Beautiful blinds hanging at your windows are great décor accessories, but besides looks, they should make your life easier. If you’re looking for a window covering packed with a wealth of practical benefits, Blackout Blinds should be on your list. Perfect for any sort of space and available in a wide selection of styles, from Blackout Blinds with side tracks that fit seamlessly to your windows to waterproof styles that are perfect for bathrooms and kitchens, here’s all you need to know about them.
What are Blackout Blinds?
Blackout Blinds are window coverings that block the light and ensure total privacy. Specially designed blackout lining blocks sun, heat and views from the outside in. Ideal for the rooms you want shaded the most, such as bedrooms or guestrooms to help you get an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
They’re also perfect for living rooms and offices to help reduce sunlight reflecting on screens; these blinds offer an abundance of practicality whilst keeping your window looking contemporary and stylish.
What are the Benefits of Blackout Blinds
1. Improved Privacy
Blinds with blackout lining block the light, plus you can’t see through them. When fully closed, they act as a protective shield at your window, so you don’t need to worry about people peering in from the outside. If you live in a city, work night shifts or need extra shading for any other reason, Blackout Blinds are an ideal choice.
2. Restricts Light Coming Into Your Room
Blackout Blinds help to improve your sleep (during night or day, we’re not here to judge your afternoon naps). By reducing the amount of light entering your space, you can sleep longer and wake up undisturbed by harsh sunlight. These blinds are especially handy for children’s bedrooms, ensuring sleep quality and privacy.
3. Offers UV Protection to Prevent Fading
Apart from blocking the sun, blackout lined blinds help to block what comes with it – heat and harsh UV rays. Sun exposure does no good either to us or our furniture and flooring, so if you’re looking for extra protection, these blinds should be on your radar.
4. Great for Bringing Character to your Windows
As well as their practical benefits, Blackout Blinds are capable of creating a beautiful statement in your home. With an array of patterned Blackout Blinds available online, from floral and animal motifs to contemporary stripes and geometrics, Blinds 2go has a style for almost any window.
Do Blackout Blinds Keep Heat Out?
As well as offering shading to your home, certain Blackout Blinds can be great for keeping your rooms insulated all year round. For example, DuoShade Double Thermal Blinds feature two layers of aluminium lined pockets that trap the air at your window to help insulate your home and keep you cool in summer and warm in winter.
Roman Blinds are also a great option for keeping out the heat as the thick fabric traps the heat at your window, all while giving you the privacy you need.
What are the Different Types of Blackout Blinds?
Blackout Blinds come in a variety of styles to provide a customisable look at your window. Here is a snapshot of our collections and what each style has to offer:
1. Roman Blinds
Blackout Roman Blinds are made from a luxuriously soft fabric that gathers into neat folds when raised. Available in a range of colours and patterns, they encapsulate elegance at every turn and are perfect in bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms.
2. Roller Blinds and Double Roller Blinds
Made from a highly durable material yet cost-effective that doesn’t sacrifice on quality, Blackout Roller Blinds are ever so versatile. Their easy-to-clean nature and ability to handle the pressures of steam and humidity means they work wonders in kitchens and bathrooms. Plus, with an opaque fabric, you’ll be able to protect your privacy around the clock.
They also come in light and dark shades and a multitude of patterns, meaning you can easily find a design for your interior scheme.
3. Skylight Blinds
Blackout Skylight Blinds will help you block out the bright morning light and offer a perfect fit at your roof window. Made especially for VELUX®, FAKRO®, DAKSTRA® and RoofLITE® Windows, our own Skylight Blinds install with no tools required.
4. Pleated Blinds
Made from an opaque fabric that raises into neat pleats with their honeycomb pockets, Pleated Blinds deliver blackout and thermal qualities for your home. We offer a range of Blackout Pleated Blinds to suit your needs, from top down/bottom up designs that are ideal for conservatories to PerfectFIT Pleated Blinds that clip directly to your uPVC doors.
TotalShade Pleated Blinds
If you’re looking for the best in luxurious, blackout shading, our new TotalShade Blackout Pleated Blinds can be installed with ease, replacing traditional brackets with an integrated no drill frame that prevents the light entering at the sides throughout the day.
There are so many styles to choose from in our made to measure Pleated Blinds collections – from colourful to versatile tones, order your free samples today.
Cleaning Blackout Blinds
Whether it’s a Roman Blind or a Roller Blind – if you want to keep your window covering in perfect condition, clean it regularly. Dusting frequently requires little effort and is a great way of extending the life-span of your blind, and if you spot any stain or mark, try to have it removed as soon as you can.
Make sure you’re careful with cleaning the fabric, and always test your cloth or sponge for colour bleeding. Read our detailed cleaning guide for the best tips.
Measuring for Blackout Blinds
Measuring for Blackout Blinds couldn’t be easier. It’s an easy way to save money compared to using a blinds fitting service and takes just minutes; you’ll wish you’d done it sooner! All you have to do is follow these simple steps for either a recess fitting or an exact fitting:
Measuring Blackout Roman Blinds, Pleated Blinds and Roller Blinds
Exact fitting
- Measure the full width and height of your recess, and add a little extra to the top and each side (we recommend adding at least 70mm at the top and 50mm to each side).
Recess fitting
- For traditional styles, repeat the step above without adding the recommended measurements to each side (we’ll do the deductions for you).
- For no drill styles including Click2go and Twist2go, check that the recess is deep enough and check that there’s no obstructions, then once again measure the width and drop in three places, using your smallest measurements.
Measuring for PerfectFIT Blackout Blinds
- Check the distance between the edge of the glass and any obstructions (25mm or more)
- Measure the depth of the window frame by placing a credit card over the corner of the frame and use a tape measure (this measurement is usually between 18 and 24mm)
- Measure the visible glass area of the door from left, right and the centre to the nearest mm and use the smallest measurement
