The Best Blackout Curtains, According to Someone Who Starts Work at 4 a.m.

Whether you’re a light sleeper, shift worker, or someone who has a bedroom that makes sleeping soundly impossible (read: lots of windows), blackout curtains are a must-have for your sleep setup. I personally deal with a number of issues that affect my slumber: I am a light sleeper (sensitive to light and noise), I start work at 4 a.m. every weekday, and I have a large sliding glass door in my bedroom that gets really bright and loud, as it faces the street. 

That’s all to say that in order for me to sleep well, I need good-quality blackout curtains — ones that can effectively block out light and noise, all while not skimping on quality or aesthetics. I went on a mission to find the very best blackout curtains; after testing products from IKEA, Pottery Barn, Quince, and beyond, here’s what I discovered.

The best blackout curtains offer light blocking, noise reduction, and insulation, and are made of good-quality materials. The level to which they achieve each of these offerings, as well as the price point they sit at, will vary and depend on how you intend to use your blackout curtains (for instance, if you want something completely blackout for the bedroom or only darkening for the living room).

Here are the different things to consider when shopping for blackout curtains. 

Blackout curtains should do as they are intended and block out light. Some common terminology you’ll spot is total blackout, room darkening, or a percentage like 100% — and that all speaks to the level of which these curtains black out natural light. Total blackout or 100% blackout curtains are better suited to bedrooms or nurseries, while a room darkening curtain may be better for a living room or home office. 

Additionally, there are blackout curtain liners that you can attach to your existing curtains to boost their light blocking capabilities. 

In addition to blocking out any light, blackout curtains can aid in noise reduction. So if you live on a busy street, they can help dampen sound for better sleep.

(Please note that it helps to reduce noise, not completely cancel it out.) 

Whether you need to hold in the heat during the winter months or keep things cool with the AC in the summertime, blackout curtains can help insulate your room. This is beneficial for a couple of reasons. 

For one, it will keep your home cold or hot (depending on the season/need), which directly affects the quality of your sleep (being too hot could make you uncomfortable and sweaty and being too cold could keep you up at night). Another reason? It can keep your electricity bill more stable.

The material you’ll mostly see when it comes to blackout curtains is polyester or some sort of blend. It can be crafted to meet the specific needs of the curtain’s design and tailored to be more sound- and/or lightproof. Polyester can also yield durable and shiny velvets, among other luxe materials, for a beautiful look that’s also easily washable — essential if you’re simultaneously blocking out pollen or pollution. 

Additionally, you may see these certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, which means products are free of harmful synthetics and dyes, and Fair Trade Certified, which means products are created in alignment with the economic standards in place for manufacturers to equitably distribute the benefits of ingredient, material, or product trade.

Curtains aren’t cheap, especially those that are of high quality or longer lengths, or have more customizations available. Polyester tends to bring the price down a bit, but prices really do run the gamut here. Some can be as low as $30 per panel, while others can be $200 or way more. 

If you were to buy just a blackout liner, it would still cost you at least $40 or more per liner. It really comes down to quality, aesthetics, and customization to affect the final price tag. 

First, I made sure to order blackout curtains all in the same or most similar colorway as possible to ensure they were all starting on even footing. For the blackout curtain liner, I tested it with non-blackout curtains (also in a similar colorway as the blackout curtains I was testing) to see how well it worked. I put this wide range of blackout curtains to the test in my bedroom, dedicating a few days and nights to each set. My bedroom has a huge sliding glass door that leads out to a balcony that overlooks a main road. I can hear cars and people passing by at any time; during the day I get a ton of sunlight pouring in, and at night I can see street lamp lighting from my bed. 

In the daytime I performed the “hand test” in which I placed my hand under the curtain to see how much sunlight would be seen through it. Then I took naps in the afternoon with the curtains closed. At night I would see how well it would block out street lights and muffle sounds of passing cars. I took photos during the day of the blackout curtains; however, please note that they did not translate as well as the test did in person. Additionally I did not change the placement of or replace my curtain rods for this test, so if any light still came in at the top, bottom, or sides of the curtain but I could tell that it could be easily remedied by changing to a wrap-around curtain rod or by adjusting the height of my rod, I did not fault them for that. 

Here are my picks, ranging from room-darkening curtains to total blackout ones.

Overall, the Twopages Lila 100% Blackout Drape Pleated Curtains proved to be the very best blackout curtains — not only in how well they blacked out light and noise, but also in how luxurious and high-end they are. (Apartment Therapy named them as “Best Blackout Curtains” in its 2026 Best in Home Awards!) I was truly taken aback by these curtains, perhaps because I operated from the notion that you’d have to sacrifice style for function when it came to blackout curtains. I’m glad I was proven wrong.

