Blackout Shades for Window

We buy the Styrofoam sheets from Lowes and trim it to fit inside the window. It allows only the tiniest bit of light around the edges. It is very easy to take out so the window can be opened. I slid the sheet of foam behind the piano when it's out so it won't get broken up. It also really helps in the Winter to keep the heat in and in summer it blocks a lot of the external heat too.

I have a friend who uses the rolls of stuff that goes in the bottom of a garden plot to filter the water or hold it in more, can't remember right now. It looks like the material a black plastic bag is made of. If put up one way it darkens the room and the other way it filters it quite a bit but is not blacked out.

They sell black out shades at Lowe's, we use them in my son's room and they keep the light out.

Redi Shades!! You can get them on Amazon, 6 for around $30 or so. They're great. Our Bed Bath and Beyond has white ones, but Amazon sells the black ones and they worked like a charm for both our kids. Sure, they're kind of cheap, basically a thick paper accordian shade with plastic clips to hold it up if needed. We love them!! We even took a set with us when we traveled to FL last year; they just stick to the wall and unstick when you're done. Highly recommended!

A couple things come to mind. There are blackout roller shades at jcpennys. You could roll it all the way up during the day to avoid dust accumulating on it. Or the cellular blackout shades from jcp are great. They are cordless and I have used a vacuum attachment on my dyson to vacuum them frequently. Our twins have wooden blinds in their room. They don't block all the light but help and I can also vacuum them. Personally I wouldn't want to deal with a big piece of foam in the window unless he is only in his room at night.

I have black out roller shades in my sons' rooms.

When you say cost effective, exactly what do you mean? If your son has a small window, treatments aren't too much. The bigger the window, the bigger the price. I know that sounds obvious, but it makes a huge difference depending on the size.

Shutters are a great way to go and are very affordable if the window isn't too big. Cellular blinds are also another way to go. They repel dust so for allergy purposes, they are the best. I love the cordless option so you have no worries with the kiddos or animals. These can get very pricey depending on window size.

Another way to go is the roller shade. They are vinyl and can be wiped down with soap/water. They sell these at any home improvement store and Home Depot/Lowes will cut the in stock ones right there for you. The light filtering ones are very inexpensive - averaging $20 (again depending on size). This will not black out the light, simply diffuse it a bit. The black out ones can get pricey, but work well and are still less expensive than the previously mentioned options. Those are around $50 depending on size.

If you want full coverage with no sunshine leaks, then mount your window treatment on an outside mount instead of an inside mount. Not quite as pretty, but will completely block the light. (that just means you are hanging the covering above the window and extending it past the window rather than making it fit perfectly inside)

If you want to be completely economical, then go for the foam or foil, though it is the least attractive way.

Hope that helps!

My oldest has horrible horrible allergies he has the blackout curtains from walmart I just wash them as frequently as his bedding and we haven't had any problem with them.

What about using car window sun shades?

Hi S S Put foil on the windows, it works just like the windshield shades you use in a car. J.

I blocked out the light when working graveyard by buying 2" foam sheets from a building supply store and cutting them to size. I cut them down the middle and taped them so that I could fold them to take them out and they'd take up less space.

I've also seen people cover the windows with aluminum foil.

And you can purchase "emergency blankets" that are like aluminum foil except that they're make of a thin plastic. I found them in the auto supply section of Fred Meyer. They don't completely block out the light but you could try using more than one layer.