If you do not already have them, let me tell you about the wonders of using blackout curtains. These curtains are usually thick very opaque curtains that have the effect of blocking out light whether from outside in or inside out. They might have originated from the World Wars, I’m not sure of the history.
But let me tell you that these curtains are excellent from a beauty (and practical) point of view 😛
Because these curtains block out light (and correspondingly a lot of heat) they keep the interior of your rooms and house cooler. This is important here where its so hot and the sun is so bright all year round. It would be likely to be less important in a place that does not get a lot of sun. I also find that these heavier curtains help block out more sound too.
A cool, quiet and dark bedroom is perfect for getting a good night’s rest. Light and noise can mess with sleeping patterns. I find that ever since I put up my blackout curtains (hand me down from my sister) I have been getting better sleep, and am waking up in a more gradual manner instead of having the sun shine in my eyes. The converse of course, is that you may end up oversleeping 😛
A cooler bedroom is also better for longevity of cosmetics. I’ve found that the blackout curtains keeps the sun and heat out of my room and also retains the cool air from the air-conditioning for longer. Heat is one of our cosmetics’ worst enemies, so a lovely cool interior is good for them.
And finally, blackout curtains are also energy saving. How so? I find I can keep my air-conditioner temperature at a slightly higher setting and my bedroom does not get too hot in the day, so less energy is needed to cool it back down. When the air-conditioner is on, the curtains help the cool air remain within the room, thereby maintaining the room temperature at a more constant rate.
The other downside about using blackout curtains is that if used throughout the house, can make the house look dreary because its so dark in the daytime. I personally find it soothing and I will put up the same curtains in my living room when time permits. But if you don’t like a dark house, then keep it to just your bedroom 🙂
I’ve found some inexpensive pre-made blackout curtains sold at Jusco and even custom made, they are relatively affordable compared to the more elaborate curtain material you may find.
Do you already use blackout curtains in your home or would you consider it? 🙂
Paris B
Lisa says
June 26, 2011 at 10:13 amI’ve been looking for this for a long time. Not sure whether it’s as easily available in singapore. Are they available at most Jusco?
Shazzac says
June 27, 2011 at 11:31 amHey,
There are blackout roller blinds sold at Ikea. It’s affordable too! Love those!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 12:11 pmThanks for sharing about this! I never thought to use roller blinds – I like my curtains for a softer touch – but they can come in useful for use in the bathrooms! 😉
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:34 amI’m not 100% sure to be perfectly honest. When I was looking a few years ago, they were available at most Jusco in the curtain departments. But I’m not sure about now. I’m sure they are also available in Singapore – try looking in the stores that sell curtain material
Sam says
June 26, 2011 at 10:47 amI have thick curtain and a blind in my room as it faces east and the sun gets up far too early for me in summer!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:36 amOh the summer sun! I remember when it would get light at 5am! *buries head under pillow*
milktea says
June 26, 2011 at 11:56 amI really like this idea! 🙂 Only thing is not sure if my room’s curtain rail can take the weight… 🙁
LeGeeque says
June 26, 2011 at 2:51 pmChange the rails! It’s not that difficult. If it’s a long window, you’d need 3 or more hooks/support metals to hold up the rail. Ikea does this for you very easily!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:37 amI know for a fact the ones from Jusco are lighter than the custom made ones (my uncle had the Jusco ones) so they might hang better on your rails. Otherwise, might have to strengthen the rails 🙂
Reka says
June 26, 2011 at 12:25 pmI have blackouts in my room which acts great for soundproofing but I have actually been sleepingwith the lights on due to an overactive
imagination! Do you knw whether that’s bad for the skin in anyway?
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:38 amHmm… If its a small night light, I reckon there’s nothing to affect the skin in any way. If its overhead lights, I think it’ll damage your wallet when the electricity bill comes, more than your skin 😉
xin says
June 26, 2011 at 12:51 pmI like the idea but I am not sure if i’d use it, i get paranoid if i can’t judge the time from the light through the window, especially during weekdays, for the fear of over sleeping of course 😛
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:39 amWhy do you think I’m always late for work? 😛 But that aside, it helps me wake up more gradually, and my body clock knows when its a week day so its all good 😉
Diane says
June 26, 2011 at 12:56 pmI had this when I lived in costa rica – heavy duty blackout panels in my apartotel! I had the best sleep! But of course, imagination wise made it more scary! 🙂
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:39 amHeh… I perhaps have no imagination then 😛 Its not 100% blackout in my case – I’d say about 90%?
Monstro says
June 26, 2011 at 1:37 pmCan’t live without blackout curtains in our master bedroom! It really does keep our hot room cooler especially in the afternoon when Grace needs to nap and is fussy about heat. Also both me and G are sensitive to light, so it’s hard for me to sleep if it’s bright. What will I do without them? 🙂
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:41 amI know right? ever since I had them put up, I don’t know how I ever did without these
Denise says
June 26, 2011 at 2:49 pmI will get these for my room! I currently have navy blue curtains, but it’s not heavy enough that it blocks out a lot of light. I still wake up with some sun shining on my face.
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:44 amThe nice thing about using blackout curtains is that they don’t have to be black or blue or dark 😀 Mine are beige 😀 Perfect for our tropical sun
LeGeeque says
June 26, 2011 at 2:50 pmI need them. Have been putting it off for a long time. I sleep like crap and I need this and it also helps keep the warm air from my heating system from escaping.
