Blackout Blinds or Blackout Shades? Which to Choose.

When you're looking to decide between blackout blinds and blackout shades, you should always consider which you prefer for design style. However, there is a big key difference you need to keep in mind when considering blackout blinds over blackout shades (or vice versa).

What I've noticed when talking to people who purchased blackout shades is that they love how they look and the fact that they block out 99% of the light (whatever you do with blackout blinds, they won't block out that much light). However, the biggest drawback is that they cannot open their blackout shades while maintaining their privacy. So, if the blackout shades are open, they're open.

Now, living in a sunny place (with neighbors close by), I understand when I hear, "well, we never opened our window blinds so I figured we'd get blackout shades to block out more light than blackout blinds." What most people don't take into account is that normal window blinds still let in a fair amount of light when closed. So, while you may complain about how much light they let in on occasion, do you really want your room pitch black all the time? And, on the times that you don't want it pitch black, do you really want to let anyone passing by look into your window?

Blackout blinds allow for a great amount of flexibility. They block out most of the light, and while they let in more than blackout shades, blackout blinds do their job. Plus, they can look great in any room design. And, you can choose to tilt the slats to let in light while not letting anyone have a view of the room to tilting them so they're horizontal and filtering the view of the room to pulling them up completely to allow for a full view.

If you're still set on blackout shades but want a little more flexibility, consider buying them with the top down, bottom up option. This option allows you to open and close them like regular blackout shades but you can also pull them down from the top: which allows you to let in some light while maintaining your privacy (after all, there are few people who are tall enough to look in from the top of a window).

Blackout Blinds: Great For Allergies

I'm currently going through one of the worst allergy seasons of my life and now understand why my mother was so strict about NEVER having anything but window blinds in their home. Both my father and I suffer from severe allergies and are especially miserable in the spring and fall.

If you're looking for blackout window treatments, you probably first thought of blackout curtains or blackout shades. Both are really popular because they can block out 100% of the light while blackout blinds can't.

However, blackout blinds can block out MOST of that light and are more flexible than drapes or shades... so, there's one good reason to install them in your home. With both blackout drapes and blackout shades, you can only have them open or shut. Blackout blinds let you open, close, and tilt the slats.

Now, I personally LOVE the way drapes look. I've grown up with window blinds my entire life, so I think they're somewhat boring. And, most design shows show adding drapes or roman shades to a room - rarely do they add window blinds. However, the one thing most of them don't consider is that drapes collect EVERYTHING. Dust, pet dander, pet hair... everything gets caught in them and is extremely difficult to get out. Most drapes can only be dry cleaned, which makes it even more difficult and expensive to clean. With blackout blinds, all you need to do is dust!

Now, keep in mind, you should always only get routeless blackout blinds if you're worried about your allergies. There's no reason to make cleaning more difficult - or to give allergens another place to hang on to.

3 Main Differences Between Blackout Blinds and Blackout Shades

A lot of people look for blackout blinds when they are really looking for blackout shades, and vice versa. Unless you’re in the industry (or have spent a lot of time researching them) you probably don’t care about the difference. You’re just looking for a solution to block the sunlight from coming in through your windows.

1. Blackout blinds are window blinds. This means they have slats that can tilt 180 degrees horizontally in addition to opening and closing. Blackout shades refer to window shades that can only open or close. Blackout shades block out more light than blackout blinds. However, blackout blinds have more flexibility to let light in when you want to and maintain your privacy (see Difference #1) vs. blackout shades.
2. Design aesthetic. Blackout blinds offer a cleaner look than blackout shades. Blackout shades are made from fabric and offer more color and style choices. You have two options with blackout blinds: routeless, where the strings go around the slats rather than through holes, or cloth tapes, where you have fabric covering the string holes. Blackout shades on the other hand, are made from a thicker fabric that doesn’t allow light to come through.
3. Maintenance. Blackout blinds are far easier to clean since they are made from wood or faux wood and can be easily wiped clean with a duster or a damp cloth. Blackout shades on the other hand, are made from fabric and can be much more delicate and more difficult to clean.

So really, when you’re deciding between blackout blinds and blackout shades, you need to determine how much flexibility you want in letting in / blocking out light, how much privacy you want to maintain (blackout shades, when opened, offer no privacy) and the look you’re trying to achieve. You should also seriously consider how much time you want to spend maintaining your blackout blinds or shades because that plays into how long they will look great and last in your home.