Blackout Window Cover for Total Darkness - Removable, Cut to Size (45"x66"), EZ No Tool Installation with Velcro Brand Tape, for Moms w/Kids, Home Theaters & Night Workers, Black/White Made in USA

Excellent, simple product that actually works! Very fast shipping! For years I've tried different options to black-out the windows in my bedroom to sleep better, but nothing has ever fully worked. The last thing I've had (for several years) was black foam-board Velcroed to each panel of glass. The foam board warped and shrunk somewhat over time and always still let light in around the edges and cracks where it did not fit perfectly to the frame. And "blackout curtains" that I tried never worked - either they did not really black-out light at all and/or they would always let light in around the edges. After a lot of searching I thankfully found this, although I really think they should change their primary picture here on Amazon. Currently (6-2015) it shows the packaging tube, some of the vinyl and the Velcro strips they provide. When browsing through I did not realize this was a window black-out product, I thought it was one of those search-fails on Amazon where some completely unrelated product is shown, but luckily I dug a little deeper! Installation is a breeze with the provided Velcro strips and instructions. The grid lines on the black side of the panel are a huge help with cutting it straight (not shown in the pictures) and are barely noticeable when mounted to the window - they are faint grey lines that provide guidance with cutting after you make your measurement. I was surprised with another review that mentioned odor - there is no or nearly no odor at all with this item. In the past I've purchased shower curtains that literally stunk up the whole house, but this item has no odor unless you put your nose right up to it and even then it's very faint...just enough to let you know it's new!! I have not seen a sliver of light at all. In fact it surprised me to walk in my bedroom when it was fully sunny outside and this solution kept ALL light out! And it works great under my current blinds. You don't even know it's there unless you raise the blinds. And I really like how I can remove it on weekends, fold it up, and store it away to let some light in - and the white part of the Velcro that stays on the window frame is barely noticeable if you have white painted windows - you really have to be looking for it to see it . The only thing I would mention is that the Velcro that stays on the window is high quality and sticks very well, but if you're like me and have a bad paint job on your windows, it will pull the paint off when you remove the blackout panel from the window (this is a problem with my paint and not the product). The previous owner of my house put a thin coat of contractor grade sprayed-on paint on my windows so the Velcro wants to peel off this crummy paint and stay with its mate on the blackout panel rather than remain on my window frame. So I might tack the Velcro on with a few staple-gun staples (hate to do that to the window frame though) or just remove everything and repaint the window properly with good paint. Overall excellent product!

Outstanding product! Very easy to size and install. 100% blackout. Easy to take down and re-install. Durable product. I would purchase again. Great video for guidance on installation.

