A cheap but efficient way to block out light in bedroom?

dekaspace1

2 reasons, I am autistic and sensitive to light, even things like a led on a device like a standby mode annoys me though I can tolerate it.

Main things though are light coming in from windows, in my current place up until a few days ago when I finally put up curtain poles after living here more than 6 months and having blackout curtains and also blackout blinds I still have light seeping in.  Before I put the rail up I used one curtain pinned above the windows directly, regular blinds and the 2nd blackout curtain which was held up by hooks to the curtain plate and just used double sided tape to stick the front curtain back at one side.

This worked quite well though still got light in and could notice it early in morning.

At my last flat what I did was cut up a black shower curtain, have some curtain wire and use drawing pins in the frame and the rest of the curtain I cut into 2 strips and pinned to the top and side of the curtain plate around where the pole was, this worked very well as I had a streetlight right outside my window and though somelight came in it so you knew it was morning it was enough to block out the worst.

It didn't look pretty but it didn't look horrible either, the only other issues was when I wanted to have curtains open I had to remove the pieces.

But is there another way? I had a thought of instead of pinning to the window itself having a screw in each side and one or two arouind the middle for strength (or hooks) and wire and putting a blackout curtain there that way I can move it when I want to look outside,

Any other methods?

twopenny

I also have a streetlight outside. Great for security but rubbish for sleeping. And the sun rises straight into my bedroom.

I used self adheasive velchro on the top of the window frame and the other stuck to some blackout material from a fabric shop so, darn thick.

Each night I put it up - takes about 2mins now I'm practised - and I can pull it down by taking one side and gently tugging.

Initially I put a couple of small pieces on each side low down so it sat directly in the frame.

I need a stool to put it up but just a gentle tug to get it down come morning.

If the material isn't wide enough use double sided tape to stick two together.

I also have blackout linings to the curtains but that's more for winter and looks nice over the 'blind'.

It really is pitch dark. Loverly

Oh, the white velchro doesn't show during the day time as light coming from the outside puts the frame in shade.

I now do this around the house for thermal blinds just for the coldest days.

FreeBear

I have (had) a blackout curtain to block out light in my darkroom. Used self adhesive velcro around the window and a matching strip on the blackout. Zero light got through.

I had originally stitched the velcro to the blackout, but ended up with a double row of pinpricks all the way round. Could have got away with sticking a second layer of blackout material over the stitching...

housebuyer143

Other than the Velcro listed above that works I use the following. I have a set of black out curtains on the normal rail and then inside bought a pressure pole and put it inside the window frame with pocket pleat black out curtains inside.
At night it blocks all the light and in the really sunny days like this morning you only get minimum light through. In the summer I am a bit more careful with the top pleats so more light is blocked out.
We used to have velux windows and so with the blackout velux blinds are used to sleeping in total darkness.
If you want more info and links let me know.

Falling that you can buy something called bloc out blinds with fit into a rail in the frame and are like velux blinds and black out all light. You need very square frames though.

ashe

FreeBear said:

I have (had) a blackout curtain to block out light in my darkroom. Used self adhesive velcro around the window and a matching strip on the blackout. Zero light got through.

I had originally stitched the velcro to the blackout, but ended up with a double row of pinpricks all the way round. Could have got away with sticking a second layer of blackout material over the stitching...

I had to put some Velcro on some fibreglass mesh and used sticks like s**t, once it dried it was job done and able to add/removed as needed to the frame 

YBR

Similar to the picture above, but I have a rollerblind in the alcove of the window and curtains over/outside the alcove.
I carefully draw the curtains so that if any light comes through/round it will be away from me (IYSWIM).

If that's not sufficient (or I'm away from home) I wear an eye mask.

dekaspace1

The extendable pole sounds perfect, I actually gave mine away when I moved as used them for nets in my old flat as it was on ground floor.

As I have a puppy it would be better to do something like that as before I had 1 eyelet blackout curtain hooked to edges and middle and that wasn't perfect but blocked out quite a bit of light and puppy slept to around 8 or 8.30am, now I have the curtains up proper theres far more light leakage.

housebuyer143

dekaspace1 said:

The extendable pole sounds perfect, I actually gave mine away when I moved as used them for nets in my old flat as it was on ground floor.

As I have a puppy it would be better to do something like that as before I had 1 eyelet blackout curtain hooked to edges and middle and that wasn't perfect but blocked out quite a bit of light and puppy slept to around 8 or 8.30am, now I have the curtains up proper theres far more light leakage.

This is the pole I got and the curtains something like this with the fabric at the top over the pole. I peg them together in the summer but depending on the size of your window you could just use one of the curtains to cover the entire window. 


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-Extendable-Telescopic-Curtains-83-130cm/dp/B074M6DVWD/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2C19RJM42M7EX&keywords=extendable+pole&qid=1682409793&sprefix=extendable+pole,aps,180&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DWCN-Blackout-Curtains-Bedroom-Protection/dp/B08KXLSR5W/ref=mp_s_a_1_11_sspa?crid=3JKIZADGBFET7&keywords=amazon+pocket+blackout+curtains&qid=1682409851&sprefix=amazon+pocket+black+out+curtains,aps,150&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1

DullGreyGuy

If you have proper blackout blinds (where the sides/bottom of the blinds are in a track) then you wouldnt get any light at all coming in but they wont meet your cheap requirement and I am guessing you dont own the property so may not be able to have them installed. 

For a temp solution for a different reason we bought some travel window blackout things that are designed for people traveling with babies. came as a big sheet with suction cups in the corners and velcro so you could adjust the size. As we were only using it on one window we cut it to size and moved the suction cups. There was inevitably still some bleed around the edges but it worked very well and had there been high mounted thick blackout curtains in front it would have been near total darkness

dekaspace1

Thanks for advice so far, its a big window the inner gap being 180cm and in 3 pieces i.e 2 windows and glass on its own in middle.

Im probably going down the extendable pole route, I do have one I would of used but its only about 140cm wide so not big enough.

Temporarily what my plan is to buy blackout fabric and just cut to size and do the curtain wire method, and if I have enough fabric left do the pin any spare fabric to the top of the curtain poles,

GDB2222

How about cutting cardboard precisely to size, and blu-tac-ing it to the window glass? If you get a good fit, it will do a great job of excluding light. Plus, you can't fault it for cheapness!  It's also no problem if the place is rented, as it will all come off without leaving a trace.