How to Install Blackout Liner on Shades

Blackout liners help ward off the outside world, creating a peaceful indoor environment by blocking up to 99 percent of outside sunlight and 40 percent of outside noise. Because they trap heat and prevent thermal energy loss, blackout liners also cut down on utility bills. Typically, homeowners install blackout liners behind drapes or curtains, but these handy buffers serve the same purpose when used to line shades.

Adjustable curtain rod
Blackout liner panels with curtain rod pockets

Instructions

- 1
  Lie the blackout liner flat on the floor with its rubbery surface facing up and its cloth-like surface facing down.
- 2
  Thread an adjustable curtain rod through the curtain rod pockets – the tunnel-like openings at the top of the liners – of each panel so that it enters one side of the pocket and comes out the other. Arrange the panels so that each one takes up half of the rod and meet at the center. This allows you to open the liner panels once hung to allow light and air in.
- 3
  Raise the shades to allow easy access to the window area behind the liners. Lift the curtain rod so that it is level with the shades' headrail or track, the vertical rail that keeps the slats or shade in place. Face the rubbery surface of the blackout liner indoors and the cloth-like surface outdoors. Extend the curtain rod until it fits snugly in the window jamb.
- 4
  Lower the shades. Experiment with various configurations. You can raise the shades and open the blackout liner panels, close the panels and lower the shades, or raise the shades and close the panels to allow varying amounts of light and air in.

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