I've been working night shifts and really need a dark room to sleep during the day. I bought a polyester blackout curtain that comes with magnets, but it still lets in light through gaps. To fix this, I used gaffer's tape to seal the edges, which has worked so far. However, now the curtain is filling with air, causing the tape to peel off and ruining my efforts to keep the room dark. I'm wondering why this is happening and how I can ventilate the curtain. I thought about using straws at the edges, but that seems a bit too makeshift. I've had other blackout curtains that didn't have this issue because they were made of more breathable material. Any ideas?
2 Answers
You could be right about needing some vents to let air escape. If it’s really snug against the window, the trapped air could be expanding when the sun hits it. A practical solution could be to punch a small hole in the curtain. You can sew a patch over that hole with the top open, which would create a vent for the air to escape without letting in too much light. Just make sure the patch is larger than the hole, so it still provides coverage!
It sounds like the air might be leaking from your heating and AC unit below the curtain. If the unit's blowing air, it can cause the curtain to inflate. Make sure there's not too much airflow directly under it, as that can create a pressure difference. You might want to check if there are any drafts coming from the windows, too, as outside air can push into the space between the curtain and the window.
Yeah, there is definitely a heat register down there. I didn't think about how that could impact things. I'll look into it!