Blackout curtains vs shades vs portable blackout

The 3 side by side

Published specs from each maker's listing, read October 2026.

Why darkness is worth the effort

Light is the strongest signal your body clock reads. Ordinary room light in the evening has been shown to delay and shorten the night-time rise of melatonin, and in a 2022 lab study, sleeping with an overhead light on raised night-time heart rate and next-morning insulin resistance compared with sleeping in near-darkness. Our guide to how dark your bedroom should be covers the research and a simple test for whether your room is dark enough.

The practical problem in most bedrooms is the window: early summer sunrise, street lights, or a neighbour’s security light. And the light usually leaks round the edges rather than through the cloth.

The three approaches

Curtains on a rod. The NICETOWN thermal blackout curtains use a three-layer weave with a black yarn in the middle. The maker states 85 to 99 percent of light is blocked depending on the colour; darker colours block more. They come in many widths and lengths, which is why we point to a search rather than one listing. The fabric is only half the job: mount the rod a few inches above the frame and extend it past both sides so the panels overlap the wall. They suit a bedroom where you open the curtains every morning and want them to look like curtains.

A shade inside the frame. The Redi Shade is pleated paper with an adhesive strip at the top. You trim it to width with scissors and press it in place — no drill, no brackets — and clips hold it up when raised. Because it sits inside the window frame, it closes the side gaps that curtains leave. The maker claims 99 percent light blocking. The trade-off is daily use: the clips make it a set-and-leave product, and the paper creases if handled often. For renters, a child’s room, or a quick test of whether darkness helps, it’s hard to beat.

A sheet on the glass. The Sleepout portable curtain is a blackout fabric that attaches to the window glass with locking suction cups and packs into a bag. It’s built for hotel rooms, holiday rentals and travelling with a baby — places where you can’t install anything. Its Amazon listing showed as unavailable when we checked, so our link (once links exist) would be a search. For a permanent bedroom, a fixed shade or curtain is cheaper and less fiddly.

Who should choose what

If you rent or want results tonight, use a paper shade inside the frame. If you own the place and want something that looks finished, choose blackout curtains on a rod that overshoots the window, and consider a shade behind them for the darkest result. If you travel often or sleep in different rooms, take a portable sheet. In every case, an eye mask covers what remains; see masks and earplugs.

Don’t make mornings worse

A pitch-dark room makes waking up harder because your body is waiting for light. Open the curtains as soon as the alarm goes off, or pair the blackout with a sunrise alarm so the room brightens gradually before you have to be up.

Questions people ask

Are blackout curtains worth it?

If early light or a street lamp is waking you, yes — they are one of the cheapest bedroom fixes. If you sleep through the night and wake to your alarm, you probably don't need them.

Why does light still get in with blackout curtains?

Through the gaps: at the sides, over the rod and under the hem. Mount the rod several inches above the frame and extend it past both sides, or add a shade inside the frame.

Do blackout curtains keep a room cooler?

Thermal blackout curtains reduce sun heating the room through the glass when closed during the day, which helps on the sunny side of the house. They don't cool the room at night.

Will a dark room make it harder to wake up?

It can, because light is a wake-up signal. Open the curtains when the alarm goes off, or use a sunrise lamp that brightens the room in the last half hour.