100% Blackout Curtains

May 29, 2023 6:39 PM

I need blackout curtains that totally darken my bedroom. They do not need to be noise-reducing.

I want them to look classy and elegant but again, I need to sleep in a dark cave, and my bedroom in my new apartment gets a lot of light.

There are 2 windows adjacent to each other, each 3 ft wide. I think I want the length to be about 95 inches. I would like the curtain rod to extend enough from either side that I can completely pull or tie back the curtains when I'm not sleeping.

What recommendations do you have? I saw some linen ones at Pottery Barn that looked pretty...

Also, how do I mount the rods so that no light seeps in through the sides? Thanks so much!

posted by bookworm4125 to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

- Many "blackout' curtains only block "99%" of the light. Go for 100%. Or, you might end up needing two layers.

- I have a great trick for mounting the rod!

First, make sure your curtains aren't tap top - they need to have a rod pocket. Just thread a curtain rod through there as normal.

The trick is not to use the regular rod mounting hardware. Instead, get two coat hooks shaped roughly like this, and mount them above and slightly to the outside of the window frame.

When you rest the curtain rod on the hooks, it gets pressed against the wall as it drops down into position. This is the best way I've found to make blackout curtains work really well.
posted by amtho at 6:50 PM on May 29, 2023 [14 favorites]

I used to use the 'belt & braces' approach that worked for me:

Cut down some comparatively cheap blackout blinds from IKEA, to fit within the main window frame depth void, as close as I could to the glass of the window inside. Not particular good to look at when they were down, but largely functional, with some light only getting around the edges even in the middle of the day.

And then mounted oversized blackout curtains, pleated to naturally push on the internal wall over the whole window frame. With a wide enough rail that opened them fully past the window, and extra long above and below. So it gave the illusion of bigger windows behind the curtains when they were closed.

The combination of both worked really well, and looked good both open and closed.
posted by many-things at 7:39 PM on May 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

As a parent of small children who take daytime naps, the best way I've found to darken a room is to permanently tape aluminum foil to the windows, sealing well around the edges of the frame and between the pieces of foil. You can tape white paper up first, then foil over that, if your building has a "white curtains only" rule. Then hide the foil with blackout curtains to catch the bits of light that will still sneak in around the edges of the foil.
Obviously this is very ugly! But it really works.

Other strategies: There are curtain rods that have L bends at the ends - those can help seal light out around the sides because they allow the curtain to meet the wall on both sides of the window. And mounting your curtains as close as possible to the ceiling will help minimize light leaks at the top. You can also build a little box around the top of the curtains like in a hotel room to help minimize light leakage at the top.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:57 PM on May 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

A two- layered solution might use something like this on the inside, where you can mount them quite close to the wall. I can vouch for the effectiveness of those, I travel with them.
posted by Dashy at 5:38 AM on May 30, 2023

I have eclipse brand blackout curtains that i bought at costco, but they are sold elsewhere as well. They block all the light.

But.... As others have said the edges and top of the window, depending on your curtain rods will allow light past, so creative mounting solutions are needed.
posted by TheAdamist at 6:19 AM on May 30, 2023

The best blackout curtains I have used have been a sleep mask.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:09 AM on May 30, 2023 [4 favorites]

I use these and they work beautifully.

I, too, need to sleep in a deep dark cave as close to pitch black as possible (I even cover the lights on any electronics in the room with little stickers) and they do the job. Can’t see my hand in front of my face, and I have a streetlight right outside the window. They come in multiple lengths.

I hung the rod so they cover the entire window plus five inches all around.
posted by invincible summer at 5:16 PM on May 30, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. I do have cut to fit panels that Velcro on to the window (like Daisy recommended) but I'd like them to be a temporary solution. I won't use a sleep mask. Otherwise, keep 'em coming!
posted by bookworm4125 at 8:59 PM on May 30, 2023

Be careful with aluminum foil if you live somewhere with really strong light like New Mexico. Here, aluminum heel on the inside of the windows can really heat up the window fast.

I use two layers. On the window itself, I use white opaque blanket garden "row cover" fabric (not the mesh or the stuff that looks like fiberglass) that I use to block the whole window, adhered on the window with painter's tape. It blocks the heat and is the first layer of protection. Then, I use the 100% Blackout rod-pocket curtains, with a curtain rod that is VERY close to the wall.
posted by answergrape at 11:57 AM on June 1, 2023