apartment black out blinds recommendation
 

summer is around the corner and my unit is facing east

it gets HOT A F

already getting sweaty as balls sleeping

I'm thinking of getting black out blinds, has anyone installed and found it helps with cooling your unit down? if so any recommendations on companies / suppliers

I also have AC but the hose is not setup to be routed through the window (anyone also have a reco for install person?)

FWIW, the blackout curtains from IKEA are all useless.
FailFish

amazon, served me well

which blinds did you get form amazon, did you just do the install yourself? is it difficult to do and have it flush? I want the whole unit to be pitch black or as close to it as possible lol (so can't tell night from day)

The seller was NICETOWN

You can choose different colours and sizes. Self installed, you need to get the bar separately as you are just buying the curtain.

or is there such thing as adding a black layered film ontop of existing blinds ?

Really? I find they work perfect

Good to hear that they work for you. In my old apartment where the bedroom window was usually in the shade, they have worked well too. But in our current place, I find that they just don't block enough light during the day. In the evening, they work well in keeping the room dark.

I am not really talking about light leakage along the edges of the blackout curtains -- I know I have that. It's the main area where the window is that I find the IKEA blackout curtains to be inadequate. When the sun is shinging directly on the window, there is still too much light coming through on the blackout curtains.

Ya need ac bro. Get that working asap. I've had it for 5 years and I'll never go back to the sweat box that my house used to be.

Actually yea our bedroom window faces west so it doesn’t get thay direct morning sun

Wife bought some of these for our bedroom when she was working nights and sleeping days, they get rid of 95% of the light, rooms dark even in the middle of the summer.

https://www.jysk.ca/home-decor/windo...-curtains.html

We got a roller blind from Ikea. Less than 50 bucks. It can be cut to width https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/p/tupplur...hite-50349168/

Try these. I got mine from the AS-IS section in Ikea. I lucked out as it was the perfect size for my window. works great and i just added it behind the existing curtains. it rolls out of the way when you dont need it and completely blocks out the sun. (minus the sides of course. youll just have to be creative on that part)

inexpensive and easy to install. goodluck

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90349251/

I thought the Ikea Blackout roll down blind is decent. some light filters on sides, but overall, it was pretty good. I think for a 70in ish window, it was around 80bucks.

Combine it with a cheap 20 dollar blackout curtains off amazon, I think you have a solid combo.

Or do the ghetto way and heavy duty garbage bags cut up and tape it up

exactly my thoughts

Yeah, I should mention / emphasize that I was really just referring to the (IKEA) blackout curtains, not their blinds.

The cutains I have from IKEA works fine, just that when the dog/cat decides to check the window, sun passes through lol

IKEA has a new line of blackout stuff over the last few years. I bought some IKEA room darkening curtains from about 6 years ago (all they had, except maybe pull down blinds) and they are useless.


I’m a soft sensitive soul... err sensitive to light as I spent too many nights in Hotels with nice curtains. So I spent a some more on some true blackout blinds, with tracks on the side. They work well, but you can’t leave the window open at all, as the it is basically sealed with the tracks. The curtains blows out of the track and ruins the blind.

This. I got a portable AC last year for the first time in my life and it was life changing. I actually bought a 2nd one 2 days ago and I would recommend looking at them now when the stock levels in stores are full because as you get closer and closer into summer they sell out and you'll have to wait a little.

Took the IKEA blackout curtains out of my room because you could smell the plastic leaking.
You can make your own, and still have it look good, with cheap 100% cotton bed sheets from Walmart. Get one white layer to face the sun, with another two layers of black to keep the light out... stitch them as one piece.

Layer of tinfoil in between to stop the lizard people?

Haha, sorry Charles you didn't deserve that one but I couldn't resist. :)

We bought some from blinds.ca (although blinds.com has a bigger selection).

Those that have an AC unit with casement window, how do you handle sealing off the opening? Most window adapters for AC units are meant for sliding windows.

I just let it flow.. it's not 100% sealed that's for sure, but it still works really well.

If you live in a newer condo building with jackass council members, best to look at bylaws before installing curtain and see if certain color would not be allowed