Let’s face it, you need your sleep! Especially if you work night shift or have small children and your sleep time is limited. We’ve been asked the question of how to black out a window many times. The best answer is generally with drapery and curtains. We would suggest the drapery option, simply because drapery is lined and to the ground. You can get a blackout liner for curtains but because curtains are generally  shorter this can leave light gaps coming in from the bottom of the window. If you want to have a curtain lined, that is ok too. Drapery fabrics tend to be heavier to start with and give you the feeling of luxury that is so great for drapes for bedrooms.

Maybe you’re trying to black out a window in your home office or basement theatre room. Drapery and curtains are a great option. Make sure to take the drapes to at least 4″ past the trim of the window on each side. Go out further for fuller coverage and less chance of any light coming through. You can go above a few inches and take the drapery length to the floor. Remember to add returns to your drapery panels so that they return to the wall and minimize light gaps.

Use a black out lining, one that is opaque and won’t allow any light to pass through. Hold a sample of the lining up to the light to make sure, or speak to your window covering specialist.

Put a black out blind inside the trim of your window with the drapery and curtains outside or put the blind on the outside of the trim for even more coverage.

Sleep tight!