Block Out Light

Hi,

We use roller shades with pully's on the side to roll the shades up and down. They're a heavy vinyl that we had custom ordered from a window covering shop. They were pricey but worth every cent.

J.

Just to give you a warning. At my Dads house my dughters bedroom faces the morning sun. So what we did was take a shower rod and a black bed sheet and stuck it up. It worked great except for that it metled the blinds. Thankfully they were new blinds and still under warrenty. After that we learned to put the sheet in between the blinds and the window.

We love our baa baa blinds. They are blackout blinds that you stick directly to the window with suction cups so you get absolutely no light in. They are totally portable so can be taken with you on vacation, to grandmas, or anywhere they may sleep. I am currently writing this from a hotel in Scotland and my little boy is tucked up in his room with the blind on the window so he won't be awakened by the morning sun at 4.30. Instead he'll sleep until 8.30. Result.

I think baa baa blinds is a UK company but they will ship to the US. I just checked on their website. Good luck. If you have trouble getting ahold of one let me know. I know it's possible because one of my friends ordered hers online and she lives in Redwood City.

Take care. D.

I just happen to be a sales rep for Hunter Douglas...
also an interior designer...lcky girl! Just kidding.
If the existing blinds are in good condition and you like them you could add draperies with a black-out or thermal lining. it would dress up the window a little, add softness and probably be less expensive than replacing the blinds. JC Penney has a good selection of drapes with thermal (blocks alot of light) or blackout - makes it totally black.
If they are vertical blinds - it's time to replace them for something cuter and more functional.
Hunter douglas makes some really nice pleated blinds and Silhouettes that can come with a room darkening lining. They are more of an investment - but give you UV protection as well asl ight control and thermal insulation. SO - don't consider them if you aren't going to stay in that home for long.
Feel free to ask questions. I'd check out good old JC Penney first if I were you.
:)
Happy Mother's Day

Blinds.com has a double cell blackout shade that we purchased almost a year ago for both of my kids rooms and they have been great. Make a huge difference.

Easy to order and install...not cheap though...but worth it for us. We had tried cheaper ones without a lot of success.

Try this link http://www.blinds.com/control/product/productID,8761

velvet curtain...they work great!

I had the same problem and until I can get new blinds (wood ones from Home Depot are excellent) or put up dark curtains, I put a room divider in front of his window. It does the trick!

Look for black out blinds or shades. Failing that I hang a chocolate brown sheet over the window, using clothespins.

We use a roller shade.

Hi, I have two teen daughters who have been great sleepers all their life thanks to dark bedrooms. I had old fashioned (luxaflex) blinds and made dark blue curtains to go over those blinds as a second layer, that makes it very dark and it also helped in the winter to keep out cold and in the summer the heat, Two layers works as insolation, a perfect solution and inexpensive. The curtains were just a plain heavy cotton.I hope this wil help you and your daughters. All the best, C.

There are nice black roller-type shades at Ikea that are not too expensive and did a great job in our kid's room. Unfortunately, he still gets up at 5:30!

We had the same problem on my daughters bedroom - we have Hunter Douglas Shutters but it was still bright in her room during nap time. We purchased Sun Screens - basically they are super dark screens that you put on the outside of your window. Best investment ever - we ended up putting them on all of the windows that faced that direction to keep our AC costs down. We purchased them from a company in Sacramento called B4 Blinds. Very inexpensive and they install them. The other good thing is that is also gives you privacy it is very hard to see in the windows from outside but it is very easy to see out. You can also take them off during the winter if you want it to be brighter in those rooms and put your regular screens back on. We keep ours up all year round.

3-Day Blind ones, that were wide pleated with foil inside. They rule!!! I think it was called foil honeycomb. They were not only pretty and kept heat (and cold) out, they REALLY black out the room. I would highly recommend them. Check it out!!! Happy hunting!!!

Jen

You can replace the blinds with room darkening shades (which are easier to clean) I got mine at Sears for my boys room.

The girls didn't like the look, so I bought light blocking fabric and made them curtains - they picked the fabric and I put the light blocking fabric in between the two layers of what they picked - one layer of pretty fabric and one white lace they wanted for holidays - I installed a curtain rod over the top of the window and left their shades up underneath.

Good Luck!

J C Pennys has black roman shades that will totally darken the room. You can hang decorative curtains around them for color.
J.

For our bedroom I bought blinds to block out the light. I don't want the light to wake me up and it did. They are from Three Day Blinds and work great and nice looking also.
F.

They have blinds called black-out blinds. We have one set in our daughters room in a faux wood. I can't remember where we got them from, but if you go to a store that sells a variety of blinds they should have some.

HI There,

Check out IKEA. If they still carry them they are super easy to install and work great. And you can't beat the price!
Good luck!

I bought some heavy black material and had my mom hem the sides. We added grommets to the top corners, and stuck some hooks at the top of the window opening under the valence. When up, it keeps the room dark, and it's very easy to take down.

I just bought the Bali brand blackout shades at Home Depot. They are really good. The honeycomb is lined with mylar. So, although the shades are a bright white color, they block the sun totally. Home Depot contracts with an installer that comes and measures and then comes back to do the install. It was a very smooth process.

Our bedroom is in the back of the home and the neighbors have these bright security lights on at night. Husband works at Bed Bath & Beyond and brought home these blinds that you press a button and bring them down and press the button and put them back up. They are convenient and you never see them during the day under the valance.

you need a black-out shade to put behind the blinds or a thermal lined curtain to place in front of them.

http://www.aboutcustomshutters.com/damner-custom-shutters

I swear by them for the whole house...but especially for children's bedrooms!