Choosing a blind for a skylight

A roof window lets a lot of light into a room, often straight onto a bed or a desk. A blind made for that window lets you decide how much comes in. A good place to start is what you want the blind to do in that room.

Kinds of blind

Fabric blinds for roof windows run along two side guides fixed to the window frame.

A blackout roller blind blocks out the light, which suits a bedroom. A translucent roller blind softens the light and gives some privacy, which suits a living room.

A pleated blind folds up like an accordion, with no roller tube. Some pleated blinds use a honeycomb fabric, which helps with insulation and noise. Others combine blackout with extra insulation.

Venetian blinds, with slats that tilt, are made for roof windows too.

An awning blind or a roller shutter goes on the outside of the window. It stops strong sunlight before it reaches the glass. A roller shutter also darkens the room, and helps keep the cold out in winter.

Finding your window's code

Roof windows come in set sizes, and a blind is made to fit one of them. A seller will usually ask for the make of the window, its type and its size code. Roof window makers usually put that code on the window itself.

Many roof windows, including VELUX ones, carry a small data plate. On VELUX windows for pitched roofs, the maker says to open the window and look for a metal plate on the top of the sash. The code on it, such as MK06 or PK08, gives the size and the model.

Another maker puts its plate in the top right corner of the sash. Keep a note of the code, as it helps later with a repair, spare parts or a warranty claim.

If the plate is missing or worn, measure the glass. One retailer's guide asks for the width and the drop of the glass, then matches them to a table of codes.

Check the size with a tape measure before you order, even when you have the code. Look out for a handle or a sill that could get in the blind's way.

How a blind is fitted

Many blinds made for a roof window click onto brackets already fitted in the window frame. The side rails go on after that. One maker says its blinds take a few minutes to fit, with no tools.

A manual blind is opened and closed by hand, which suits a window you can reach easily. An electric blind works from a wall switch, which helps with a window set high in the roof.

A solar blind charges itself from daylight and comes with a remote control, so it needs no wiring. That makes it a good fit for a window that is already in. An electric blind suits a new build or a renovation, where the wiring can go in during the work.

Keeping a room cool in summer

The UK Health Security Agency's keep cool at home checklist says flats on the top floor can overheat, because heat rises. Homes with no blinds, curtains or shutters are at risk too, and so are homes with large east, west or south facing windows.

The checklist suggests internal blinds or curtains. It says external shutters, roller blinds or awnings are also very effective.

The NHS says to close windows, curtains and blinds during the day, and to open them at night once the air outside has cooled.

The British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) says shading outside the glass will always do better than shading inside. It commissioned research on a block of flats in London. Rooms with no shading reached a felt temperature of 47.5°C. Rooms with external blinds peaked at 28°C, and rooms with internal blinds closed at 32°C.

Where an outside blind can't be fitted, the BBSA suggests a more reflective internal blind. Some have a coating that reflects more of the sun's heat.

Keeping warmth in during winter

Tests at the University of Salford's Energy House, paid for by the BBSA, looked at heat lost through a double glazed window. Closed blinds and shutters cut that loss by between 13% and 33%, depending on the product.

A roller blind with zipped side channels and a low emissivity fabric did best, at 33%. A blackout honeycomb blind reached 32%, and a standard roller blind 13%.

The BBSA suggests opening blinds on sunny winter days, to let the sun's warmth in. Close them at dusk to keep that warmth in overnight.

Condensation

Government guidance on damp and mould says condensation forms when moisture made in the home cools and settles on colder surfaces, such as window frames. The guidance calls it the most common form of damp.

Showers, cooking and drying laundry all add moisture to the air. The guidance says kitchens and bathrooms in particular need good ventilation.

Homes that are poorly insulated or poorly heated are more likely to get condensation on the inside of their windows. The Energy Saving Trust says energy efficient glazing reduces condensation on the inside of a window.

The same government guidance notes that damp can damage curtains and other soft furnishings.

Cleaning and care

It is often easier to clean a blind where it hangs than to take it down.

For everyday cleaning, roll the blind fully down and hold it taut. Go over it gently with the small upholstery tool on a vacuum cleaner, or with a microfibre cloth. Then wipe it with a clean, damp cloth.

Check the blind's care instructions before you use any cleaning product, and try the product on a hidden corner first. A stain remover can leave the treated patch lighter than the rest of the blind.

Condensation in winter can leave spots of mould on a blind. Wear rubber gloves to clean them, and open a window while you work.

Wipe a metal chain with a soft, dry cloth now and then, so water and condensation don't make it rust.

Cords, chains and young children

Looped cords and chains on blinds are a danger to young children. RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, says at least 33 young children across the UK have died because of looped blind cords since 2001.

GOV.UK says child safety devices must be fitted to new blinds with looped cords when they are made, or supplied with the blind. Make it Safe, the BBSA's child safety campaign, says a professional installer must fit the safety devices and explain how to use them, with no exceptions in homes.

If you fit a blind yourself, read the instructions and fit any safety device that comes with it.

On a blind with a looped chain, fit a tensioner. GOV.UK says it should be fixed firmly to a surface next to the blind, so the cord or chain is held tight all the time.

On a blind worked by a cord, fix a cleat out of children's reach, at least 1.5 metres from the floor. After each use, wind the cord round it in a figure of eight, with all the spare cord on the cleat.

Keep cots, beds, highchairs and play pens away from blinds, because children love to climb.

Make it Safe lists blinds with no cord or chain at all. Some move by hand with a spring to help them, some work with a wand, and some are motorised. Others have safety parts built in, such as a chain that comes apart under pressure, or a tassel that breaks away.

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