This Old House Reviews Team

Window blinds allow you to control how much natural light you have in your home while also providing you with more privacy. The This Old House Reviews Team has researched the best window blinds and selected the top products on Amazon to help customers.

 

Types of Window Blinds

There are several types of blinds, with the following being the most common.

• Automatic: Automatic blinds have a motor to roll up or down, but they’re more affordable than smart blinds.
• Pleated: Pleated blinds have an accordion look. You can buy standard pleated blinds or a honeycomb version with several layers of fabric to control the temperature and light in a room.
• Roller: Roller blinds have a string on one side that you pull to roll them around a cardboard core. They have a more decorative look than other blinds and are good at blocking sunlight.
• Roman: These blinds are typically made of fabric. They do a good job of blocking out sunlight and can help regulate the temperature in your room.
• Smart: These blinds use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect to smart devices in your home, allowing you to adjust them when you’re away or in another room. The downside to smart blinds is that they tend to be more expensive than other blinds.
• Venetian: This traditional blind has horizontal slats, pull cords, and twistable wands. Updated versions of this blind use higher-quality materials like wood, vinyl, and aluminum. They also allow you to push or pull the blinds up or down instead of using a cord.
• Vertical: As the name suggests, these blinds have vertical slats instead of horizontal ones and are typically used on larger windows or sliding patio doors.

 

 

Buying Guide

After considering what type of blind is best for your home, think about these remaining factors before making a purchase.

• Insulation: If you want your blinds to maintain the temperature of your room, look for fabric blinds. Fabric blinds absorb cold or hot air to keep your room at the temperature you set.
• Light: Decide how much light you want in your room. For example, opt for roller or accordion blinds if you don’t want any light in your room. However, purchase blinds with slats if you want to allow light during the day.
• Safety: If you have young children or pets, opt for a cordless model to prevent an injury.
• Style: Blinds come in many colors, materials, and designs. If appearance is just as important to you as function, make sure you find blinds that match the style of your home.

 

Additional Content Section

 

Tips When Using Window Blinds and Shades

Blinds and shades serve as window coverings, essential for home security, energy efficiency, and privacy. Here are different ways to get the most out of your new window blinds or shades. 

 

• Take measurements of your windows before you decide on your window blinds or shades. Your measurements should be as precise as possible, measuring down to the nearest eighth of an inch without rounding up. 
  • Make sure to account for a slight gap on either side of the window so that your blinds or shades can operate as designed. This gap is usually between an eighth to a quarter of an inch. 
• Regularly dust your window coverings to improve the air quality in your home and prolong the life of your blinds or shades. 
  • There are dusters designed specifically for window blinds. You can also use compressed air to blow out dust or dead insects or gently run a wet cloth down the surface of the shades. 
  • Consult the manufacturer’s instructions for specific care information. 
• If you want your window coverings to take up less room when they’re fully retracted, consider “cellular” shades over traditional window blinds. Cellular window shades have a lower stack height. 
• Carefully and slowly lower or raise your window coverings. Forcing them up or down could result in damage. Also, choose one with a cordless design to make your window blinds or shades less attractive to your pet. 

 

 

FAQs

• Can I fix broken blinds?

No. Once the opening mechanism breaks or the slats bend, you must replace the blinds.

• Are window blinds and shades the same thing?

No. Technically, window blinds refer to hard window treatments, like those made from wood, vinyl, or metal, and shades refer to those made of soft fabric.

• How do I install window blinds?

Most blinds come with brackets. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, you’ll attach these brackets to your window frame or wall. You’ll then snap the blinds onto the brackets to complete the installation.

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations. 

 

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

 

 

The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.