Blinds Versus Curtains: Which Is Best?

When it comes to covering your windows, you have a few different options available. You can use curtains or blinds, and each of these offer different benefits and drawbacks. The method you pick to cover your windows will depend on your tastes and home decorations.

Blinds offer many benefits over curtains, and one of these is cleaning. Many types of blinds are designed to be easy to clean and care for, without all the hassles of cleaning curtains or drapes. Blinds made from fabrics may be slightly more difficult to clean, especially if they contains pleats, but even these may not require the special care and cleaning usually needed with drapes and curtains. Most drapes will have to be dry cleaned, and this can be expensive. Curtains may be able to be machine washed, depending on the type of fabric and manufacturing, but this still means taking them down and putting them back up after you are done.

Blinds may also block sunlight from inside your home as well, and this is done more effectively than using curtains. Some blinds are designed to block all light completely, and these are called darkening shades by some because they are so effective. For anyone who must sleep during the day these blinds can be a great way to simulate night in your bedroom while you sleep. Bright sunlight can fade your furniture, carpets, and rugs, and curtains are less effective at preventing this. There is no gaps between blinds like there are between curtains, and this will help preserve and protect your furnishings and decorations.

Another area where blinds have an edge over curtains is privacy. Blinds can be opened and closed easily, by simply pulling a string or turning a rod. When they are closed, they offer you complete privacy so that no one can see in your home. Most curtains can not offer this as quickly and easily, if at all.

Blinds are far superior to curtains in almost every aspect, but many people still want the look that curtains or drapes give to a room and the decorations in it. If this is the case, you can combine curtains with blinds for the benefits of both. This gives you a double layer of window covering, and double the privacy protection and light blocking. You can put the blinds on first, then the curtains on the inside for the decoration benefits to your home. Your house is a showcase of your personality and it should reflect your tastes, and this method will give you all the benefits of having blinds, while letting you give your house that warm and inviting feeling that drapes and curtains provide.