Protect Your Window Treatments, Floors & Furniture from Sun Damage

Sunshine Drapery sliding glass doors window treatment

Natural, beautiful sunlight can brighten up any room and make it feel very comfortable and natural. However, the sun’s damaging rays can be very harsh on all of the interior of your home. Sunlight will eventually cause discoloration, fabric damage and be fading from any visible light. Get ideas here for your window treatments protection against sun damage and choose the different types of window films which has a value for you.

The Spectrum of Light

Light includes three spectrums that cause damage. UVA and UVB rays cause most of the damage at 45 percent and infrared radiation through heat from the sun causes 25 percent, while visible light causes damage at the rate of 25 percent. The bad news is that even if the sun is not shining brightly into your home on a cloudy day, the UV rays are still present, even if it is raining. Most homeowners like for the natural light to enter their homes through the windows and also to see outside and discover the nature around them. So, you already have window treatments, but the catch is that they have to remain closed at all times to block the damaging effects of sunlight. In addition, window treatments would need to cover the entire window, which can get expensive with large windows. Skylights are the worst culprits as they are rarely covered, so they are the primary reason for damaging rays while also letting heat inside your home.

Low-E and Energy Efficient Windows

The newer type of windows is the Low-E and energy efficient categories are thought to block enough sunlight from coming into your home. However, these types of windows are expensive and they do block about 85 percent of UV waves, but your home furnishings will still show sunlight damage even at this filtering rate. The new types of windows are actually made to hold your heat and air inside the home and not to keep light out. You really need to block 99.9 percent of damaging UV waves to be effective.

Modern Window Films

The newer types of window films are a great choice to deal with your sun and light issues in your home. The quality types reject 99.9 percent of sunlight’s harmful ray from entering your home. Night Vision 25 is a solar window film that reduces between 50 and 87 percent of the glare from the sun and it still allows you to see out clearly; in fact, more clearly than if the glare is coming into your home. Window films and tints also save you on your energy bills without changing the features of the windows in your home. Window films are installed on the inside of your windows and you can still clean them in the same manner that you always have.

4 Types of Residential Window Film

You can choose from different types of window films for your home according to what you want the qualities to be.

Sun Control Window Film

These are the most common type used in residential homes and they are a solid color. They allow some light in while reducing your energy costs from rejecting solar heat and UV rays. You can still see outside items very clearly, but without all of the glare in your home. These types of films can also reduce the glare on your television, laptop and computer screens to reduce eye strain in longer periods of use.

Protective Window Film

Protective window films also keep you home safe as they make your windows shatter resistant. This can help your security of your home from a burglar that would try to break in your home through a window and also in the event of a hurricane or tornado that could shatter your window. This type of window film is thicker than the other types to hold the pieces of windows together if they are hit by some sort of item.

Privacy Window Film

This type of film has the qualities of the two above types, but in addition, they don’t allow people outside to see into your home. You can choose from many types including blackout, crackled glass, reflective, mosaic and more.

Decorative Window Film

If your drapes are mostly a single color and minimalist on your windows, you may choose to get decorative window film. It still has all of the benefits of the sun control, privacy andwindow treatments protection, but this category includes many exciting patterns and colors. There are literally thousands of colors and patterns that can bring out the interior designer in you. You can choose from a large variety of decorative films that make your windows appear as if they are an expensive stained glass window. Many options are in the form of florals, with every type of flower you can imagine climbing gracefully on vines up your windows. If you have a decorative design in a room, such as medallions on your couch, you can choose a coordinating decorative window film that also includes the same medallion to tie it into your room seamlessly. Frosted and etched glass designs will go well in any room, no matter what design elements you have. They may be in patterns, include geometric shapes, or just appear frosted all over as if snow is on your windows. Some of the popular themes include tropical, underwater and sea life, which would work well in a bedroom. Not all of your modern window film has to be the same throughout your home, but it can vary in each room according to the decorating pattern. These ideas can be very beneficial for protecting all of your furnishings in your home, saving energy costs and adding privacy and safety to your house. This is all accomplished by only one product that you choose and add to the value of your home as well as beautify it and make it your own.