Sleep has become a luxury in this fast world as we work on and off through all points of the day or night. We all want a basic assurance to sleep peacefully whenever we choose to do so, even if that isn’t at exactly at 10pm on the dot (like you promised yourself).

Blackout curtains go a long way to assure an adequate sleep and have been a great investment for many people.

Blackout curtains aren’t necessarily black, in fact most aren’t, but dark curtains do work better. They are curtains — not blinds — that make your room as dark as possible. It may not be possible to get a room to be completely black during daylight hours, but you can definitely get it pretty dark.

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Blackout Curtain Pros and Cons

Figuring out if blackout window dressing is worth the trouble? Here are the reasons why you want them…

Best possible light blocking of any window dressing, short of shutters
Keeps the room warm in the winter and cool in the summer
Affordable option for a window accessory
Easy to install with a carpenter or handyman
Excellent for sound dampening

There are downsides to blackout curtains as well, these include…

Bulky design that takes up a lot of room near the window
Large and difficult to clean at home
Expensive to have professionally cleaned
Collects a lot of dust
Heavy feeling to them that might not match your room decor
Requires curtain rod to be installed above the window

Blackout Curtain Pricing

As with anything, you can spend a whole lot or a very little on blackout curtains. After owning this type of curtain for some years, I have to saw it’s not an area where I see the value in spending a lot of money.

High-end ($100+/pair) blackout curtains just don’t have the bang-for-the-buck of the more affordable options and don’t seem like a wise investment to me as you need to follow-up that purchase by spending a fortunate cleaning them. It’s the gift that keeps on taking. You are better off spending less, getting the same level of light blocking, and not having to worry about them.

We’ve been using the Restoration Hardware Baby collection Cotton Canvas Drapery blackout curtains for some time now. They are certainly a nice fabric and they have held up for over 5 years without cracking, ripping, or breaking down, but they are more or less the same cotton material with polyester blackout lining of any blackout curtain. Yes, many cheaper options will drop the cotton outer material but this certainly isn’t necessary.

Ikea Marjun Blackout Curtains

The Ikea Marjun will cost a bit more than the ultra-budget options below, but they come from a name that you know and almost certainly trust.

For me blackout curtains are the perfect Ikea buy: something that I want to perform well and last a long time, but that I won’t want to spend a ton of money on. Plus I want to know it’s made with safe materials, which is an area where Ikea has a great track record, especially with fabrics.

100% polyester
Machine washable at home
Safe for ironing
57″ x 98″ (39 square feet)

AmazonBasics Room Darkening Blackout Curtains

AmazonBasics doesn’t make the fanciest things, but their products are generally reliable purchases and the simply the product, the best they are. Well, there isn’t any product that’s much simpler than blackout curtains, so you can get these are pretty solid.

AmazonBasics blackout curtains have a middle of the pack price with top-notch reviews and middle of the road styling.

Rod Pocket topper
Includes 2 ties for holding it open

Popular Affordable Blackout Curtains

Nicetown Room Darkening Shades

With these best-selling curtains a triple weave design is used to interweave the microfiber curtains to black out any light. The primary material is aided by layers of back yarn and to create the most light blocking possible.

Features

Polyester fabric of 250GSM is used to make the material ultimately soft
Double panel protection to keep out any light that is not required
The thick curtains block up to 99% of UV rays as they are large in width and length.
The package contains two tie-backs accompanied by eight grommets

Rose Home Fashion Thermal Insulated Blackout Shades

The ultimate Blackout Curtains banish noise and light and energy-efficient for a light sleeper

Heavy blackout curtains and multi-layered curtails the light and noise from entering the room
The material is 100% polyester and well suited to a nice curtain rod, be it decorative or standard.
Machine washable

H. Versailtex Blackout Room Darkening Shades

You might not have hard of the company before, but H. Versailtex blackout shades are some of the best sellers on Amazon right now.

This drapery solution for you to sleep with less disturbance and prevent sunlight from spoiling TV watching ranging from 50% to 100%.

Features

Tri-layer weaving creates a thermal effect that acts as a defense against heat or cold
Comes free of chemicals and formaldehyde, thus promoting the greenhouse effect and health
Ensures a blackout which is natural, yet provides an aesthetic look to the room
Sold in white as well as man other colors

Wontex Blackout Curtains

The Wontex blackout curtains come with metal grommets that can fit a curtain rod, either decorative or standard. Broad and lengthy, they sport the same color in both front and rear.

Top Features

The three layers weave insulates your room against heat and cold temperature
Touch is silken with extreme softness due to 100 % polyester fabric
The natural light blockage is 90 %, and the artificial external light blockage is 100%
It is environment friendly, and thus suitable for health and furniture alike.

Pony Dance Bedroom Blackout Curtains

These are definitely the blackout shades with the best name. Pony Dance blackout shades not only sound great,

The multi-functional design and quality of these blackout curtains blocks noise and sunlight. It also keeps the room cool leading to saving of artificial cooling or heating and regulating indoor temperature.

Features

Blocks 85-95% of light from outside
An innovative fabric created from 230 GSM of polyester fabric
The triple weave construction has no inner liner and appears the same be it front or back, lending it an aesthetic look.
Gives various options of styling with a choice between rod pocket, back loops, and clip rings.
No pure white option available. The closest is light grey

Blackout curtain may be a simple product, but serves us in many ways which we hardly realize. In fact, it is essential to have it at home than be without one.