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[DottieBlue]

I also need to sleep in a very dark room.  I had to "double up" my window treatments by using blackout curtains over mini-blinds.

With the curtains, be sure to go above and below the window by a few inches as light can still show out the top and bottom.  I also use a curtain rod that is 6 inches wider than the window (on each side) and gather the curtain around the curve of the rod corners so that the curtain touches the wall so that no light seeps in via the sides.

The Vermont Country Store website has a curtain department, also JC Penny's carries alot of curtains.

Good luck.

[laluzdelmundo]

This is one of those posts that contains absolutely nothing to which I can personally relate, but I've read all the responses and find them to be clinically interesting. 

My bedroom has east and south windows with 2 inch blinds.  I have a floodlight outside my bedroom and I cannot sleep unless I can see just a sliver of the light from it. If it should be out, I've had to get up and go outside in the dark to investigate why. On occasion, I've needed to get the ladder and replace the bulb or reset the timer. Using blackout curtains has never occurred to me in my life.

I also sleep with lights on in several rooms including a small lamp in my bedroom. I cannot sleep well in a totally dark room or house. The thought of waking up during the night in a dark house nearly gives me a panic attack. 

[DooneyGal2]

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@DottieBlue wrote:

I also need to sleep in a very dark room.  I had to "double up" my window treatments by using blackout curtains over mini-blinds.

With the curtains, be sure to go above and below the window by a few inches as light can still show out the top and bottom.  I also use a curtain rod that is 6 inches wider than the window (on each side) and gather the curtain around the curve of the rod corners so that the curtain touches the wall so that no light seeps in via the sides.

The Vermont Country Store website has a curtain department, also JC Penny's carries alot of curtains.

Good luck.

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@DottieBlue 

Thank you so much for all your tips! Hoping to finally get a heavy duty curtain rod installed, sadly we've only been using tension rods (big ones, not small skimpy ones!) in our window at the present, which isn't giving the full impact needed from all that I've been reading in the replies! Bummer!

I thought I might need more than 2 panels (black out), so will be working on that too.  Not sure we will be able to do blinds, but hoping.m

My question is, when you did all you did with yours, this is a big big question for me lol ~ is your room 100% pitch dark throughout the morning (or whenever you have the most intense sun), like how it is at night? 

That's what I'm wondering, is that truly able to be achieved. 

I know hotels can achieve it, but obviously they can afford to do all that's needed (and have great skilled people installing!)- would love to know if it's like night in your room. Thanks so much for your help! 

[Shihtzursqmom]

We have black out drapes in our bedroom I can’t sleep unless it’s completely dark in the bedroom either, first glimmer of light and I’m awake
I replaced these a couple years ago I always bought blackout drapes at bed bath and beyond
These are ivory color
We had plantation shutters behind the drapes I closed at night but I removed them earlier in the year and it’s still dark with just the drapes
One of our windows faces East
I also know someone who bought blackout drapes at Walmart recently that works great in their LR

[DooneyGal2]

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@Shihtzursqmom wrote:
We have black out drapes in our bedroom I can’t sleep unless it’s completely dark in the bedroom either, first glimmer of light and I’m awake
I replaced these a couple years ago I always bought blackout drapes at bed bath and beyond
These are ivory color
We had plantation shutters behind the drapes I closed at night but I removed them earlier in the year and it’s still dark with just the drapes
One of our windows faces East
I also know someone who bought blackout drapes at Walmart recently that works great in their LR

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@Shihtzursqmom 

Thanks for your help! Did you double up though, on the amount generally recommended for your size window? I keep hearing that's basically what it comes down to ugh. I say ugh because, presently we only have use of a tension rod within our window, which can only reasonably provide support for 2 of these heavy panels. Previously we (I know, strange lol!) had some pieces of cardboard in our window, which seemed to be doing the trick, but living in an HOA community that didn't fly - lol! 

