apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You can buy the back out curtain attachments at Home Depot & Lowes. They attach to the backside of the curtains. I have never used them, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness.

I am unabashedly cheap. I went to JCPenney's during a holiday sale and bought these 'thermal' energy efficient lined curtains. They help keep the temperature steady in the room and also have a blackout effect. They come in clip and tab-top. Best of all I got 4 panels (about 118 inches total) for less than $70.

...trying not to gag at the sight of vertical blinds...

ikea has light-blocking panels:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50078058

Cathy - I really need to take a photo of this but I'll try to explain.

You can remove the vertical blind blades from their clips and store them somewhere and just clip them back up when you move out.

Use floral wire or something similar and attach drapery rings with clips to each blade clip. There is typically a little hole about the clip portion of the blade clip where it attaches to the track. You can string the wire through there. Then attach any fabric you want to the clips and it will slide on the track the same way that your vertical blinds did.

The beauty of this is that you don't even need to buy pre made drapes which saves alot of money. You can just buy fabric and hem the top and the bottom. (I used iron on seam tape since I don't have a sewing machine).

When buying fabric, just hold it up to the light and you'll be able to see how much light passes through.

oh, and i think you can just unsnap the individual blinds and store them for now. just snap them back in when you move.

I have the same problem, blazing sunlight at 6:00 a.m. I purchased the Ikea Bomull drapes in dark chocolate brown and hung them using Dignitet wire tension mounts, but I see that you would have to install the mounts on the ceiling which might be very difficult. I love Laura's idea on using the blind track.

I know drapes might be a pretty nice decorative touch, but a sleeping mask (alternative to sunglasses, which you don't want) to black out the light does just as well!

ikea and jcpenney, definitely. i have both, for thermal reasons, and they'll do.

Blackout shades are the best option for light blockage. These shades can be quite pricey for someone on a budget though. Heavy curtains work well, as mentioned in a previous comment, but if you're looking to stay with a shade / blind look, you should consider simple roller shades. The heavy material is great for light blockage and they are cheap (the only problem is they can be a little difficult to operate). Here is a recent article on the topic:Blackout Shades and Inexpensive Alternatives

Good Luck.

If you are talking ceiling-mounted "hospital track" then you really can't use tab top, or even pole pocket drapes. You have to use plain top drapes hung with drapery pins.

And why the automatic skepticism about PB quality? They are a GREAT resource for window treatments.

Anything you get heavy enough to block light will be too heavy for any kind of wire-mount or jerry-rigged installation.

Tab-top draperies and draperies with clips or rings never look right unless the curtain rod is mounted higher than the window opening by at least the length of the tab.

In your case where the window reaches the ceiling, tab tops clips and rings are inappropriate choices.

I have a similar issue in my apartment, so I installed hospital track wall-to-wall and used traditional drapery hooks on pre-made drapery panels into which I sewed simple pleats - the tops of the drapery panels graze the ceiling and everything looks nearly custom-made.

Any sources for hospital tracks? I know it's been discussed on AT before but it seems there hasn't been a consistently good source noted.

I'm in the same boat and am having a love affair with my neoprene sleeping mask. It blocks everything out, doesn't leave funny little racoon marks on my face, is light as a feather AND matches my bedroom decor.

Curtainfair.com for hospital track.

Sleeping masks don't keep light from hitting your skin. It's been found that just having light on your skin is enough to stimulate the production of certain hormones which end the sleep cycle and stimulate the body to wake up. If you're looking to sleep in, you'll want your bedroom to remain pitch black until it's nearly time to wake up.