Blinds Vs. Shades: Which Wins the Battle for Your Consideration?
So, you’ve decided to update the look of your home with attractive, affordable window treatments. That’s a good idea since window treatments can work their wonders in any household. However, you can’t decide which types of products appeal to you the most.
The two main contenders for most people are blinds and shades. With a little research and planning, you can determine which of these two products works best for you. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these popular treatment options.
What Distinguishes Blinds from Shades?
Blinds are a group of window coverings made from hard materials such as metal, wood, PVC or bamboo. They have slats (also known as louvers) that run horizontally across each window. You can raise or lower these slats with a manual or remote-controlled pull cord. Also, you can adjust their angles to alter the amount of light entering your home and maintain privacy. Blinds are available in a wide variety of styles, which you can match to your preferred design aesthetic.
As with blinds, you can adjust the vertical position of shades. However, unlike blinds, shades are made from soft materials such as cloth or fabric. Instead of featuring slats or louvers, they have a continuous surface. This feature gives shades a smooth look when they’re fully lowered. While you can’t adjust the amount of light coming through them, you can choose their level of darkness or opacity. Popular shade options include cellular shades, Roman shades, and roller shades.
Differences in Durability
Because they’re made from hard materials, blinds have a substantially higher level of durability than shades. This means that you have a higher chance of needing to replace shades at some point in the foreseeable future. That’s especially true if you install shades in parts of your home with high foot traffic.
Differences in Cleaning Requirements
Generally speaking, blinds are easier to clean than shades. As a result, you can wipe dust and dirt from your blinds with a soft piece of cloth or a duster. In contrast, to clean up your shades, you may need to pull out your vacuum and use its brush attachment. And if you have a major buildup of dust and dirt, you may need to call on the services of a professional cleaner.
Differences in Adjustability and Privacy
As a rule, blinds provide you with more choices for adjustability and privacy maintenance than shades. That’s true because you can alter their angle as well as their vertical positioning. If you choose lighter fabric for your shades, you can still let in enough light to illuminate your home’s interior. Still, you will inevitably have to work with a smaller range of privacy and adjustability options.
Differences in Child and Pet Safety
Chances are you’ve heard the stories about child hazards concerning window treatment cords. Unfortunately, these stories underscore a real danger for homeowners with kids. The same danger also applies to certain household pets. Be aware that most blinds don’t come in a cordless form. On the other hand, many shades do. Public health experts recommend that all households with children go with a cordless window treatment option.
Differences in Pricing
When it comes to differences between blinds and shades, this is perhaps the murkiest factor to consider. That’s true because of the wide variability in blind and shade pricing. Depending on your needs and preferences, shades can cost you a lot less money than blinds. However, they can also cost you a lot more. Chalk this up to the higher level of customization available in shade products. Products with only basic, stock options fall on the cheaper end of the scale. In contrast, customized and motorized shades can cost you a pretty penny.
Making Your Decision
With all of these variables in play, it can seem difficult to decide which option works best for you. To make the process as smooth as possible, it’s probably best to rank the importance of your window covering wants and needs. The same goes for the things you’d like to avoid. With this list of pros and cons at your disposal, you just may find a clear winner emerging before your eyes.
If you still can decide which option to go with, don’t hesitate to call your local window treatment experts at Aero Shade. Our experienced specialists in this field have worked with homeowners from all walks of life. No matter your requirements, they can walk you through the process and help you choose affordable, high-quality products.