News & Articles

Both stylish and practical, solar shades are the perfect modern window treatment. Sometimes called “sun shades,” solar shades are designed to block UV rays while allowing you to preserve the view through your windows, giving you the best of both worlds. If you’re considering this window treatment option for your home, there are a few things you need to know.

What Are Solar Shades?

Solar shades are very similar to roller shades, with the only difference being the type of material they’re made from. While roller shades are made of fabric, solar shades are made with a coated, mesh-like material that is tightly woven to provide your home with coverage from sunlight and heat. 

Typically these shades are made from vinyl and come in a range of neutral colors, but there are a variety of style options to choose from. This type of window treatment provides a wide range of benefits for homeowners, including natural light management, and glare and heat control, all with minimal impact on the view through your home’s windows.

How Can Solar Shades Improve Your Home’s Appearance and Comfort Level?

Since the primary benefit of solar shades is their excellent sun-blocking and light-reducing qualities, making them an excellent window treatment solution if you find that excessive sunlight shines through your windows. These shades also reduce glare and protect furniture, carpets, and other household surfaces from harmful UV rays which can cause fabrics to bleach over time, also causing textiles to become brittle and break. By reducing the UV rays that come in through your windows, solar shades essentially serve as SPF for your furniture!

Another benefit of solar shades is that they are some of the easiest window treatments to keep clean. You can either use a brush attachment on your vacuum to lightly dust them, or use a soft cloth and mild dish soap diluted in water to clean away dirt and grime. However, it’s important note that your solar shades should not be submerged in water as this can damage their mechanisms.

What Factors Should You Consider Before Purchasing Solar Shades?

When looking at different types of solar shades, you may notice that some varieties have different percentage options. These percentages represent the openness of the weave of the shades, or how much UV rays and light are filtered out through the mesh. For example, if you need significant protection from UV rays and light, you should choose a 1% solar shade. If you want to allow more light into your home and keep as much of the visibility through your windows as possible, you can choose solar shades with up to 10% openness.

During the day, solar shades block harmful UV rays while preserving your view from indoors to the outside world. However, their mesh material doesn’t provide the same level of privacy as other window treatment options, and when it’s dark outside and the lights are on in your home, anyone outside your home will have a clear view of what’s going on inside. If privacy is a top priority, choosing solar shades with an openness level of 1% or less will reduce visibility from outside your home down to sillouettes. Plus, you can always layer solar shades with additional curtains or drapery to give your home the best of both worlds with both protection from the sun and privacy in the evening hours. 

One last factor to consider is that solar shades can help reduce heat in your windows, but they will not block cold because of the mesh-like material they’re made out of. However, solar shades still contribute to making your home more energy efficient by blocking the amount of sunlight coming into a space. This heat reduction can help you save money on energy costs during warmer times of year. 

Find Solar Shade Solutions at Window Trends

If you’re ready to learn more about how solar shades can work in your home our expert team it ready to help. We’re proud to provide a variety of customization options for solar shades, and if you’re looking for a more high-tech window treatment we also offer a variety of automated power shade options to take your shades to the next level. In addition to options for power shades that can improve your home’s efficiency, a wide range of our products can be customized to your exact specifications, and our knowledgeable team members are ready to help make your vision a reality.  

If you’re ready to find out more about the options available to you, feel free to stop by our Window Trends Morris Plains or Window Trends Chatham showrooms to consult with one of our representatives about what specific features you’re looking for from your solar shades, or simply to learn more. Give us a call at 973-401-9048 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, or fill out the contact form on our website for a complimentary at-home consultation.