• Julia Nilstål
It sounds easy enough – "just darken the room," right? But when it's time to choose the right blackout blinds for the bedroom, living room, or home cinema, more questions often arise than answers. What's the real difference between dimming and blackout? What does blackout actually mean? And does it really work to black out a room in the middle of a bright day? The reasons for needing blackout products for windows can be many, for example:
- Sleep health
- Small children sleeping during the day
- Shift work
- Home cinema
In this guide, we clarify the concepts, give you smart tips, and help you find the right blackout solutions and blackout blinds – whether you want total darkness or just to dim the light a little.
1. What are blackout blinds – and how do they differ from dim-out options?
When we talk about blackout blinds, we are referring to products that block almost all light, or in some cases – all light. These products are often designed to create complete darkness, especially in bedrooms or homes where total darkness is required, such as for night work or for young children.
Light-dimming or room-darkening blinds, on the other hand, also fall under the blackout category, but these products often lack the extra blackout layer required to be classified as "blackout". It is therefore the fabric or material in blackout blinds that determines whether the product is classified as full blackout or just light-dimming.
The alternative to indoor blackout blinds are those with screening or transparent fabric, which means that the light transmission is so great that the product is not classified as blackout.
2. Does blackout sun protection provide 100% darkness? Here's what you should know!
As mentioned above, the properties of the fabric determine how much light passes through a blackout blind. But it is not only the fabric that affects the amount of light – the design of the blind also plays an important role.
For example, if you install a blackout roller blind in the window recess, some light leakage may still occur at the sides, as the fabric does not seal completely. If you use blackout curtains instead, light can also seep in from above if the curtain does not seal tightly against the ceiling.
For the best possible blackout, it is therefore important to choose a solution that minimizes light entry on all sides. One tip is to combine several blackout products – for example, roller blinds and curtains – to achieve the greatest possible blackout effect.
3. Blackout + insulation: How blackout sun protection affects indoor heat and cold
Blackout blinds and other blackout products often act as an extra insulating layer at the window, which can help to:
- Keep the heat out in summer: By blocking sunlight, you reduce the amount of heat radiating into the room, especially important in south or west-facing rooms where the sun shines directly.
- Retain heat indoors in winter: A thick blackout blind can reduce drafts and heat loss through windows.
There are also roller blinds specifically designed to reflect sunlight, offering extra heat reduction during hot summer days.
Did you also know that light-colored sun protection is more effective against heat than dark-colored?
4. Which products can I use for blackout?
Almost all sun protection products are available with blackout fabric! Classics like roller blinds and venetian blinds are common in bedrooms and are available in traditional models with screw fittings or screw-free for those who want to black out a room without drilling. Pleated blinds have become common in many homes thanks to their stylish design and are available with blackout fabrics. Blackout curtains are other popular options that combine design and function in the best way, or why not opt for a blackout roman blind – a stylish and functional middle ground between a curtain and sun protection.
You might also be interested in:
Everything you need to know about blackout blinds
Reduce indoor heat with internal sun protection