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:44 amYes you do! Time to go curtain shopping!
zzz says
June 26, 2011 at 3:05 pmi used it for my room in my college because my study table is right at the window…thanks to my friend who intro me this blackout curtain, i can study better with less heat and no sunlight means i wont get darker!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:46 amIts great to know that this helps you study better – helps you ace exams too I bet 😉
giddy tigress says
June 26, 2011 at 3:47 pmI use blackout curtains in all the rooms in my home. However, to make it look less dreary, I have 2 rows of curtain rails. One is fixed with sheer curtains (translucent) and the other, we fixed blackout curtains. When I draw the blackout curtains apart, the sheers lend a touch of elegance, which I quite like, plus it doesn’t make the interior too hot when we draw the blackout curtains.
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:47 amAh I do the same too for all curtains in my house 🙂 I have the double rail with sheer curtains inside and heavier curtains outside.
Kari says
June 26, 2011 at 3:54 pmI’d consider them, but I think I’d like to pair them with sheer ones to let the sun in during the day, like they do in hotels 🙂 The oversleeping might be a big problem haha 😀
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:48 amLOL yes it will take a bit of getting used to at first 😉 I pair them with sheer curtains too but I always draw them shut at night 🙂
espenine says
June 26, 2011 at 3:54 pmDue to the harsh desert environment, my entire apartment is forever covered with blackout curtains and windows are fully shut & tinted to reflect off sunlight. Yes, I mean 24/7. It is depressing to the point that I miss sunlight streaming into the apt and fresh air.
The good side is that my skincare & makeup is fully protected from sunlight.
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:56 amGosh! I’d love to know where you are based – a desert environment sounds terribly exciting 🙂 Its a bit of an irony when we can have a lot of sun and have to block it out but those who have no or little sun would love to bask in it 🙂
jojoba (My Makeup Reviews) says
June 26, 2011 at 4:47 pmOMG! yes, we only use blackout curtains as my husband can’t sleep unless it’s totally BLACK. I have ours made as we have very big windows. It’s so important for sleep. You are right!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:56 amOurs had to be made too due to windows. These new designs with big windows these days mean a fortune spent on curtains! 😛
Jamilla Camel says
June 26, 2011 at 6:36 pmWe have blackout curtains in every room in our house in Muscat – an absolute necessity not just for good sleeping, but also to keep the heat out. We’ve got central air conditioning, but I’m without on missing the sunlight sometimes.
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 11:57 amIts quite impressive how much heat is kept out (or for those who need heating, kept in) with these curtains. I can imagine they would be absolutely necessary in Muscat!
Alene says
June 26, 2011 at 7:17 pmmy room windows are facing the west, so i only get sun in the mornings…and my curtains do a pretty good job of blocking it out already…so i probably wont need these. but i do like blackout curtains for a whole diff reason….they’re very romantic =P reminds me of afternoon naps with my ex in KL hotels…used to take day offs so we could relax in hotels…
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 12:00 pmHaha I knew I liked hotel rooms for a reason 😉 Now that you mention it, I do tend to oversleep in hotel rooms (which is really bad if you are travelling on business) 😛 And your little escapades sound positively decadent 😉
rinnah says
June 26, 2011 at 9:30 pmI’m a lil on the fence with blackout curtains…on the one hand, I find it hard to fall asleep in a completely dark room (light doesn’t bother me, I can still fall asleep) but I like blackout curtains in the daytime so that it keeps the room cool and dim (I might oversleep tho!). I guess my solution would be to get a partner who can act as an automatic curtain closer. 😛
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 12:01 pmHaha having someone able to draw the curtains at will sound like a good idea! Or remote controlled ones too 😉
Michelle says
June 26, 2011 at 11:02 pmIf you are in KL, you could hop on to Kamdar and buy the blackout curtain material. You can get them in beige (less dreary) or navy (for some drama) or choc brown or whatever else you fancy. The material is not very expensive and it’s not to hard to get a neighbourhood tailor to sew it up for you to size. I can’t remember exactly but it was suprisingly cheap. ps: I totally agree that light subtly messes with our quality of sleep!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 12:01 pmKamdar! Good idea! 🙂
Steph says
June 27, 2011 at 2:56 pmCool! I just bought some Kamdar vouchers from 1 of those deal sites. Hopefully will be able to use them to purchase my blackout curtain material. 😀
Kim Chong says
June 26, 2011 at 11:10 pmI recently put blackout curtains in my bedroom and I totally agree with you. I find that I get more restful sleep which is so important. Also on a side note, you tweeted some time ago about where to buy lightweight camera casings. I came across this brand called Hello Lulu in Robinsons. I believe it’s from Japan. The case is very light but bit expensive. For a compact camera case, it’ll cost something like RM129. Hope this helps!
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 12:02 pmYou just never realize how much sleep you might be missing out on eh? 😉 And thanks for the rec for the camera cases 🙂 Will take a look.
Jenn says
June 26, 2011 at 11:48 pmI ADORE blackout curtains! 😀 Almost all the curtains in my house are blackouts 😀 So nice to sleep in a completely dark room and not being bothered by the morning sun (my apartment faces east so the sun shines right into my unit in the morning). But yeah, they make me oversleep sometimes! Haha!! 😛
ParisB says
June 27, 2011 at 12:03 pmMy body clock has learnt that it can oversleep on weekends but not on weekdays 😉 But on some days, like a rainy morning, it forgets what day it is 😛