to my nearest fabric store. (Providing that I log off AskMe and get some more ZZZZ's first.)
posted by virago at 1:51 AM on January 15, 2022

I wonder if this would be a good use case for a nifty device I saw advertised on Facebook today. The idea was that your internal door could be propped open and he gap could be bridged with a panel that had a catflap in the bottom. It was designed for privacy in multi-person households but its value for blocking light would also be worth investigating. Unfortunately I don't remember its name! I will report back if I can find it.
posted by Cheese Monster at 5:21 AM on January 15, 2022

IKEA has some blackout models in their curtain line. I can attest to the Majgull blackouts — not the “room darkening” ones — and they’re 98 inches long.
posted by sageleaf at 10:09 AM on January 15, 2022

I can also attest that the IKEA blackout curtains are very good. All colors, even the light-colored ones, have a full thick second layer of opaque fabric that blocks all light.
posted by mekily at 10:30 AM on January 15, 2022

I have been very happy with Wayfair’s thermal max blackout curtains. They come in a variety of prices, colors, styles (like tab top and geometric), and lengths, with panels up to 114 inches long and 80 inches wide.The cheap $14 panels turned my normally hot and bright bedroom into a cool, dark cave. Completely transformed my sleep experience.
posted by skye.dancer at 8:24 PM on January 15, 2022

I should have also mentioned that I use a 74” blackout panel in a doorway to block light and heat as well. It radically cools down my hallway during the summer. I bought the rod at Wayfair, too, for about $10.
posted by skye.dancer at 8:27 PM on January 15, 2022

Probably 6 months too late, I rediscovered the Heath Robinson cat door type thing I referenced above - it's The Pawtle.
posted by Cheese Monster at 8:54 PM on July 15, 2022