Using Window Treatments as a Natural Alarm Clock

For as long as the world spins round scientists will always be looking for that creation that bolsters the quality of our sleep. Like it or not, we'll never be satisfied with the amount of pillow-time we get, and we'll always be looking for methods to try and wake up bright and fresh, rather than dull and groggy.

Something that the scientists have worked out is that natural light plays a bit part in the way in which we come around in a morning. It's for this very reason that we have seen all types of alarm clock inventions hit the shelves, with some even aiming to disperse light around your bedroom in a bid to try and acclimatize your body to the morning.

We're not going to go quite as far as that today. Instead, as you've probably gathered with the headline, we're going to delve into window treatments and the part they can play in helping you achieve a good night's sleep.

We've all heard of the wonders of blackout blinds when it comes to sleep quality and if you really want to maximize the amount of shut-eye that you receive, these are products that will most certainly work very well for you.

However, it’s not all about keeping your room pitch-dark. Admittedly, it will promote a much more fruitful nights’ sleep, but this isn’t the problem for some people. Instead, it’s the morning routine and even if you’ve surpassed the so-called magic eight hours, pulling yourself up out of bed is still a mission in itself.

This is where something like the motorized blind could enter the picture. Initially these were systems that were targeted at inaccessible windows, where it just wasn’t possible to manipulate the covering. Now, the landscape has changed. Using the programmable timer that most manufacturers attach to motorized systems, it’s possible to dictate exactly what time the blind opens. As such, if you tell it to start to let the sun through your windows an hour or so before you wake up, you will slowly allow your body to become used to the morning sun and wake up naturally.

Of course, it’s not a magic solution and is by no means going to make getting out of bed the easiest chore of the day. Nevertheless, it’s something that can make a difference to your sleep routine and perhaps reduce the number of occasions you press the dreaded snooze button.

There are plenty of other sleep-related tips that link to blinds as well. If you happen to sleep in a room which just catches too much sun during the day, tossing and turning will become a routine in itself as you bid to beat the heat and get to sleep. In these instances, something like a solar shade would work absolute wonders and allow you to block out those powerful UV rays that make your bedroom an oven.

In short, blinds allow you to optimize your sleeping habits to your heart’s desire. Again, it’s not a magic formula, but it can make that morning slog so much easier.  For more ideas for a better sleep experience, try to check out this guide from Counting Sheep Research.

Home Owners: Banishing Noise Pollution Once And For All

If you trawl the internet for long enough you will quickly start to see all of the factors that buyers prioritize when it comes to the purchase of a new home. Some of them are obvious, such as the size of bedrooms, while others maybe aren't - with some real estate agents telling sellers to brew fresh coffee before a viewing, because the smell is proven to have a positive effect on buyers!

We're not going to tell you to pull out a sledgehammer and get to work on your bedroom size, or buy a brand new coffee machine, this guide is for another reason. Noise pollution is something that can blight absolutely any home.

You could have a picturesque mansion, but if it's situated inappropriately nobody wants to live next to a barrage of noise, whatever the source, for years and years.

Rather than seeing buyers walk away time and time again, there are solutions to rectify this issue.

The first is probably one of the most obvious out there - just thicken your glazing. If you have single glazing, it goes without saying that the benefits of upgrading to double will be tremendous. Alternatively, triple glazing offers even more rewards - albeit at a much higher cost.

Of course, most readers will have probably already explored and executed these avenues. Therefore, we're going to concentrate the bulk of this article on a slightly different tip; window treatments.

On first glance, a set of window blinds or curtains surely couldn't make all the difference to blocking out that terrible racket outside. If you opt for one of the thin, traditional types - you're probably right. The material is just too thin to make a noticeable difference.

Over the years manufacturers have started to explore just how blinds can aid with noise-related problems though. Their solution was initially for cold rooms, and the need to insulate them. However, insulated blinds also perform superbly well in relation to noise prevention, and here's why.

These are blinds which are constructed with a honeycomb shape, effectively creating small pockets. The trick is, particularly in very noisy areas, is to purchase insulated blinds which are at least two or three levels thick. That means that there can be three cells, with each one acting as an insulating layer. Such inventions have been found to work wonders from a thermal perspective and science means that the same occurs with sound.

Will these blinds eradicate all of your outside noise once and for all? It's impossible to say without analyzing just how much your property is subject to noise pollution. Still, the difference they can make is tremendous and when compared with the benefits of upgrading to triple glazing, there really isn't much of dissimilarity. Unsurprisingly, they are much cheaper than performing such a major structural alteration to your home though, which is why this method could be one of the best solutions from a value point of view.

The Programmable Timer: It's Not Just a Fancy, Unnecessary Function for Blinds

Anyone who has studied the blinds industry over the last few years is probably fully aware of the technological developments. In other words, forget Nest and all of the other energy devices that have hit the market over recent years - the window blinds industry is inundated with inventions that can beat such products hands down.

There was once a time when motorized blinds were associated with an epic rolling of the eyebrows. After all, what person in their right mind wants to control their window treatment using a remote control or other device? The answer, at least several years ago, was either a show-off or someone with more money than sense.

However, fast-forward to the modern day and the landscape has changed. If you have the money to fund the initial installation cost, motorized blinds could be one of the best investments in technology you make. As you may have gathered from the title, we're going to specifically concentrate on the programmable timers that most of them are accompanied by nowadays.

