Most of the features in a home or business are functional items that evolve into something that is also attractive. Door entry mats started out as a way for customers and employees to clean their feet on the way in, but soon they became decorative or included messages to thank customers for their business or otherwise communicate with the people who were coming and going. Another very common example is window blinds (zebra blinds, roller shades, etc.) and curtains. They have the practical purpose of managing sunlight and providing privacy and security, but once they have been installed, we typically want them to be an aesthetic element as well.

Given those two major purposes for these popular features, the question comes up of just what differences there are between custom blinds and curtains. It is easy to incorrectly assume that they are the same thing, since they are used for the same general purposes. However, the similarities end there, and the differences are very important as you choose which item you should use in your home or office.

Zebra Shades Performance

Probably the best place to start with a comparison of blinds and curtains is in their performance. Installing custom window blinds is the best way to get full coverage of a window. The blind will completely fill the required space, providing ideal performance in a blind’s two major jobs.

Here is why that matters. The sun rises and sets regardless of whether we necessarily want it shining through our windows at that particular time. As a result, we get an unwanted wake-up call when we’re trying to sleep in, or we get more heat in the house than we desire in the summertime. Or we may simply want things darker for watching TV or other purposes. A good set of blinds helps us manage sunlight with total control. For a truly sun-tight window, roller blinds can provide great performance.

Privacy matters as well. There are many reasons why we don’t want prying eyes peering through our windows, even from a distance. Privacy in bedrooms and bathrooms is paramount, and for businesses, it is important that would-be thieves are unable to “case out” the building’s contents for a future break-in attempt. Even the security of intellectual property is in play, making good office blinds a key part of a company’s strategy for innovation.

Related Article: Advantages of having window blinds in the workplace

Now consider trying to use curtains in those circumstances. They may provide a nice accent with their colors and patterns, but their performance leaves a lot to be desired. Curtains thick enough to exclude the sun reliably are so heavy that they are impractical to use. In addition, they cannot be precisely adjusted the way custom window blinds can. Curtains are either open or shut, meaning they either provide full exposure or no exposure. This makes it very difficult to manage them through the day as the sun moves. The presence of natural light is beneficial in any home or office, but it is important that you are able to control it. Once you open a set of curtains even part of the way, they provide full light and no privacy.

Curtains fall short on privacy as well. They are typically translucent, especially with a bright light on one side or the other. The movement of air from vents can blow them out of the way and expose contents as well.

Zebra Shades Upkeep

Like any part of your home or business, blinds and curtains both need to be kept clean. However, the process for carrying this out is very different for these two items, and that makes a big difference for whoever is in charge of keeping things clean.

Everything accumulates dust indoors, no matter what you do. Blinds and curtains are certainly no exception, so the process of keeping them clean and attractive is important as you weigh your options for purchasing.

Because Zebra Shades are made of durable materials, they are as easy to clean as any solid surface. Simply review the instructions for care and wipe them clean periodically. The process is even easier for roller blinds, which really have no horizontal surfaces and therefore accumulate almost no dust at all.

Another benefit of office blinds is the simplicity of cleaning the windows behind them. They can easily be drawn up, opening up the entire window sill and sashes for simple cleaning whenever it is needed. The easier it is to clean something, the more frequently it will be cleaned, so you end up with far less dust in the building and a much better look from the outside.

On the other hand, curtains are really just more laundry to deal with. Because they are made of fabric, they are subject to all the same stains, tears, and discolouration that can take place with clothing. That is a big problem for curtains in messy areas like kitchens, or anytime that kids are in the area. Washing them is often very difficult as well. They are very large single items that are difficult to position inside a washing machine, leading to unbalanced loads and poor washing. Then they need to be dried and pressed before being hung back up. Because of all the work involved, few people will wash curtains as frequently as they need to be washed.

Because curtains are expressly for use around windows, they are exposed to a great deal of sunlight that begins to fade them as soon as you install them. They never get a break from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, so they quickly decline in color and condition, shortening their life.

Durability

We all want to buy a product that will serve as well for a long period of time. Zebra shades will be usable for far longer than curtains will. We have already examined some of the reasons why, but let’s review them.

When blinds are managing sunlight and privacy the way we want them to, we want them to will last for years. Quality blinds are built to continue to perform effectively for those long periods of time, preventing the expense and inconvenience of having to shop again before you’re ready.

On the other hand, too many collisions with the vacuum cleaner, tug-of-war games with toddlers, and spilled cups of coffee will put you back in the market for curtains in a very short time. The better you care for them by washing them, the less time they will last. As a result, you end up with a choice: clean but faded curtains with hours of work invested in them, or brightly-colored curtains dropping dust throughout the room and showing the stains of every hand that has opened and closed them.

Very few windows don’t require some kind of coverings. They provide important privacy to our businesses and families, and they keep the summer sun from overheating the building (and our utility bills). While there are several different ways to approach the issues of privacy and light management, the two most common ones are blinds and curtains.

Most people don’t really think through this choice in great detail, making a snap decision based on something they’ve seen in a store display, in another building, or online. With that inadequate information, they make a decision that ends up being more expensive, creates more upkeep, or simply doesn’t perform the way they expected. The result is a serious buyer’s regret!

Whether you’re dealing with a home or a business, blinds are the most cost-effective and best-performing option. Zebra shades can provide the performance you need from custom window blinds without breaking your budget or forcing you to replace them too soon. With quality blinds, you can strictly control the amount of sunlight that enters the room, keeping it comfortable and reducing UV damage to interior contents.

You’ll also get top performance for security. There won’t be anyone looking through your windows that you don’t want looking through your windows. Instead, your family and your business will be safe and secure from those who would seek to take advantage of them.

When you have a need for sunlight and privacy control, blinds will outperform curtains in any situation, every single time.