IKEA Blackout Curtains Vs Room Darkening: What's The Difference And Which Is Better?

Most people like some natural light inside a room. Studies show that natural light can improve mental health, reducing stress and anxiety. However, it's also possible to have too much natural light in a home. If you're working at home or trying to watch your favorite mid-day TV show, glare on the screen from sunlight streaming through the windows can make it difficult to see the screen while causing headaches and eye strain.

You may be considering curtains to reduce the glare you're experiencing. You also may like the prospect of blackout curtains to keeping your home cooler in summer. If IKEA is already your go-to retailer for all kinds of home products because of its prices and product quality, you'll be happy to learn that it offers a wide range of blackout and room darkening curtains as well. But which type of IKEA curtain do you need?

IKEA recommends using room darkening curtains in areas where you want to keep the majority of natural light out of the room but don't mind a little bit of filtered sunlight. However, if you prefer no light to enter the room, IKEA suggests its blackout curtains. Although most people prefer to use blackout curtains in a bedroom to keep sunlight, moonlight, or street lights out for uninterrupted sleep, you also might use them in a room where you need to keep all light off your screens.

Room darkening curtains use a less dense fabric liner than the liner found with blackout curtains, allowing some light to penetrate the fabric. The filtered fabric may allow about 5% of light to seep through, where a blackout curtain fabric would allow no light through. You might choose to use room darkening curtains in family rooms or living rooms where you need privacy and a significant filtering of light.

IKEA offers many kinds of room darkening curtains, allowing you to select the color you want. Some even have slight patterns on them. One of the least-expensive room darkening curtains IKEA offers, the Rosenmandel, costs about $20 for a pair. It has a 4.1-star rating out of 5 stars with more than 100 reviews. A positive reviewer appreciates the quality and color options available. However, one of the negative reviewers dislikes that the fabric has a plastic feel and look.

One of the more expensive options is the Annakajsa, which costs about $75 for a pair at IKEA. It has a 4.6-star rating with almost 200 reviews. Positive reviews on the IKEA website mention the fabric's durability and the room darkening curtains' stylish look. One reviewer mentioned that the curtains provide a great value for the price. Negative reviewers say they don't like the way they hang when they're closed.

The primary benefit of blackout curtains is that they keep all light from entering the room through the windows, creating a completely dark environment. They offer maximum protection from UV rays that can cause furniture to fade. They often use two or three layers and thick fabrics to achieve the blocking of light. Even with the highest quality fabrics, though, you may notice a bit of light bleed at the edges. You can take steps when blackout curtains let in too much light, such as tacking them to the wall at the edges. You might choose to use blackout curtains in bedrooms or movie rooms.

One of the least expensive blackout curtains is the Bengta, which costs $20 for two panels at IKEA. It has a 4.4-star rating out of 5 among about 175 IKEA product reviewers. Positive reviews mention the high quality of the fabric, which does an excellent job of blocking the light. However, some negative reviewers say the curtains don't have as many color and style options as they'd like.

One of the pricier blackout curtain options is the Lönnstävmal, which costs $75 for a pair at IKEA. It has a 4.8-star rating from almost 30 reviewers on the IKEA website. The positive reviews mention the high-quality fabric and the stylish design. One negative reviewer noted that the fabric had an odd odor.