What is the difference between thermal and blackout curtains?

Curtains play a huge role in the overall appearance and comfort of houses. But in some cases, a basic curtain is not enough for your home.

Today, thermal and blackout linings were widely used because both linings give a lot of advantages. They can lessen the usage of the heater and air conditioning, resulting in lower energy consumption. Aside from providing an elegant look, they also offer plenty of benefits.

These linings have many similarities, so it’s expected that people find it hard to differentiate the two.

Considering several factors is vital before choosing what curtains suit you best. Besides having plenty of benefits, these curtain linings are effective in achieving energy sufficient and sustainable home as well.

To help you make the right choice whether to use thermal or blackout lining in your home, the Yorkshire Fabric Shop listed down the differences between thermal and blackout linings.

Thermal Linings
Thermal curtains are created using 100 % cotton, polyester, or wool in most cases. To protect them from UV rays, the back part of these curtains are coated with acrylic foam or aluminium.

Here are some of the characteristics of thermal linings:

1. Created from heavy fabric that has insulation capabilities that control temperatures of rooms
2. Usually comes in two layers
3. Must be carefully hand-washed using mild detergent and warm water
4. Effectively block cold air from entering rooms
5. Usually expensive since they are built with additional features due to their heavyweight

Blackout Linings
The primary reason why blackout curtains are created is to block certain volumes of light from entering the room. To clean these curtains, spot cleaning with a damp cloth is the best option.

Here are some of the characteristics of blackout linings:
1. Made from heavy fabrics and manufactured to control the amount of light that enters the room
2. Usually composed of silk, velvet, and wool blends
3. Should not be ironed and cleaned using a washing machine
4. Offer privacy and hanged in windows where a huge amount of light penetrates
5. More expensive compared to basic curtains

Remember that both linings can help you to have lower energy bills. These linings keep the heat in during the winter, and they keep the heat out during the summer.

Curtains can offer you more advantages than being mere decorations at home if you use proper linings. Choosing what curtain lining to use boils down to your needs and preferences. If your home is well insulated and you want to get rid of the light, blackout curtains can help you. On the other hand, you need thermal curtains if your problem is the temperature.

Blackout and thermal curtains are available in almost all fabric stores. They are also built-in varying colours. We are confident to offer you our high-quality linings for your curtains. The Yorkshire Fabric Shop has a huge collection of fabrics that will perfectly suit your homes. Please take a look at our shop and website to see our products.