The Blackout EZ is a product that is so simple and obvious that I should have come up with it years ago. I didn’t, but fortunately Tim Stanley did. Unfortunately, it took me years to find this elegant solution to a vexing problem – how to make my bedroom as dark as the grave. This is, of course, speculation. I have never occupied a grave, not do I know anyone who has. It just seems like a place that would be pretty dang dark. I installed the product at night (Pro-tip: do it during the day. It is easier to check your results), and it easily sealed out the light from the streetlamps. The room got so black in fact, that I spent the next 20 minutes walking around with a flashlight and gaffer’s tape (you MUST own a roll of this stuff), taping over all the annoying LEDs on audio and video devices, surge protectors, and even my air filter system. The digital alarm clock was my one concession to total darkness of obvious reasons. a bit of light in my otherwise black room. I knew the product was very good because It was never dark enough to notice these evil lights before. But the real acid test was the bright and shiny morning of the following day. What a huge difference between the light elimination achieved using the Blackout EZ system vs blackout blinds and blackout curtains. There was still SOME light, so for those who seek total deathly blackness, read on. Sneaky light sources: • The aforementioned LEDs, LCDs, etc. You will notice them. I promise. • Doors. The bedroom door was leaking light all around the edges. It was like looking at the sun during an eclipse. I believe I solved the problem, by installing weather stripping around the frame and a door sweep on the bottom of the door. • ANY defects in your installation. Install your Blackout EZ, and on the brightest day, turn out your room lights and go light hunting. INSTALLATION ------------------- Installation was fairly easy and mostly error-free, with some caveats. Chief of these is if you want perfect light elimination, you must do a perfect installation. There is no room for error. Leave even the tiniest gap between the Velcro strips on either the vinyl or on your window frame, and you will have a leak. Remember, light is very, very small and clever. Leave a pinhole, and the sun will find it. Precise measurement is critical. Metal tape measures are error-prone because at the end you must bend them, and then guesstimate the exact measurement. I think an accurate fabric tape measure would be better for measuring the window. I’d recommend including one in the kit. They are cheap when bought in bulk. The grid pattern printed on the vinyl is a great idea, but not very well executed. I have good vision, but had a hard time reading the numbers and following the lines. A light shining on the vinyl at an angle will provide you with the best view of both numbers and lines. I would recommend that the manufacturer either print the numbers and the pattern more boldly so it can be more easily viewed, or have the numbers printed on a scored, tear-off strip that can be removed before mounting to the window. Also, I don’t know if it was the intention to have the numbers correspond to a ruler, but at least on my Blackout EZ vinyl pieces, they did not. Trust your measurements and make a mark on the edge of the vinyl with a sharpie or an ink pen using your measuring device. Take your time cutting the vinyl, since you will only have one shot at this. If you really lack confidence, favor cutting a bit wider than being exact. Before you apply the Velcro, you can always trim off excess material, but if you cut too short, you’re screwed. When doing your cutting, use sharp scissors, and preferably long ones. It takes a lot longer than you think to accurately cut over 40 inches of material with a set of tiny sewing scissors. The manufacturer might want to offer a pair of decent scissors as an option during purchase. Never hurts to have good scissors in the house. Just don’t run with them. If you’re not a vampire, you are likely trying to darken a bedroom – not your entire residence. DO NOT make the mistake of trying to measure or cut the vinyl on the bed, or applying the Velcro tape on the bed or on a carpet. You will be off. Remember that light is completely unforgiving of gaps. Leave a gap between the Velcro adhesive and the vinyl and you will be very unhappy. It is much easier to be precise on a large, hard table or smooth floor. A dining room table is ideal. Apply your Velcro strips – on both the fabric and window – exactly edge-to-edge. Do not overlap the strips and do not leave gaps. Again, this is easier to do when you are working on a hard surface. What I did was to intentionally cut the strips a few mm long, and then snip them to size before pressing the end of the Velcro down. There isn’t enough extra Velcro in the package to start again making another strip. Also, cut the ends at a 90 degree angle, again to avoid gaps. A note before sticking the Velcro strips to your window frame. You also need to prepare the surface first. Windows have a way of attracting dust, gunk, paint drips and insect carcasses. Again, given the unforgiving nature of light, the Velcro application on your window frame must be perfectly smooth and flat. You might have to take a putty knife and scrape the area to which you are going to apply the Velcro strips in order to remove any gunk or bumps. To ensure proper adhesion to my vinyl apartment windows, I used rubbing alcohol pads to make sure that the surface was clean. That is another item I would include in the package. They are cheap. When everything is mounted, attach the top of your Blackout EZ to the top Velcro strip on your window frame. Make sure it is centered. Then smooth the sides down carefully with your fingers so that the Velcro strips fully mate with their counterparts. Make sure that you don’t leave any gaps. I PROMISE you will see them when the sun wakes you up. This is another reason to do this during the day. Continue and then press down the bottom strip. Then go over the whole thing again. I’d love to see some solutions to common problems like going around a window A/C unit in the summer and sealing the window completely in the winter. Perhaps having two panels is the answer. I’d also like to see the additions to the kit mentioned above. Lastly, I would avoid stapling the plastic ends of the shipping tubes. I got a nasty cut from one of the staples. The fiber tape will work just fine. Please do take me seriously about the night-table lamp. Do this job right and you won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face. This is a great product that, at this point, I give 98/100. P.S. I have been reading concerns regarding the "off gassing" of the vinyl in this product producing odors and toxic fumes. As it is still winter, I haven't been able to evaluate this concern. I will update my review over the summer. This issue wouldn't be specific to this product per se, but may be more of an issue as one side of the fabric faces direct sunlight. Keep in mind that vinyl is used in everything from windows, to floors, to couches, to car seats.

Putting aside the delay in shipping, this product worked as described. I have several 22" x 22" windows in my place that buying curtains or blinds did not make sense so I searched for blackout window covers and found this product. I knocked off one star due the items I list in the bad list below but overall I would buy again since it delivers as promised. I recommend this product if you are trying to blackout light from a window. Good: 1. Blocks out light as promised. 2. Provides everything you need to install the product (vinyl and velcro) 3. Velcro and vinyl are high quality. Bad: 1. The grid lines were not helpful. When they were printed on the vinyl it was not printed on straight so I could not use the lines to make my cuts (see photo). 2. A bit pricey. I ordered the Beige in/White out, 45" x 66". 3. They printed the grid on the colored side of the vinyl so if you were hoping for a clean look for the interior facing window cover you may be disappointed. 4. They did not provide enough velcro if you plan to cut the vinyl to fit smaller windows. I was trying to cover 4 - 22" x 22" windows and I was able to complete 2 1/2 windows before running out of velcro. Installation tip: - The fuzzy (loop) part of the velcro goes on the vinyl and the rough side (hook) goes on the window frame. - If you want to make sure no light creeps in from the window you are covering, you will need to run the velcro on all four sides of the window without any gaps. If you have any gaps where the velcro does not connect with the vinyl it will let light through. Overall I am happy with the product and performance. See photos for window before and after covering and how no light is let in. I also included the installation instructions.

