Temperatures are rising and the sun is out later each day — summer is finally here once again! And while we all love the beautiful weather that accompanies summer, all of that humidity and UV exposure can have surprising side effects when it comes to our home’s health.
Protect and Upgrade Your Home this Summer
Install Exterior Shades
Over the past few years, exterior shades have become incredibly popular in Europe. Now, it looks like the trend has finally made its way to America! In some cases, exterior shades can be even more energy-efficient than standard blinds, shades, and shutters that you would install inside. This is because they do more than prevent sunlight from getting into your home, they make it so that UV rays can’t even reach the window itself.
Though they can be hung almost anywhere, outdoor shades are ideal for patios, pergolas, balconies, and sun rooms. Plus, choosing to motorize your shades gives you even greater energy efficiency.
Make Privacy a Priority
To most people, summer means spending your days outside. But if you live on a busy street or in front of a park, you may find yourself wishing you had a bit more privacy throughout the day and night. If you want window treatments that provide you with a greater sense of privacy, consider:
- Plantation Shutters. These can be manually or automatically adjusted throughout the day to protect your privacy, while still letting in some light.
- Faux Wood Blinds. Ideal for bathrooms and bedrooms, faux wood blinds are durable, easy to clean, and provide plenty of privacy.
- Roman Shades. Do you want to maintain your privacy without completely blocking out natural light? Depending on the fabric you choose, closed Roman shades will filter out most (but not all) light.
Focus on Energy Efficiency
When we think of energy efficiency in the summer, things like turning off lights and lowering the air conditioning are probably some of the first that come to mind. But have you ever thought about upgrading your window treatments?
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that windows are responsible for 25%–30% of a home’s heating and cooling loss throughout the year. If your windows are bare or covered by outdated and inefficient treatments, you may be spending money to cool air that’s leaving your home. Traditionally, cellular shades, roman shades, and shutters are some of the most energy-efficient options on the market.
Consider Motorizing Your Treatments
If you want to make your window treatments as functional, convenient, and energy-efficient as possible, invest in motorization.
Ideally, window treatments would be opened and closed at specific times throughout the day to best block light and heat. Unfortunately, this isn’t something most people can do if they’re out of the house for hours at a time. But with motorization, you can remotely control when your treatments are opened or closed. Or, leave it up to the weather to decide what’s best for your home. In addition to treatments that can be adjusted with the click of a button, some adjust themselves based on things like sunlight, time of day, and temperature.
- Sun sensors: If you’re worried about sun rays damaging your floor or furniture, sun sensors automatically adjust themselves throughout the day to control the amount of light coming into your home.
- Temperature sensors: Much like the sun sensors, temperature sensors will change the height of your shades based on temperature, protecting your home from excessive heat and harmful UV rays.
Motorized treatments can also improve privacy and make your home safer — by closing the blinds at night, you can give off the appearance that you’re home, even when you’re not.
Give Your Treatments a Deep Clean
When it comes time to clean, most homeowners stick to the same routine — mop the floor, wipe down the countertops, and scrub the tub. But when was the last time your window treatments got a good cleaning?
Depending on the type of treatments you have, it’s important to clean them thoroughly and with the right materials. Head to our blog to learn how to clean these popular coverings:
Make Minor Repairs to Window Treatments
It’s easy to put off minor repairs that your window treatments may need, especially if they appear to still function well enough. But small problems can quickly lead to big ones and even compromise the lifespan of your window treatments.
Accounting for natural wear and tear, the average window treatment has a shelf life of about eight to 10 years. But without proper maintenance, you may find yours starting to fail after just a few years.
Focus on Child Safety
A few things come to mind whenever we talk about child safety, namely table corners, electrical outlets, and staircases. But did you know that window cords accounted for roughly 50 childhood deaths between 2012 and 2017?
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to completely eliminate the possibility of a cord injury — remove the cord. In addition to their energy efficiency benefits, motorized window treatments can also help keep your kids and pets safe from dangling cords.
At Bloomin' Blinds, our greatest priority is your comfort and satisfaction. That is why we offer a wide variety of motorized blinds, shutters, and shades to meet all your needs. Contact us today to find your nearest location!