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Tips for Choosing the Right Roller Blinds or Shades for Your Home

8 May 2017 by Felecia Banks

Roller blinds can be a good choice for any home because they're compact and won't get in the way of foot traffic or furniture as can happen with large and billowy drapes. Blinds and shades come in a wide variety of colours and styles and can also be motorised for added convenience. If you are ready to choose roller blinds or shades for your home, note a few important but simple tips first.

High and oversized windows

If you are buying roller blinds or shades for higher windows, it may be good to get the motorised variety. This can make it easier to operate your window treatments properly as you may struggle to reach far enough to operate the spring action of the blinds on an elevated window. The blinds for a larger window may also be cumbersome and weighty, and you could pull them off the window frame as you struggle to open them, so choose motorised operations for larger blinds to avoid this risk as well.

Fabric versus wood or plastic

Fabric blinds can be very attractive as they soften a room and make it seem cosier and more relaxing. However, note how much dust and dirt usually settles in your home as well as humidity and moisture. These elements can be damaging to fabrics and mean that they should be professionally cleaned rather often. Wood or plastic slatted blinds can be easier to clean and won't hold as much dust and dirt.

Light filtering

These types of blinds or shades will let light in even when closed. These are good for rooms where you don't necessarily want the light cut off completely, such as kitchens or living rooms. For bedrooms, choose darkening shades, which do filter out all the light and create a much darker space, perfect for sleeping.

Direction of shade

If the windows or patio doors face north or south, meaning the sun moves from side to side across those windows, you may want vertical blinds that you can open and close them from side to side. However, if the windows or doors face east or west, you may want roller shades that you can raise and lower, as opening blinds to one side won't block out the sun. Since you have so many options for shades and blinds and the direction they open and close, choose what works best for your home in particular.

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