This is arguably the biggest development in the blinds industry. While solar shades, insulated shades and all of the other different mechanisms may have taken the industry by storm and probably delivered the most sales, the motorized product with the programmable timer is the one that can make the biggest difference.

It doesn't matter which type of blind arms your home; as long as it’s motorized the possibilities are endless. The ability to manipulate your blinds through different portions of the day should never be underestimated, firstly from an energy efficiency perspective. While the solar solutions and other mechanisms can work wonders in this regard, even if you have just a basic blackout product it can perform even better alongside a programmable timer. It can allow optimum amounts of sunlight in through the course of the day when the home is unoccupied and ultimately, lower the reliance on synthetic heating methods.

This technology also shouldn't be forgotten from a security point of view. Most of us have firmly bought into the idea of leaving the lights on as we depart for work for the day, particular during winter, in a bid to deter would-be thieves when darkness falls. Suffice to say, if it’s obvious that the blinds have been manipulated and moved through the day, it’s a sure-fire indication to potential intruders that your home is occupied. In other words, you’re sending them away.

Already, we’re starting to see that the programmable timer is hugely powerful. Some people will still get these blinds installed for show, while others might have them for more practical reasons such as the inability to reach certain windows. However, the real power rests in the programmable timer and if you are one of those people who wants to “tech-up” their house in whatever way possible, this nifty feature could be the ideal way to achieve the above whilst satisfying several every day needs in the process.

Getting the True Value Out Of Huge Windows

We're in an era where glazing seemingly takes priority over everything in the mind of the architect. All of the contemporary home magazines seem to feature those properties which look as though they are constructed entirely out of glass - with this supposedly being the definition of modern architecture.

We're not going to disagree with the last sentence - glazing is modern and in most cases, it looks fantastic.

Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to this method of construction. For all of the benefits that they bring, large windows can bring a few problems to properties. They range from thermal issues, to sound problems, right the way to privacy. However, with the correct set of window treatments installed, it's possible to eradicate all of these issues.

Let's start with the thermal problems. Any window is going to worsen the energy efficiency of a building, so it goes without saying that the bigger they are the worse hit they are as well. This is where the insulated blind comes into play, with this helping to retain a building’s heat and allow it to prosper from an energy efficiency perspective. Alternatively, for those properties built in warmer climates, the solar shade can stop all of those hot UV rays filtering through and cool your house down in the process.

If we move onto the topic of sound, it’s pretty much been addressed in the previous paragraph. As well as being an excellent insulator for heat, it should go without saying that insulated blinds can work wonders from a soundproofing perspective as well. Particularly if you opt for one of the thicker solutions, you can limit the amount of sound penetrating your glazing tremendously and quickly eradicate another of the renowned problems of large windows.

Privacy is even simpler to resolve and also easier if you don’t need to tamper with your building’s thermal or acoustic efficiency. In other words, all you need is a blind that’s capable of blocking out prying eyes when the need arises. For particularly large windows vertical blinds are probably one of the cheapest options that can manage this, although if you want to spend a little more wood Venetians can be manipulated to filter varying amounts of light through the slats.

Of course, every instance is going to be different and as you’ve probably gathered, large windows in cold country are going to be treated much differently to the same sized windows which are situated in a warm environment. On the other side of the coin, some rural homes might not have privacy high on their agenda, which again provides them with much more flexibility when it comes to choosing their window treatment.

Regardless of your situation, the rules remain the same though. Large windows can open your house up and even improve it from a thermal perspective and through the aid of window treatments, you can cast aside all of the drawbacks that some industry experts like to focus on.

Things to do ASAP!

Now that our housing loan was approved, what we are going to do this time is to apply for a house renovation since the house that we took is not usable anymore. Actually, there are two options in which we can apply for house renovation- it's either using my husband's account but need to pay for 2 years amortization first or re-activating my account and pay for 2 years contribution. So now, we need to seek for an advice from a friend in HDMF or Pag-IBIG fund the soonest.

Whichever we can save more, we will go for it! Granting that it will be approved the soonest, we need to talk for a friend (Contractor) for the design of the house renovation. Of course, things might be considered like the materials to be used and the interior design as well. As of this time, I'm surfing the net looking for some home furniture's and fixture and modernize interior designs. Good thing I encounter Blinds Chalet in which I saw different designs of blinds that I wanted in my new home. Hope to realize all of these so soon.

Soon to be HOME

Until now, I am so excited for our plan of constructing our own new house early next year. We are still preparing the documents needed in acquiring the said lot. I hope we can start the soonest because I wanted to live and call it our own home. In that case, I can now design and decorate the way I wanted it down from little to big things. Speaking of style I wanted it to be unique that instead of using the traditional curtains, I guess I will opt to use the new trends like vertical blinds especially in the master's bedroom. For sure it would be more fashionable to have it plus I will choose the fabrics and colours to match with my interior décor. Do you find it so cute and trendy? Hope so!

Oops! If you want to look for great collection of verticals that includes contemporary fabrics - new patterns, textures and vibrant colours, just feel free to visit www.hillarys.co.uk. Now, I'll start to look for the best blinds that will match with my simple and elegant soon to be "home".