Summer is here. After a surprisingly temperate May, we're in June and the temperatures are quickly passing 100, the sun is blazing away for over 14 hours a day! If you aren't particularly a fan of that kind of light, you might be looking for ways to make your home as dark as possible. Maybe you have a cool projector set up and any light washes out the image. Maybe you work evenings and need the dark to sleep soundly through the day. Maybe you're Batman? Whatever the reason, you have come to the right place! Budget Blinds of Tempe & Central Phoenix!

Blackout Blinds and You

So you've had it with the Sun out there! We don't blame you! But before we go all in on blackout blinds, it is worth mentioning the other options available to you! In addition to blackout blinds, there are a number of options you could go for including plantation blinds, wood blinds, but those are not going to give you the total darkness you crave!

When it comes to shutting out the light completely, you really only have two options. Drapes that drop ceiling to floor or 'blackout blinds.' Blackout Blinds are a less a blind and more specifically a type of roller shade that is made out of a UV blocking fabric and measured to fit a window tightly, or mounting on the outside of the sill to really cut down on light. For our clients, we will look at the window and the options available to give the customer the most guidance possible.

^{Blackout blinds are a special type of roller blinds} 

You might think blackout blinds have to be a dark color themselves, but this isn't the case. In fact, roller shades that block out sunlight can be any color, even including some rather amazing prints (here at Budget Blinds Tempe & Central Phoenix we have over 240 decorative fabrics!) that can liven up your interiors while keeping the sunlight to an absolute minimum!

Benefits of Blackout Blinds

Aside from the obvious, you know – keeping the light out, blackout blinds have another huge benefit especially here in Arizona. In blocking out the sun, they also drastically reduce the amount of heat in your home which in turn keeps your energy bill down! Anyone who has ever gotten into their car after a day of work knows Sun + Glass = Oven, and the air conditioner can only do so much work to cool you down. The same goes for your home so the less unfiltered sunlight you let in, the less hard work your AC will have to do, the lower your bill with SRP! That's a win-win-win!

Upgrade Your UV Protection

You can get blackout blinds installed like any other window treatment, or you can take your shade game a step further and invest in automated roller shades! These are a great choice for rooms with multiple or hard to reach windows, making the process of raising or lowering the blinds as simple as a press of a button!

Cleaning Blackout Blinds

Now that you have had your blackout blinds installed you need to be sure to take proper care of them! The shades are made out of a unique fabric that needs careful attention when cleaning.

If you need to spot clean a section of your shades, make sure to use lukewarm water and a very small amount of mild soap to delicately clean the fabric, allowing it to air dry. Do not put the shade entirely into water! If you rub too hard while cleaning, you can create permanent creasing in the fabric and that's not a good look for anyone. A good way to clean up dust (and in Arizona that's a necessity) is to use a standard vacuum with a dusting attachment and using the lowest setting possible, this will limit the amount of force applied to the fabric while still sucking up the dust.

And of course, as always, speak with your Budget Blinds professional about the best care for your specific blinds and shades.

So, what do you say? Ready to see how blackout blinds can help your home? Schedule a free in-home consultation with us and Ken will be out in no time, bringing the showroom to you and getting you the exact kind of window treatment you want and need.