Work perfect for me. Nice tight fit, complete blackout.

I do not understand the bad reviews. Light does not dim through the edges if you install them correctly. This is the most blackout my windows will ever be. It is such a relief for my extremely light sleep. Any dim light wakes me up, sleeping in after sunrise even with an eye mask was never among my options. Now it finally is. I don't write a lot of reviews but this deserves mine. I am absolutely not DIY/handyman person and yet the installation was surprisingly easy, the material easy to cut with simple scissors, and instructions made very straightforward. I installed everything in less than 20 minutes. I even made a simple system to roll the cover back up and attach it up the window during the day with the extra Velcro parts left (see photos). This product did not lie about what it delivers. It's a bit expensive but really worth it. The only downside is that it is not going to be the prettiest decoration piece of your room but your sleep doesn't care! Update 2 months after purchase: still in love with those covers, my sleep and my health thank them. One of the Velcro strips I had stuck on the window frame got removed, which might because I didn't clean the frame beforehand, but the company just sent a pack of new Velcro strips for replacement. I had to add: great customer service as well!

I just installed one of these over a window in our master bedroom. Start to finish it took about an hour, but I was working alone and taking my time to get it just right. No measuring necessary! The Velcro strips can be held right up to the window and trimmed before removing the protective backing film and sticking them to the wall or window frame. Then take the mating Velcro strip, cut it to fit the top of the mat, stick the strip on the back along the top edge, and hang the mat on the window with one edge flush with the edge of the window. Use the numbered grid printed on the mat to find the vertical line that aligns with the other side of the window and the horizontal line that aligns with the bottom of the window. Take the mat down and cut along those lines to trim the mat to size. Finally, cut three more strips of the mating Velcro and stick them to the other three edges of the back of the mat. The mat is ready to hang! We ordered these to black out our master bedroom when my wife has migraines, because she gets very sensitive to light. We wanted something that could be put up easily, blocks as much light as possible, and can be taken down when she recovers so that our bedroom windows are still usable. These mats meet all criteria with flying colors. Once the initial install is done, the mat can go up in seconds. It blocks 100% of the light. It comes down almost as easily as it goes up, since it's just Velcro. Our windows are trimmed with unfinished pine, and I was worried that it wouldn't adhere well to wood, but the adhesive on the strips is crazy sticky. The mat is thick vinyl, and feels very durable. I tested its strength with one of the left over pieces, and I really had to put some effort in to tear it, even when I made a cut with scissors to start the tear. I wish we had found these years ago. For temporary blacking out a room, these mats are wonderful.

After more than 12 years as a day sleeper, I know how hard it is to get a room dark... completely dark. Light is like water. It will seep through the smallest opening you can imagine. I have made my own blackout blinds two or three times, and it's no small feat to block out all the sun completely. I will give credit to these Blackout EZ window covers for being about as easy as it gets for a quick solution. However, they're not perfect. The vinyl blind material blocks 100%, but the hook and loop leaks a little, especially if you have to apply it perpendicular to the glass surface. I will agree with another reviewer that you should apply the Velcro 1/4" from the fabric edge and leave some overhang to completely seal out the light. I have some doubts about the ability of the Velcro to adhere long term (from prior experience), and the vinyl material does have some rubber raft smell. I give the inventor credit for a simple solution with nice features like the cut lines already marked out, but time will tell if they stay in place as the seasons and temperature change. My best and simplest solution so far for home made blinds is to buy 4mm black Coroplast, (think political sign boards) or white with black or chalkboard Contact Paper applied, and install them on the surface of your window frame using outside corner moldings to retain them. I just used some brad nails to tack the moldings to the perimeter of the window trim and create a lip with which to slip the Coroplast under. This makes it easy to pop the blind in and out and never worry about the longevity of the Velcro or fabric. In the photos: The first one shows the more successful technique of leaving some reveal beyond the velcro to overlap the window frame. The second photo shows the light leakage when I had to apply the velcro to the window's lift handle perpendicular to the glass. UPDATE: After using these for several weeks, it became necessary to remove them completely, hook and loop adhesive and all. I will admit that the fastening strips hold better than any I've ever seen, and it takes some patience to get them off. I'd read where people had some success with various solvents and goo removers after the velcro ribbon was pulled off, but the best technique I found was using almost no chemicals at all. You carefully pull the velcro off at a 90* angle to the side, and experiment with that so that you leave the least amount of adhesive. I had some luck with a back and forth side to side motion, and then use the removed material to dab-dab-dab the adhesive off. It takes some diligence but with repeated press and lift method, it will eventually give up. As a bonus it's way cleaner than smearing Goo-Gone all over the window frames. All it took after that was a little rubbing alcohol to get the minimal sticky that was left. I did this in far less time than expected vs the solvent method I thought I'd need.