How to Help Black Out your Orlando Windows04/02/2018Todd Hansen There are a lot of reasons you might want to control the light coming from your windows in Orlando. Say it’s from ambient street light, constant traffic going by, or regular sunlight, blacking out the light from your windows is important for relaxing and getting quality sleep. Image courtesy of Room Resolutions For those in dire need of better sleep, here are a few ways Orlando homeowners can best control the light. What Window Coverings Block Light The Best? Many Orlando window treatments claim to block light, and you can pretty easily divide them into three groups: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Take a look. Blackout Window Treatments – The Good The best window treatments to dim your windows should do a few things: Effectively block light from entering. Operate easily based on your preferences throughout the day. Look good. The window treatment that hits all these marks is Orlando plantation shutters. When you shut the slats, shutters create an almost complete seal on your windows, letting almost no light in. Sunburst Polywood shutters even have built-in weatherstripping that fills in the gaps along your window frame, making them even more effective. And unlike vinyl shutters, Polywood will never warp or bend, which can result in gaps that let light in. And unlike some cheaper DIY blackout products, shutters look stylish in any room. Rather than looking like some hardware, they’re as good looking as they are effective. A second option for the “good” category is light-blocking roller shades. These are made with thick and layered material to block a good amount of light, and extend past your window opening. There can be some miniscule spaces around the edges of the shade where light can seep into the room. But for a window treatment that isn’t shutters, room darkening shades make a pretty good option. Blackout Window Treatments – The Bad Here we have window treatments that don’t quite go the distance when it comes to blacking out a window. Any fabric window treatment, from curtains to drapes, can let some light in unless they’re both extremely thick and go beyond the edges of your window. Even heavy-duty blinds don’t fare well, since the slats on blinds don’t come together to block light. That means light is going to come in, even if it’s at a very slight angle. Blackout Window Treatments – The Ugly Search for “Orlando window blackouts” on the internet and you’ll probably find some do it yourself sheets made to hang in a window frame to block light. Most of them are customizable to your window size and shape, and adhere to the window frame via velcro or another adhesive. And for the most part, they work fairly well. But there are a few drawbacks with these products. First off, they’re kind of ugly. The majority of these products sacrifice fashion for function. So if you put in of these blackout sheets, make sure to do it in a place that you don’t mind looking dull. Creative Commons by License Second, for being easy to install, cross your fingers that you don’t have to remove and put them back up often. The adhesive or velcro that attach them to the wall can wear off fairly easily, which means you have to head back to the store for another one. Let Sunburst Shutters Orlando Help You Control the Light To learn more about interior shutters and other window treatments that can help you get the light control you need in your home, get in touch with your Orlando shutter team. Use the form below or give us a call at 407-630-7011 today to get a free, in-home window treatment consultation.