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Friday, April 17, 2009

Thermal Curtains - An Appealing Window Dressing That Saves Your Money!

One of the quickest and most affordable ways to insulate your home is to dress your windows with thermal Superman action figure insulated curtains. But... isn't it boring - thermal curtains? Sounds like something industrial. As for me, when Jody doll first time heard about this window dressing, Action Man imagined dull heavy drapes hanged on my windows, transforming the home into an awful place, where I don't want to live anymore. I was so mistaken! Thermal curtains can be really beautiful, suitable for any home, and there are so many variations of them!

You dress your windows with thermal curtains and along with a fine-looking window treatment you get an additional comfort of warmth in cool weather and cooling in hot summer days. And all this without additional money, spending on air conditioning!

Many people think that insulated curtains only keep the warmth in the room. If you also think so, you will be surprised. Thermal curtains have many others advantages: they provide a nice coolness in the room in hot weather, they can reduce noise that comes outside, and in addition, many of them have blackout feature, which is really great for a bedroom, a nursery or a home theater.

So what are actually thermal curtains? They are just regular curtains, but with one difference: they are made of fabric that has foam thermal backing. There are various fabrics for such curtains, but most common are cotton, polyester and a blend of them. This blend allows easy cleaning - curtains are machine washable. Thermal drapes come in so many colors and styles that you have a lot of choices and can easily find a thermal window dressing that suits the style and the color scheme of your interior. The additional advantage of them is its really affordable price.

Another type of insulated window treatment is curtains with insulated liner. Such liner provide the same functions as a thermal backing: reduces noise coming outside, keep warmth or coolness depending on weather and also blocks extra sunlight. You can shop for insulated curtains or make them by yourself if you like do-it-yourself projects and know how to sew.

Both thermal curtains and insulated drapes are heavy weight and require sturdy drapery hardware. Because of insulated backing or liner they are quite thick and don't drape easily.

The insulated curtain liner can be also attached to existing drapes or can be hanged separately as additional window treatment. (That means you will need an additional curtain rod, or double curtain track for them.) There are some advantages of such separate liner: you can add it to drapes you already have, it perfectly protect drapes from dirt and dust coming from the window and you can easily remove and clean it. Since your curtains are separated from the liner, they can drape easily and in more attractive way then ones with an attached liner.

Thermal curtains and insulated drapes aren't the only types of insulated window treatments. So, if you are still not sure about thermal curtains, consider window blinds, shades and shutters. There are many types of them that provide great insulation also.

Alina has been working for many years as a textile designer for the home decor industry. For window treatment and home decorating ideas visit her site window-blinds-project.com">window-blinds-project.com