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The best blackout curtains, tried and tested for a better sleep
Block out external light and noise with these tried-and-tested drapes
Tested by Blossom BoothroydHomes Testing Manager
It’s a well-known scientific fact that the darker your bedroom, the better your sleep quality, leading to improved physical and mental health. If a streetlight is keeping you up at night, or you’re a shift worker who needs to sleep during the day, consider investing in some blackout curtains.
We tested a range of blackout curtains from leading home retailers – including John Lewis, Next and Dunelm – to find the best on the market. So, you can put away your eye masks (unless you’re as attached to your Drowsy one as we are!) and sleep easy because these all passed our stringent tests:
Best blackout curtain lining
John Lewis Anyday Pair Blackout Pencil Pleat & Eyelet Curtain Lining
Read review
If you’d prefer blackout blinds, we’ve tested those too!
Why is it better to sleep in the dark?
It’s all to do with your circadian rhythm, also known as your body clock, which follows nature’s day/night cycle. Once it starts to get dark, your body starts secreting more of a hormone called melatonin, which makes you feel sleepy.
When the sun comes up, exposing us to daylight, our melatonin levels fall and we wake up. If your bedroom isn’t dark enough for melatonin production to ramp up, you may struggle to fall or stay asleep. If you find blackout curtains are meaning you struggle to wake up, consider investing in the best sunrise alarm clock to give you the gentle light you need come morning.
What should I look for when buying blackout curtains?
Fabric
The best blackout curtains are made from densely woven fabric, such as thick cotton or polyester, that won’t let light through its fibres. Look for a poly/cotton lining that’s been coated in acrylic to make it more effective at light-blocking and noise reduction.
If you want to keep your room well-insulated (cool in summer and warm in winter), look for an additional thermal layer.
Size
Most brands will advise on how to measure up for their blackout curtains, which are hung like regular curtains. If in doubt, measure the width of your curtain pole and add a couple of inches to allow for some overlap when drawn.
Length-wise, measure from a few inches above your curtain pole to the floor, or wherever you want them to finish.
Colour
Many people wrongly assume that blackout curtains need to be black, navy or another dark colour. If they’re made well, the colour shouldn’t matter, as it’s the fabric and lining that does the light-blocking leg work.
You’ll find lighter and brighter colours in most ranges today, from ivory to pink.
Heading
Most blackout curtains have either pencil pleat or eyelet headings, which determine how they are hung. Pencil pleats are the most traditional. They hook onto a curtain pole or track and look like slim pencils in a row. Modern eyelets slip onto a curtain pole, but they can’t be used on a track.
For the best blackout results, fit pencil pleat curtains as close to the wall as you can, and ideally floor to ceiling. Make sure the grommets (or rings) of eyelet curtains aren’t too big for your pole.
Price
Don’t scrimp on quality, as thin blackout curtains won’t darken your bedroom enough to make a difference. Luckily, there are plenty of thick, trusty pairs on our list that do their main job brilliantly, for an affordable price.
The below blackout curtains start from just £15, but you will obviously need to pay more to cover bigger windows.
How we test blackout curtains
Our panel of testers trialled the different blackout curtains at home, installing them in their bedroom for two weeks to see if they would improve their shut-eye.
Then they filled in a survey for us, sharing their experience and answering questions on everything from what they were like to hang and whether the instructions were clear to how well they blocked out sunlight and streetlights.
We also asked testers to judge the overall quality of the curtains, including if they wrinkled, if creases fell out quickly, and if they were easy to draw.
Each set was tested by multiple panellists, and our in-house experts collated and analysed their feedback to award each pair of curtains a final score.
These are their recommended buys:
John Lewis Anyday Pair Blackout Pencil Pleat & Eyelet Curtain Lining
Score: 88/100
If you’ve found the perfect pair of curtains but they’re not blocking enough light, then these might just be the interior design wonder worker you’re after. They sit discreetly behind your main curtains, acting as a lining and blocking out the light.
Set up was a tad fiddly, but the instructions were clear. And once up, our testers praised their quality, declaring them “brilliant” and telling us they “instantly cut out the light”. There’s only one colour, so you can’t co-ordinate them with your main curtains, but that’s a small sacrifice for keeping them in the first place – and no one will see anyway. They’re a clever fix for a light problem.
Key specifications
| Material | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Heading | Pencil pleat and eyelet |
| Sizes | 1 |
| Colours | 11 |
| Price per pair | £12 to £44 |
Score: 87/100
Whether you need an emergency pair of curtains to tide you over or you just don’t want to splash out, being on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on a good night’s sleep – or not with these affordable blackout curtains anyway.
Testers found them easy to put up despite vague instructions (although you may need a second pair of hands). They noticed their impact straight away too, keeping most light out (including pesky street lamps) and improving their shut eye. The eyelets let a smidge of light through, but nothing escaped through at the sides – a decent outcome given their price.
Key specifications
| Material | Polyester |
|---|---|
| Heading | Eyelet |
| Sizes | 3 |
| Colours | 3 |
| Price per pair | £15 to £30 |
Score: 86/100
Another popular set of velvet curtains, these come in over 20 colours, so there’s no doubt you can find just the right shade to complement your couch, wallpaper, or chosen accent colour.
Our testers were happy with the assembly process and the way the curtains hung – with our in house expert noting that it’d be relatively easy to adjust the hem length at home if you needed a more custom fit. They moved smoothly along the rail too.
As for the all important blackout lining, it did a stellar job, keeping our testers’ bedrooms pitch black. Again, these claim to have thermal properties, but no one noticed much difference either way on test. Come winter though, any extra layers will surely be welcome.
Key specifications
| Material | Polyester |
|---|---|
| Heading | Eyelet |
| Sizes | 7 |
| Colours | 24 |
| Price per pair | £50 to £135 |
La Redoute Scenario Cotton Blackout Eyelet Curtain
Score: 82/100
These are the only cotton curtains on our list (although the blackout lining is still polyester), and they come in 11 classic colours. They’re also machine washable unlike most of the designs we tested, and after five goes in the GHI washing machines, they still looked as good as new.
Each curtain is sold separately (so you’ll likely need to buy two) but they were easy to hang and the eyelets glided smoothly along the rail. As for the blackout properties of these “stylish but practical” curtains? Well, even though one tester opted for a lighter shade, they “really did black out the room”. Just what we’re after.
Key specifications
| Material | Cotton |
|---|---|
| Heading | Eyelet |
| Sizes | 4 |
| Colours | 11 |
| Price per pair | Sold individually; £35 to £60 |
The verdict on blackout curtains
You can’t put a price on good sleep, but luckily with our winner and runner-up you don’t have to – so the best design for you all comes down to aesthetics. Our winner from John Lewis, is actually a lining that works alongside your existing curtains, while our runner up the Home Essentials Plain Blackout Eyelet Curtains, are excellent polyester curtains.
If you want to flex your interior design muscles, then consider Next, who had effective curtains in 24 different shades.
Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute
Our homes editor, Hannah Mendelsohn, is something of a sleep expert, having overseen our sleep awards and written about countless bedroom buys. So, she knows all you need to know about having the right sleep set-up and what to look for.
She worked with our homes testing manager, Blossom Boothroyd, to make sure this was all reflected in our blackout curtain testing protocols to bring you detailed and thorough reviews.
14 May 2025: Updated headlines and checked stock and prices. Also optimised linking throughout to relevant Good Housekeeping articles
Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.
Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.
Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.
Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
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