Cheap Blackout Curtains: The Why and How

I don’t often think about cheap blackout curtains! In fact, Matt and I didn’t even install curtains in our bedroom at our last house. But now that we are setting up a short-term rental (on AirBnb and VRBO), we want to provide blackout curtains in all of the bedrooms.

Trying to furnish a house all at once is so expensive, so we had to look for the most affordable options wherever possible. I was really nervous about cutting corners with the curtains. I was worried that cheap curtains could ruin the look of a whole room. Crate and Barrel was a really tempting option!

In the end, I turned to Wayfair. Not only did I turn to Wayfair, I opted for the most affordable option I could find!

I landed on these curtain rods and these curtains (in oyster).

With the curtain rod, folks complained in their reviews that the end pieces were plastic. The plastic doesn’t bother me at all—I can’t even tell from a distance.

With the curtains, folks complained that their hems were uneven or that the curtains arrived dirty. We had great luck. We are now in the process of installing the curtains in our three bedrooms. I love that the rounded corners mean we can black off the light from all angles. And the curtains can be hung in multiple ways. We opted to just use the tabs on the back. I considered clips or grommets, but didn’t want to spend more money than necessary.

We hung them high and wide, so we can pull them all the way to the side and not block the windows. When we close them up, the light is pretty much entirely blocked. I’m so thankful it worked out. What a relief!