Protect Your Drapes from the Sun!
Your drapes represent an investment that can improve the appearance of your home, bring out the colors of your room, provide privacy at night and shade during the day. Good drapes should last for many years if properly cared for. Unfortunately, one of the great threats for many drapes is sun damage. Years of regular exposure to sunlight can fade the color of drapery fabric and also cause the drapes themselves to deteriorate over time. These tips will help you protect your drapes from damaging sunlight.
Give Your Drapes Somewhere to Go
One of the easiest ways that you can protect your drapes from sunlight is to give the drapes extra room on the curtain rod to the left and right of the window. By purchasing and installing a curtain rod that is slightly larger than the window itself, you create a naturally shaded area to hang the drapes during the heat of the day when the intense sun is shining through the window.
Hang Layers
Shading your draperies with an outer layer of sheers is an excellent way to protect the fabric, because sheers have many benefits in addition to UV protection for drapes. For example, sheers add aesthetic value by helping your drapery fabric to "pop." Sheers also give the people inside the home the ability to protect themselves from the worst of the sun while allowing a gentle, filtered light to enter the room. Sheers can provide privacy but allow some air flow into the room when the windows are open.
Shade Your Windows
Shading your windows from the sun is one of the most effective way to protect your drapes. There are a variety of ways that you can shade your windows from direct sunlight.
- Protect your windows with awnings. Awnings come in a variety of types, including canvas retractable awnings or traditional metal awnings. Either way, awnings will shade and darken your room and prevent direct sunlight from damaging your drapes.
- Install motorized blinds. Motorized blinds can be programmed to close at hours of the day when the sunlight is shining directly into your home, and open at other times when the sunlight is shining away from the windows.
- Tint your windows. Window tinting does more than protect your drapes. Window tinting can improve your home's energy efficiency by keeping your rooms cool. Window tinting also adds an element of privacy to the rooms of your house.
There are many ways that you can protect your drapes from sun damage. Once your drapes have been hung, you can pick whatever sun protection method that is best for your lifestyle. For assistance, talk to a professional like House Of Drapery.