Believe me I *truly* wish we had had the foresight to consider installing super heavy duty curtain rods above our window, but sadly at the time we moved in here over 8 years ago, we needed to cut corners and that is one problem lol! We had quality paper blinds as well, of course, not just cardboard (now that would be weird, Ha!). 

Anyway, I'm still trying to now understand if anyone that uses blackout curtains literally achieves TOTAL DARK AS NIGHT, darkness in their room in the morning hours with windows that face the early morning blistering sun.

I know you can make your room darker per se, but I'm wanting 100% dark lol (to where you can't see anything in your room)! 

I wonder if the black out curtains your friend bought at Walmart is the Eclipse brand? I have found them not to be that good. 

[sabatini]

Hi, @DooneyGal2 .

I like the blackout drapery panels from Half Priced Drapes. Their faux taffeta looks luxurious, & they also have a heavy velvet.

IDK about you, but I usually hang my drapes above the windows by quite a bit - maybe a foot or more, depending on the ceiling height, & have the drapes drop to the floor.

It really lifts up the space to hang them that way, & also blocks more of the light coming from behind them.

Curtains & drapes look most sumptuous when their width is at least twice the width of the window.

Drapery rods aren't expensive! Try looking at Home Goods, Marshalls, Ross, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!

[Trailrun23]

I have plantation shutters in my diningroom that faces west....it is pitch black in there and in our bedroom when the shutters are closed completely....they also really help keep  the heat since the sun doesn't come in....you may also want to use a sleep mask. 

[DooneyGal2]

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@Trailrun23 wrote:

I have plantation shutters in my diningroom that faces west....it is pitch black in there and in our bedroom when the shutters are closed completely....they also really help keep  the heat since the sun doesn't come in....you may also want to use a sleep mask. 

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@Trailrun23 

Thanks so much for finally saying pitch black lol! 🥰🥰 That's  my big thing, goal, making our bedroom pitch dark - not just darker or darkened - I'm however starting to lose hope, ugh - don't think we'll be able to afford really, or have the ability to install plantation shutters but sounds phenomenal. I'll at least look into it for sure! 

I also appreciate the tip of another poster saying it helps to have curtains a good foot above the window- we wouldn't be able to do it a foot, not enough room, but probably a good 6 inches might work. 

Thanks for your help!! 

[DooneyGal2]

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@sabatini wrote:

Hi, @DooneyGal2 .

I like the blackout drapery panels from Half Priced Drapes. Their faux taffeta looks luxurious, & they also have a heavy velvet.

IDK about you, but I usually hang my drapes above the windows by quite a bit - maybe a foot or more, depending on the ceiling height, & have the drapes drop to the floor.

It really lifts up the space to hang them that way, & also blocks more of the light coming from behind them.

Curtains & drapes look most sumptuous when their width is at least twice the width of the window.

Drapery rods aren't expensive! Try looking at Home Goods, Marshalls, Ross, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!

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@sabatini Thanks so much for your help! I'll look for Half Priced Drapes, never heard of them hope to find something! 

[DottieBlue]

@DooneyGal2 

Yes, the bedroom is very dark even on very sunny days.  But I guess I'd have to say that the room is only about 90-95% dark, and not totally pitch black dark.

When we moved into this house, the windows already had brown-colored mini-blinds, but they didn't darken the room as much as I needed.  I think because they are a dark brown color does help, tho.

So I purchased room darkening panels long enough and wide enough to go a few inches above, and several inches below and past each side of the windows.

Window coverings are not inexpensive.  But I absolutely must have a very dark room.

Another idea.  A friend of mine did her windows by installing room darkening pull-down roller window shades.  But light still came in at the top and along the sides.  So she installed dark navy blue  valances above the windows, and the same color curtain panels along the side of each window and it did the trick by blocking the light that was still coming in.

HTH.

Edited to add:  For a TOTALLY dark room, I think the curtains would need to go all the way up to the ceiling and down to the floor because some light would still show if these areas are not covered as well.  And again, use a curved rod to bring the curtain to touch the wall so no light comes in the side.