Functionally, these custom blackout drapes have a 100% light blocking lining and are made of a heavyweight fabric. Looks-wise, the pleated curtains are gorgeous, and being able to fully customize the heading style and sizing and select up to 10 color options makes them stand out in quality.

Specifications:

• Material: 100% polyester
• Heading style: Pinch pleat, tailor pleat, pinch pleat with back tab, triple pleat, triple tailor pleat, and inverted box pleat
• Colors: 10 options
• Sizes: Customizable
• Care: Use a hand-wash cycle, wipe clean, or get dry-cleaned; do not bleach or wash in hot water

For when you want to have room darkening but not total darkness, these Quince Raw Silk Room Darkening Curtains are an Apartment Therapy favorite (multiple editors own them!). The raw silk material provides a soft, textured look that allows you to achieve a light, airy room that blocks out light when you need it. 

These are sold as a single panel, and you can choose between four colors, three sizes, and a cotton light filtering or room darkening lining. It’s the ideal room darkening curtain to buy for any room. 

Specifications:

• Material: 100% raw silk with dual 100% cotton and 100% polyester liners
• Heading style: Rod pocket and back tabs
• Colors: Three options
• Sizes: Three sizes, ranging from 48×84 inches to 48×108 inches
• Care: Dry-clean only

In a high-traffic area like the living room, you want curtains that are not only highly functional but also attractive. That’s why our pick for the best blackout curtains for living rooms are these West Elm Worn Velvet Blackout Curtains. The woven worn-in velvet material lends an effortlessly luxe aesthetic while also providing privacy, light-blocking, and sound reduction. 

To achieve an even more lavish look, it’s recommended to gently iron your curtains to smooth out wrinkles. I love that these velvet curtains come in gorgeous color options — jewel tones like a tarragon green or royal blue, for instance — unlike many other blackout curtains, which often come in basic colorways.

Specifications:

• Material: 100% polyester
• Heading style: Rod pocket or back tabs
• Colors: 10 options
• Sizes: Three, ranging from 48×84 inches to 48×108 inches
• Care: Machine-wash cold; tumble-dry on low; or dry-clean

When you’re on a budget but still need some level of light-blocking at night, the IKEA ROSENMANDEL Room Darkening Curtains are very helpful. They only cost $30 a panel, and can be hung directly via curtain rod tab or pocket or you can use the IKEA VIDGA track rail system. These are ideal for pairing with other curtains, as they are on the thinner side.

To remain consistent in ordering curtains of similar colorways, I ended up getting the yellow-beige curtains, which are room darkening curtains, but the ROSENMANDEL also has blackout curtain options in dark green or gray — all for the same price too! I found that it did well at blocking light at night, but not so much during the day (true blackout curtains would offer more support there). 

Specifications:

• Material: 100% polyester (backing is 100% polyurethane)
• Heading style: Back tab, rod pocket, ring, and track rail
• Colors: Three options
• Sizes: Room darkening curtains only in 53×98 inches; blackout curtains in 53×84 inches or 53×98 inches
• Care: Machine-wash cold, normal cycle; do not bleach, tumble-dry, or dry-clean

Love the look of your current curtains but still need to darken the room? Try Pottery Barn’s Universal Blackout Curtain Liner. Sold individually, these liners can be added to any curtain (they come in three sizes) and heading system (whether it has a grommet, ring, back tab, or fabric loop). You could even use them on a double rod. Plus, the liners are completely machine-washable.

I tested these blackout curtain liners with linen curtains from Pottery Barn that were in a similar colorway to the other curtains (as my current curtains were a different color). They did a great job of adding light-blocking to those curtains. Finding curtains you love can already be a labor-intensive process, which is why these blackout curtain liners are such a smart solution. They’ll add light-blocking to your current curtains so you don’t have to get rid of them in favor of blackout ones.

Specifications:

• Material: 100% polyester
• Heading style: Grommet, ring, back tab, and fabric loop 
• Colors: N/A
• Sizes: Three options, ranging from 49.5×80 inches to 49.5×104 inches
• Care: Machine-wash cold on gentle cycle; tumble-dry low

Of course, along with having blackout curtains, it can be extremely helpful to level up your bedroom by purchasing a wrap-around curtain rod and ensuring you have it well-placed so that no light can escape around the edges. Additionally, you can consider: purchasing curtains that are much wider than you would normally need to allow for there to be no gaps of light, magnets to keep your curtains closed, and DIY window tint to darken your windows. 

For noise reduction or cancellation, seal your doors and windows, add acoustic panels to the walls, or mask outside sounds with a noise machine or noise-canceling earplugs (that are made for sleep). 

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