Blinds vs Shades: Which Window Treatment Is Right for Your Home?

blinds vs shades

Of all the features in a home, window coverings are one of the most important. 

Window treatments like shades and blinds can affect the energy efficiency of your home while also providing style and real estate value.

In short, the window coverings you buy can have a huge impact on your home.

But what type of window treatments should you go with? Of the two most popular options – shades and blinds – which would be best for your home?

Read on as we compare blinds vs shades and determine whether you should consider buying blinds or snapping up shades.

Shades

Shades are fabric window coverings that have one big positive: style options. Shades can come in a large variety of materials and colours, allowing for great flexibility in how they can affect a space.

Fabrics are also good at hiding small amounts of dust and dirt, so it won’t be very noticeable if you haven’t cleaned your shades in a while.

However, shades do have some issues. 

While shades can hide dust and dirt, they are also harder to clean and can be easier to stain than blinds. The fabric will usually need to be vacuumed, though professional cleaning may be required. 

Shades also allow less light control and privacy. Because shades can only move up or down, the amount of light allowed in through the window is directly connected with how much of your window is covered by your shades.

Basically, if you want to let in more light, you have to make the room more visible to the outside world.

Blinds

While blinds can be raised and lowered like shades, they have some big differences.

Instead of a big sheet of fabric, blinds are formed by horizontal or vertical slats made of hard materials like wood, plastic, or metal. 

Because of these harder materials, blinds offer fewer design options compared to shades. However, the styles that are available can still offer your home beautiful and classic designs, while also providing more durability than shades.

The materials used in blinds also make cleaning and maintenance easier. Though they are a little worse at hiding dust, blinds can be quickly cleaned with a simple dust rag or wet paper towel.

The biggest benefit of buying blinds though is the light control they provide.

Blinds can be rotated open either slightly or completely, allowing you to decide exactly the amount of light that comes through a window while ensuring that the light comes through evenly. This is one of the beauties of having blinds in your home.

And because blinds can allow in light while still completely covering a window, they provide an extra layer of privacy than shades are not capable of.

Blinds vs Shades: Which Should You Choose?

When it comes to blinds vs shades, it’s hard not to side with blinds.

While shades can offer a few more style options, the privacy and ease of cleaning make blinds a great window treatment for any home. Plus, the style options available can still ensure that blinds can upgrade a space and add value to your house.

Even better, you can upgrade your windows with new blinds right now. Check out our options for blinds and see which style will look best in your home.