Is It Better to Have Your Window Blinds Turned up or Down?

Window blinds in Toronto serve many purposes at home or in the office, including:

• Controlling light levels
• Insulating windows
• Providing privacy
• Reducing energy bills

Slatted window blinds are a great option for window coverings because you can leave the blind down and closed, leave the blind down but open the slats, or fully lift the blind. 

When opening slats, you also have the option to rotate the slats up or down. While the difference is small, there are some benefits to each direction. 

Controlling Light Flow

If you aim to control the amount of natural light in the room, turning window blinds upward or downward changes brightness. 

If you want to keep your room bright and allow in as much natural light as possible, turn the blinds down. The concave side of the blind facing the window allows for better light flow. Similarly, if you are trying to dim the light, especially in winter when the low-hanging sun blasts rooms at certain times of the day, turn the blinds up to minimize light flow. 

Maximizing Privacy

Privacy is often a major purpose of any window covering, and slatted blinds do a good job of this. While turning your blinds up or down will offer some privacy with window blinds in Toronto, turning your blinds up is best. 

Upward-facing slats leave the convex side of your blind to the window, blocking more view from the outside. Light can still enter the room, but you don’t need to worry about passers peeking in your windows. 

Heating Your Home

During the cold winter months, window blinds in Toronto serve an additional purpose of conserving heat. You can use natural light during the day to warm your home.

While the best way to maximize heat and light in any room is to open your blinds completely, you can also turn the slats down. Downward facing slats allow for some continued privacy while letting in the most light and heat. 

Conserving Energy

On the note of maximzing heat in your home, the position of your blind slats also improves energy efficiency, and in turn, your energy bill. 

In the summer, when A/C units are running to cool your home, turning your blind slats upward helps reduce heat levels. The convex edges of the slats against the window force light and heat toward the ceiling. This leaves you using less energy to cool your home. 

In the winter, the opposite is true. Turning slats down so the convex edge faces the window draws heat and light toward the floor. This warms your room, reducing the need for excess energy to warm the room. 

UV Protection

It isn’t just the heat you save yourself from when you change blind slat direction. You can also reduce the amount of UV rays that enter your home. Prolonged exposure to UV light without sunscreen can age you skin significantly, giving it a wrinkled, leathery look and feel. In the summer and during peak sun hours in the winter, you can reduce UV light by turning your blind slats up. 

As we mentioned previously, turning slats up minimizes light flow. This also blocks much of the harmful UV rays coming in with the natural sunlight. 

Avoid Fading Furniture

Turning your blind slats to direct light toward the ceiling of your home keeps the sun off your:

• Artwork
• Carpets
• Knickknacks
• Wooden tables
• Couches
• Chairs
• Wallpaper
• Electronics

Long-term exposure to direct sunlight fades your furnishings over time. When you keep blind slats turned up, you lead most of the light to your ceiling.  UV rays can dicolour the paint on your walls, ageing your home’s interior. For this reason many homeowners choose white ceilings, making it less noticeable if there is a reaction from the light exposer. 

Light leads to your floors and low furnishings, like tabletops and carpets when blinds are constantly turned down. This leads to fading and discoloration. 

Get Rid of Glare

Television placement is almost as difficult a decision as blind direction. Sometimes the only place to put a television or computer setup is directly opposite a window, although this isn’t recommended. 

If your window faces your electronics, the sun shines in and casts a glare across the screen. Long-term light exposure can also damage the screens. 

Turning your blinds up to direct light toward the ceiling minimizes glare. You can also fully close your slatted window blinds in Toronto to completely get rid of sunlight and glare. However, if you’d like to keep some light in the room, the convex side of the slat will give you plenty of access to natural light without the annoying glare of the sun on your screen. 

Aesthetics of Window Blinds in Toronto

The aesthetics of the up or down position on window blinds in Toronto is preferential. Some people like the look of the upward turned slats, although most prefer them down. This depends on the design of your window blinds and whether they have any additional edging detail on one side vs. the other. 

You can always speak to your blind specialist about your preferences for upward or downward facing slats. There may be some blind options that are better suited to one position over the other, giving you an aesthetic edge in a certain position. 

Ultimately, the look of your blinds is a personal choice. Whether you turn them up or down, you have access to a variety of looks. You can take advantage of certain blind positions with added accessories in your space. For example, if you want to maximize natural light, adding a mirror opposite the window helps increase light flow. This is especially true when blinds are turned down. 

Contact Window Blinds Direct

If you are a home or business owner in the GTA looking to learn more about window blinds in Toronto, we invite you to contact Window Blinds Direct. As the leading window covering specialist in Ontario, we’re proud to offer our professional opinion on blind selection and slat direction. 

For more information on our products and services, including getting your own custom window blinds, call 647-503-4357, or use our online contact form to get in touch.