Black-Out Blinds

You can make your own in a jiffy, and they can be just what you want them to be--your choice of fabric. You just need to put something heavier on the back side.

Our windows are not as wide as a bolt of cloth, so we just bought 2 lengths of corduroy plus 2 lenths of something nicer to look at--we put the corduroy behind it.

For the first couple of days we just pinned it up. Then when I got a minute I hemmed them at the bottom and folded the tops & sewed to make a rod pocket. Fast and cheap, just the way I like it!

The first time I did this I just used "stitch witchery" (iron-on adhesive) instead of sewing. That's even quicker.

For really pernicious sun (east window etc.) you may want to add velcro around the edges.

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S.,

We LOVE our black out blinds, and they are a neccessity for our 11 month old. You can get them most anywhere. We bought our most recent from Fashion Tech. At our last home, we purchased through the Costco Decorator Service (I would do this again) and they were great. I think you can find them most anywhere, even Home Depot.

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Instead of doing black-out blinds in my daughters room, I bought material and a dark backing and made her curtains. Because of the dark backing (which is dark purple), they block out all of the light. They were inexpensive to do, and look nice. I also did this in my sons room, only instead of doing a dark backing, they are double thick. They are dark enough that when it is nap time, he asks for his night light on. Good luck!

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I got some black out curtains a couple months ago at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I don't remember the brand but there weren't that many choices. I put them over blinds that were already on the window and they have been working very well.

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I've found them at Fred Meyer (Poplin Blackout). When the sun hits brand new ones directly, they have a VERY strong smell. Almost like gasoline or something! It finally went away, but I would suggest setting them outside in the hot sun a few days? Maybe let them air out? They're dry clean only.

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I have some really nice ones in both my kids rooms from Pottery Barn Kids. The Roman Shades have black out material and the rooms are pretty dark when they are down and they look so nice when they are pulled up. They are a bit spendy (for us 2 windows in each kids room was $400) but they look so nice and work great!

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I've used darkening shades for myself when I worked swing shift. They helped alot in keeping the light out in the morning so I could sleep longer. I also used them when my kids were yound to get them to sleep a little longer in the morning. It really helped whenever there was a time change. I can't remember where I got them though, I think it might have been some place like Target. Probably anyplace that sells blinds. Good Luck

E. D.

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I just bought some at Linens N Things. We're getting a lot more sleep these days. I think you can get them at Fred Meyer as well.

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I got mine at Ikea... it's a roller shade (white) that you can cut to the right size. It really darkens the room (except for just a sliver at the sides because I didn't measure very well!) The pull for the shade is a loop that attaches to the wall, so it is not a choking hazard. They were fairly inexpensive and came in several different sizes. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name. I hope this helps!

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They work great- You can buy the material at any fabric shop then use the curtain rods that have two tiers for the backout part and then the regular curtain in front of that. Or if you can afford it, Pottery Barn Kids makes many of their curtains available with the black out backing as an option- Very cool. Good Luck!

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We used www.blinds.com and have been very happy with them (I think they sell a bunch of different brands and the kind we got because of price was Bali). It's amazing how dark they make the kids' bedrooms in the middle of the day - perfect for naps! Good luck!

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Try Budget Blinds at http://welcome.budgetblinds.com/&ctk=1&kid=GOG###.... Go for the honeycomb blackouts.

You may also want to look at Costco. If you live near Hillsboro, the Costco there is the largest and has a blinds department.

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Black out drapes are probably cheaper, but the most economical is pull down shades at Home Depot...

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I recently ordered and installed an amazing black-out blind in my daughter's room. We used to use the black-out curtain (hanging behind the cotton one that you can buy for $40ish at Fred Meyer), but it was not nearly as effective. Also, her room faces West, so afternoon sun blocking was pretty important (to keep out the heat in the summer). I ordered a blind from HUNTER DOUGLAS. My rep's name is SCOTT at ###-###-####. They are a small honeycomb style (I think ~3/4")with nice neutral exterior surface (they have colors to chose from) and the interior of the honeycomb (the part you don't see unless you look from the side) is reflective silver so you get a complete block and energy efficiency. Since they are custom sized to fit your window, they mount very cleanly on the inside of the frame, just over the window. I am VERY VERY happy with them. For naptime, I don't pull them down all the way so that it's not super dark in the room, but in the evening I put them all the way down and voila...it's NIGHT TIME, even when the sun is still out for us adults! Works like a charm! They cost me ~$200. WELL WORTH IT! If you call Scott, feel free to mention my name - say M. up on Birkendene St. and he'll know. (all our blinds are from them).

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Hi S. - I have black out curtains in my daughter's room. It makes naptime and nighttime very clear. When the room is dark, it's time to sleep!

You can get them at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's $40 for a set of 2, and they are WORTH it. There is a strip of magnet for each curtain - they stick together at the seam so you don't get a strip of light between them.

A warning: now that my 2yr old is used to a dark room, it's difficult to get her to sleep in a room that isn't so dark. You might try eclipse curtains (also at BBB), which darken the room a lot, weigh less, and look nicer.

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We have black out blinds in our bedroom, and they are the best. We get really good sleep any time of day! They work really well. I just hung up curtains to go over the front of them. I think they are best for the bedroom. Ours is actually blinds, not the drapes that are supposed to be black out, although, those are ok. Just not as good.

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I had black out blinds in our last house and LOVED THEM....I plan to get them again once we have enough money in our new house. It is very convenient to take naps when we don't want the sun and don't want to deal with curtains.

I worked graveyard for many years. First I had drapes that had a white lining which blocked out the light. I bought them at Sears, I think, probably out of the catalog. Then I bought room darkening roller shades. I've bought them at Sears and Fred Meyer. I purchased the last ones about 15 years ago and I'm ready for a new set.

I've always found them in the window shade part of the store and have seen them in most department stores that sell shades. I've bought the less expensive ones that are made so that the customer can alter them to make the length they want. These do not hold up as well but for me the shortest length of time they lasted was 5 or so years. They get ruined because they have verticle tear lines that weaken. They also tear when they fit too tightly inside the window frame. The next ones I get will be installed on the outside of the frames.

I think that you can still buy shades that are made to your measurements at the store. They have a tool that cuts the rod and the shade so there doesn't have to be tear lines.

The drapes kept the most light out but are more expensive. I bought lining fabric that blocked out the sun at Joanne's and made liners for my daughter's apartment. Her apartment is on the southeast corner and got unbearably hot in the summer. This fabric had an aluminum side and a white side so that they blocked out both light and heat. I think that you can buy drapes with the same sort of lining.

The less expensive customize yourself roller shades should work OK if your daughter won't be playing with them. In retrospect I wish I'd looked for the style that the store cuts for you because I bought the house. At the time I was renting. I have a shade that Newberry's cut for me 25 or so years ago in the kitchen nook and it's still in good shape.

I'm guessing that a paint store such as Rodda or a window covering store would have the type that they customize for you. The kind that you cut (tear) yourself are probably still at Fred Meyers or Sears. Sears doesn't do as much custom work as they used to do and so I'm not sure that you can get a better quality shade there. It would be worth checking out, though.

I paid around $10 each for my shades 15 years ago.

My husband worked graveyard while I lived in AZ. I bought styrifoam insulation sheets and cut them to the size of the windows. I didn't know about insulating fabric. I cut the shape that fits the window in half and duct taped the two pieces together so that the sheet would fold and be more easily stored when he didn't need them. I put Velcro on the sheet and the window to hold them in place. When he moved to a different apartment it had Venetion blinds and didn't need to use the Velcro.