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I have installed a blackout curtain in my bedroom. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of light entering from above and below the curtain, as you can see in the picture below. Is there anything I can do to make my room darker (while still keeping the curtain operational --- I need to be able to open and close it)?

Unfortunately "get a longer curtain" is not an option, because there is a radiator right below the window, and a longer curtain would block it out and reduce the effectiveness of heating. Ideally, I'd need to put some more cloth horizontally at the top and the bottom, somehow.

I still have some of the blackout cloth used for the curtain; I wonder if it is possible to make some sort of attachment with it (but I am also open to completely different ideas).

There are already shutters on the outside of the window, but they still let a lot of light through.

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    metal strip on wall between curtain and wall .... use magnets to hold curtain against wall
    – jsotola
    May 28, 2020 at 6:56
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    Or velcro strips on the wall and curtains, for the sides and bottom anyway. You may have to fabricate a valance for the top that hangs over the entire length of the curtain and can be velcro fastened to the curtains after they are closed.
    – JRaef
    May 28, 2020 at 7:04
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    Creating a box around the window and having a decent overlap with the curtain and that the curtain is close to the box surface so there is little gap for the light to come through.
    – Solar Mike
    May 28, 2020 at 7:08
  • Have a search for blackout curtains and WWII - you might see some ideas.
    – Solar Mike
    May 28, 2020 at 8:20
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    run a long strip of gorilla tape along the top trim of the window frame, so as to completely cover the top surface and stick out the rest of the tape width; about 2". you can stick newspaper to the sticky overhang if desired. This will invisibly close the gap between wall and curtain, making the ceiling much darker. Put dark furnashings under the window to catch the bottom leak if needed, but the ceiling is what makes it "look bright".
    – dandavis
    May 28, 2020 at 18:54

2 Answers 2

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We have this issue in both kids bedrooms that face west.

What I did was, below the blackout curtains, fix a blackout roller-blind against the window, and add thin strips of wood down the sides which the roller-blinds fit underneath, this stops all light bleed at the edges, and because the blind comes right down to the bottom of the casement, it stops bleed from the bottom as well, which seems to be your main issue.

Or, you could also look at adding black blackout material to the back of your curtains, which will drastically reduce the reflected light bleed (but increase the amount of heat radiated into the room - having a secondary blind helps with this, as well)

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Get a bigger widow seal . Change the wood for wider wood that will come closer to the curtains stopping the light coming through the gap.

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  • This is a bit vague. Would you please edit to indicate what a "bigger window seal" is and how/where the "wider wood" should go?
    – FreeMan
    Feb 8 at 19:23

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