This $17 Find Blocked Out the North Pole’s Midnight Sun Better Than Any Blackout Curtain

I was looking forward to almost everything about my cruise to Svalbard, an archipelago in Norway. The region, close to the North Pole, has an otherworldly landscape with enormous icebergs. Polar bears, walruses, Arctic terns, and the elusive blue whale all call Svalbard home, and I couldn’t wait to see them for myself. Yet, I was worried about one aspect of the trip: the midnight sun. In Svalbard during the summer, when I traveled there, the bright Scandinavian sun shines just as brightly at midnight as it does at noon. I worried about how well my family and I would sleep with slivers of bright light shining into our cabin when the curtains did not close fully. 

It turns out I didn’t need to worry. Not only did I sleep like a baby, but I also learned a simple and inexpensive trick anyone can use to keep a bedroom much darker, even when the sun is shining outside: little strips of Velcro.

I traveled to Svalbard with HX Expeditions. The company had found that, despite having blackout curtains in each room, light still seeped around the edges of each curtain and into the cabins. Some guests said that they weren’t able to fall asleep or stay asleep as a result. To help, HX came up with a solution using Velcro strips that almost everyone can use at home. 

In my cabin, I found Velcro strips along the edges of my curtains. That Velcro helped seal the curtains to the window edges. By using Velcro, “guests can effectively seal the curtains shut, minimizing light leakage and creating a darker sleeping environment,” says Stefan Engl, the senior vice president of guest experience operations at HX. It’s a simple solution, but I found it surprisingly effective. Plus, you can re0create the idea at home for just a few dollars.

Anyone can purchase Velcro with adhesive to help block the light that sneaks in around your curtains. Simply cut a strip of Velcro and stick it to your curtains in three places: on either side where the curtains meet in the middle, each outer edge of the curtain, and on the wall closest to each curtain edge. Securing those gaps only takes a few minutes but can make the room noticeably darker. Adhesive Velcro strips come in a variety of sizes and are available in black and white. One-inch-wide strips should work for most curtains. Even better, because this method uses Velcro with adhesive, it is renter-friendly and easy to remove if you redecorate or decide you no longer want to use it. My cabin had one strip of Velcro about 3 inches long along each curtain edge. But you can use as many or as few pieces as you need and cut them to whatever length works best for your windows.

I was thrilled to discover the Velcro trick for keeping curtains securely closed. Although I live in Washington, D.C., where the sun sets every night, natural and artificial light can still interfere with my sleep. During the summer the sun sets later and rises earlier, and there are bright street lights outside of my bedroom window. Anyone who encounters similar struggles — or doesn’t want to shell out a lot of money on custom blackout curtain solutions — should try the Velcro method. Because Velcro strips cost under $10, can be installed in minutes, and are removable, this is a risk-free solution that just might help you get the best sleep of your life.

Buy: VELCRO Brand Heavy Duty Tape, Black, Amazon, $16.88