apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I had that experience once, too. My solution at the time (a far-from-design-savvy kludge) was taping aluminum foil to the glass. This did not go over well with the landlord who made me remove it, but it DID work! (I didn't care that it was dark in the daytime, that's when I was at work.)

An alternative that might work for your situation is some self adhesive velcro spots on the existing curtain edge and the edge of the window frame. You could then wrap the drape to the edge of the window more tightly, and maybe that would solve the problem. (Removing the velcro when you leave might be a problem, but a single edge razor blade and Goo-Gone might do it...)

Eye Shades/Sleep Masks

http://www.dreamessentials.com/a_intro_eye_masks.aspx

move?

In my old apartment my bedroom was an old porch that was converted into an extra bedroom (it had a total of 12 windows covering 3 walls). It was lovely during the day to get so much natural light from all angles.

Unfortunately it was a double edged sword as at night light came in from all angles, street light, exterior building light (which lit a stairwell so it was on ALL night for safety), and lights from the parking lot.

Lets just say if I wanted to read at night all I had to do was open the shades and I was set (hey, i surely saved on my electric bill!)

The windows only had those standard cheap thin white blinds a lot of apartments have, and did not do much for blocking out the light.

I went to home depot looking for a window treatment solution and found these:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100642957&N=10000003 501728 10401001

This was my first apartment and I was poor, and i needed 12 window treatments, so the price was definitely right at $5 a pop. They actually are not half bad looking either if you use them with care, and come with clips so you can fasten them up.

They can also easily be trimmed to different sizes (which was a blessing for me as these windows were all different sizes) This also means you can get them to fit VERY snuggly in the recessed portion of the window. They simply stick onto the top ledge with a strong adhesive.. When time came to move I was able to pull them down easily. No tools!

Mine worked really well and blocked out almost all light when used with the blinds the apartment came with to block out the little bit around the edges (i imagine your curtain would help with this).

Good luck!

You know that you can buy curtain rods that curve toward the wall at either end, so that the material wraps around the area where the light is leaking through. Nothing fancy or expensive, you can usually buy them at Home Depot and the like. They do a good job of blocking the leaking side light.

I would think that you would want the overall width the drapes to to extend 4 to 8 inches past either side of the actual window opening rather than have it be as close as possible to the window frame. also the overall with of the drapes (both panels combined should be 1.5 times larger than the width of the window plus the 4 to 8 inch extensions on either side of the window. That way you have enough "wave" in the material to return back to the wall when it is closed. You could also put a box valance at the top of the drapes ( http://www.lindascurtainstudio.com/images/Madison_Valance_and_Drapery.jpg ) and build some sort of return at the very top like a cap that would be hidden by the valance.

I have the same problem, but with roller shades. Actually, it's not so much my problem as my husband's and he's driving me crazy by stuffing sweaters/towels/the throw around the edges of the window, so I'm desperate for a solution. I was actually thinking of some sort of velcro solution. I'm not big on curtains, if they are necessary I always think they should go from ceiling to floor (even if the windows don't). The problem is that our bed is underneath the window, so I'm trying to think of something I could take down by day, say a couple of discreet hooks on either side of the window and a dark piece of fabric with eyelets (aren't they called that, metal rings you punch into the fabric?). Any other ideas?
http://www.notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

then there's always a BB gun...

Years ago my parents actually called up the city and asked them to turn off a street lamp. I don't know exactly where you live, but this might be an option. Of course the BB gun is no longer an option after you ask the city.

If there's a metal internal frame on the window why not try using magnets to make the curtain tight to the frame.

I'm using a magnet to hold back my curtains during the day.

Also, can you move your bed so it is in a shadowed area?

can't you install hardware to hang the curtain rod from the ceiling?

As Philip_Littell suggests, MOVE

The other thing is that your window treatments likely end at the edge of the window - This is probably causing some of this issue.

Curtain Rods should always be mounted so that draperies can hang past the edge of the window opening so that there is a generous overlap of fabric past any mouldings and the window opening itself.

Duvateen. Velcro.

Bucky's makes an awesome neoprene eye mask. It's so light you can't feel it, it leaves space around your eyes so your eyelashes don't get squished and it doesn't leave any marks on your face in the morning. I'd never sleep without it.

i have the same problem and I've just gotten used to wearing an eye mask...but trying some velcro around your window frame might be a good idea.

I agree with all the comments. If you have a lovely black out drape do extend the rod four to six inches either side of the window and consider building (or having built) a wooden valance above to deal with light seeping upward. If the valance (box) is built strongly can be double as a high shelf which would assist the black out curtain with sound proofing.
Also what may help is a product by Artscape Inc. it can be found at SOME Home Depots. tp://www.artscape-inc.com/styles.php#.
It helps cut out certain of light bands as well as people always knowing your every move.
There are other products like this window film, but Artscape is a static electric product so no glues or adhesives are used making landlords very happy. They don't look effective in demos, but I purchased (frosted glass) a large roll ($49) for my bosses windows that she shares with a another much different business that our owners rented out space too (yes weird). To my surprise both groups love it. We can see movement, but gone is the feeling of invasion.
At home I live next to the front door with full daylight beams all night. I use venetian blinds during the day (I live on the first floor). Then pull down black-out shades at night. Yes there is light seepage on either side of the curtain. Since I don't air conditioning, the drape idea doesn't work in the summer. Lately I have been thinking of side panels to block out the light seepage at the side and maybe make the windows look longer. Good luck.

Who is Bucky's and where can I get this neoprene mask?

And, obviously, second/third/fourth the sleep mask recommendation. It's good to get used to sleeping with one because then you can take it on trips and not be bothered by ambient light in hotels and whatnot. On the downside, I lose a sleep mask on a business trip at least once a year. So annoying.

Can't you petition the city to install energy saving lights... that maybe come on with motion detection - that way they are safe for activity - but can be off when they need to be.

My last boyfriend lives across from a parking garage with lights on all night - directly outside his bedroom window. It's in a little bedroom town - and since a freakin' garage - what would be the harm of having motion sensitive lights? They wouldn't be on unless someone were IN the garage?!?!
Stupid contractors!

Double the curtains with an opaque wooden screen - the three-part folding kind.

In the morning you can fold it and hide it between the curtains and the wall behing them.

Or get a good-looking screen and it will add value to your decor in the day-time.

I like this one http://www.kare.de/product_info.php/cPath/209/products_id/70844

I sympathize. I have plastic blinds, and black-out drapes on top, and there is still too much light coming in from the sides. (I can still read large print items with the lights off at night).

Taping foil to the glass with painters tape will be my next step.

I would try getting some foam-core boards and cutting them to the shape of the inside window sill. You could store them somewhere during the day and wedge them in the window at night.

Or maybe build a frame from light-weight wood slats to fit the window and staple to it some black-out cloth, just like prepping a canvas for painting. If it's light enough, you could tack up some small nails to hang the frames that wouldn't be too obvious in the daytime.

But if you have aluminum window frames, the magnet idea is great. Please share the pictures of what you use!

I have the same problem! As a broke medical student I simply put a kids large tank top (of the "wife beater" type) snugly over my head as if I were putting it on up to my nose. It keeps my hair out of my face and off my neck and is MUCH more comfortable than those eye masks!!!