Shut Out the Cold with the Right Window Coverings

Picture it: It’s the dead of winter, and you are gazing longingly at your outdoor patio.  You have the patio furniture covers on the outdoor furniture, the grill is snug under it’s cover, and you are standing there freezing in front of the sliding glass doors.  Your sliding glass doors are one of the biggest “windows” in your home, to be sure.  That means that the large window surface is allowing a great deal of heat to escape to the outside through the panes, even if they are dual or triple pane glass doors.  So how do you keep all of that expensive heat indoors?  Get yourself some insulating window coverings for sliding glass doors, first of all.  There are many types available, from pinch pleated draperies to wood blinds, to acrylic vertical blinds, to cellular and pleated shades.  Which one is best?

Any drapery that has an added layer of insulation will probably be the best at keeping out the cold.  Pinch pleated or even shirr-on styles that have that extra layer of fabric sewn into them are very easy to find, and they come in a vast array of patterns and colors.  It won’t be a problem to find some that will blend in nicely with your décor.

Cellular shades will be the next best at insulating your sliding glass door.  They are very insulating because the diamond-shaped cells trap air inside them, creating an insulating layer of warm air between your room and the cold glass.  The last few years has seen a great increase in the colors and sizes available in cellular shades, so you should be able to easily find some to coordinate with your home’s color scheme.

Vertical blinds are a great economical choice for covering your sliding glass doors.  For less than $100, you can cover standard sized sliding glass doors with stylish vinyl verticals.  Fabric covered vertical blinds are also available, but will cost a bit more.  This type of window covering will still insulate your doors, just not quite as well as draperies or cellular shades.

Staying warm and cozy in the middle of winter can be a challenge sometimes, but installing the right kind of window coverings on your sliding glass doors can be a big help!