Simply Splashing!

January 23, 2008 |

There’s no doubt that bathroom windows need blinds but with so many different types of blind being available, which ones are ideal and which should be avoided?
Bathrooms are notoriously hard on blinds. The combinations of heat and moisture followed by cooler temperatures and the abrasive chemicals that are commonly used in cleaning mean that any blind that is situated in a bathroom has a hard life. Often you will see blinds in bathrooms that have faded or yellowed in colour, that have spots of mould edging the bottom of the fabric and that are cracked or broken because of the constant expanding and contracting as the temperature alters.
This is mostly because of the wrong type of blind being used. We have listed below the best and worst of the blinds currently available:-

1) Bathroom Roller Blinds

These blinds have to be at the top of the list as they are the only ones designed especially for the job. They are made from PVC and use an aluminium pole and chain. This means that the blinds are 100% waterproof. There’s no chance of rust marking the fabric and there is no purchase for moisture to settle in making the blinds resistant to mould growths. The extra thick material remains supple in extremes of heat and cold, this makes the blind perfect for use directly over a bath or even used in place of a shower curtain!

2) Aluminium Venetian Blinds

Coming in at number 2 is the classic aluminium Venetian blind. It is more than likely that you will have seen these used in a bathroom before. They must be made from aluminium which is a non-ferrous metal and therefore doesn’t rust. (If they were a cheaper alloy then they may rust and this can be extremely difficult to remove from the surrounding décor.) There is a huge range of colours available in this type of blind which makes them very popular. A Venetian blind takes slightly more maintenance than a roller blind because you have to protect the cords from moisture, however this is easy to do by simply applying a wax based polish to the cords on a regular basis (once every couple of months of so).

3) Painted Finish Wooden Venetian Blinds

In third place are the wooden venetian blinds with a painted finish. These look great and offer fantastic light control but care must be taken when using them. Wooden blinds can warp if they are left wet or in a room that is particularly steamy (no good in the sauna I’m afraid), so avoid using them if the window in question is in direct contact with spray from a shower or over the bath where they will be surrounded by steam whenever a bath is run (if the window is in this position, use either option 1 or 2 above). However, in a window away from the bath or shower they will be fine. The same precautions should be taken as with aluminium blinds, take care of the cords by regularly protecting with either silicone spray or a wax based polish and you will have no problems. The combination of a painted finish and 50mm wooden slats will result in a blind that looks stunning, is easy to clean and offers perfect privacy and light control.

The Ones To Avoid

This is quite simple, avoid any fabric that is not entirely water proof and make sure that all the fixtures and fittings are also water proof and resistant to rust. Fabric Roman blinds are a definite no-no, they will get wet and unless they are taken down, washed and then dried immediately, they will develop mildew and other forms of mould. Whilst this can be resolved, it can damage the colour and finish of the blind and is best avoided. Vertical blinds made from fabric suffer from exactly the same issues and have the added problem that if left wet, they can shrink and end up an odd shape.
As always, if you are not sure whether the blind you are considering is suitable or not, call us or drop a comment here on the blog and we will do our best to advise you.

Comments

1 Comment so far

Area Rugs on March 12, 2008 4:18 pm
thank you for this article on the best blinds to put in your bathroom. I’ve been searching all over for this type of advice.

All we know about window blinds, including tips, tricks and a few trade secrets. News, views and opinions of the staff of www.blinds-bar.co.uk, a UK blinds retailer, who share their knowledge.

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