Are Curtains or Blinds best for kids’ bedrooms?
Choosing curtains and/or blinds for a child’s bedroom is much more complicated than you might think, with several factors to take into consideration when making the right choice. Let’s go over what you need to think about.
Blocking out light
Any parent will tell you kids need darkness to go to bed. They don’t necessarily need darkness to sleep, but to convince them it’s bedtime it needs to be dark. Post daylight savings, heading into spring and summer, this can be a challenge. Curtains and blinds can help.
First of all, opt for block-out lining. Block-out lined curtains reduce natural light and UV rays, providing an ideal solution for darkening a bedroom. They also offer thermal and sound insulation properties, which come in handy too and we’ll discuss more shortly.
The best solution to block out light is curtains made of medium to heavy fabric, hanging wide and high over the window and down to the floor. But don’t make a decision yet, there are things to consider that might make you shy away from this option.
Slatted blinds are the least ideal solution as they allow small amounts of light to peep through even when fully closed and lowered. An inside mounted roller blind also allows a small amount of light to enter. For extra light blockage consider a curtain over a blind.
Reducing noise
Blocking out noise completely using only curtains or blinds is not possible, but it can be reduced. The best options are:
• Curtains – reducing noise all comes down to absorbing the vibrations so opt for the thickest, heaviest fabric you can (e.g. velvet or wool). The more layers the better so ensure you get them lined and you could also opt for a blind underneath as well.
• Roman shades – as with curtains, the thicker the fabric and more layers the better.
• Honeycomb blinds - the unique cellular design is great for cutting out noise. Just as the cells trap air to reduce heat transfer, they can also help keep out noise.
Keep reading: www.curtainclean.co.nz...
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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