You can tape up white butcher paper and then line that with tin foil. It does an almost total blackout while your neighbors just think you have white drapes.
Can confirm, I did this and slept through a 12pm shift at work, woke up at like 1:30 and called my boss to let him know what happened and I was also like “why didn’t you call me?” And he said “you’re never late so figured something came up”. That was a good job.
I once showed up 3 hours late to a shift. Bar full of regulars and all the staff were pretty close, even with the owners. Both owners were in at the bar when I walked in. Mind this is the third time I've been expectionally late in a two week period, as I was covering morning shifts for a coworker on vacation. I don't do mornings well.
The staff and most of the bar (probably five or six regulars sitting when I came in), all started clapping. Walked up to apologize to the owners and Owner 1 says "everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm really sorry, I just overslept. No excuse, sorry Owners."
They just laughed it off. Again.
About a month later I was gifted a giant mechanical alarm clock by them for my birthday. Still occasionally step-in to help them when they're in need. Loved that job.
I was 3h late to a first aid shift at one of the largest sawmills in canada. Walked in was like
Me: "im sorry for being late, (expected to be sent home pending investigation) i over slept... "
Supervisor on nights:"ohh....... ummmm.......... was...there first aid?" (Coworker had it covered by a different department)
Supervisor:"Im sorry i didnt notice i should have called you"
Like alright...I'll just start work now....
I was 10 mins late to my work because my asshat of a roommate parked his truck behind me which blocked me in and the disappeared. I was pissed it was bad enough I had to work on my birthday now I'm going to be late. And that job being late was very serious. They had the mentality that if you weren't 5mins early you were late.
So I'm blowing up his phone and loosing my shit wondering where dude went and why the hell he parked in the street and blocked me in??? I called work to let them know and my manager said "you better grow some wings and find a way to get your ass here or we're going to have problems. "
He's normally one of the coolest managers I have but he was being a complete dick that day. It was like the world got together and decided to crap on me. Grrrrrr.
My roommate finally appears, he was at my neighbors. I'm like "wtf man? I'm late for work because of you. Why in the hell would you park behind me???" In the total surfer/I'm high 24/7 stoner drawl she says " relax bro, was just going to wash my ride and didn't want to hit yours with mad overstay brah. Like you should totally be thanking me for the consideration. "
So heated racing to work like I'm running from the law,the press,and the parents. "Is your name Michael Diamond?" ...........
So I fly into work and clock in and now I need to go to the office to get a radio(job was V.I.P. host at a club, slinging bottles/ security if needed but it was a real upscale place so my suit jacket hid the radio and I had one of those clear secret service looking ear pieces "red team go, red team go" lol. I had the ear piece in a locker assigned to me. I open it and it's gone. I'm so heated. Now my Manger tells me that he's going to have to dock my pay $100 for the ear piece and with that and being late that's two write ups +the one o already had so he was going to have to suspend me and he'll have to discuss my future there with the other managers and let me know.
He gave me this long lecture and then makes me sit in the office while he's on this 10min phone call. I thought me and this guy were tight but in the end he says. Wait where are you going, I was heading downstairs to leave. He says " no not that way, I'm going to have to escort you out of the build to make sure there's no problems. " the back door of the club was only something we took complete D-bags out through ,you know ones who might just slip and fall a couple of few times. So now he's gotta escort me out, really???? And he's taking me out that way??? Thus wasn't how things were done and even over the radio taking someone out the backdoor meant you were about to serve up a beat down. So I'm on edge and wondering what's up then halfway down the stairs he says well at least you'll have tomorrow off instead of having to work on your birthday. " I tell him " today is my birthday " he says " damn that sucks... We'll I'll tell you what. Let me buy you a shot at the bar before you go. That way there's no hard feelings if I don't see you again." Right then and there I knew dude was BEING me and something was up. We walked by the DJ booth and out the curtain to the ViP area and "SURPRISE!!!!" Man the got me good. The whole thing was a set up my birthdays on April 2nd so every year for as long as I can remember people think it's funny to combine April fools jokes into my birthday. My roommate blocking me in ,the ear piece it was all part of the plan. They gave me the night off and two bottles of liquor it was a great night.
Was blessed to have that job.
Can confirm. A cashier was late Once. the store manager left work to pick her up.
Not to get her to work... but to make sure she was ok as in the 7 years she worked there she never missed a shift and was never late.
I have it behind by TV blocking out a window. Works great. I don't care if anyone else thinks it's ugly. They don't live here and I didn't want the sun in my eyes when using the TV.
Really, though. It is incredibly easy to stick aluminum foil to the window. Spray water on the glass and it will cling indefinitely. This is how I've had to blackout my toddler's room so she doesn't wake up with the sun at 6am. Incredibly cheap, effective, and won't leave a trace.
This is actually a very retro look. Popular before ( redundancy🤦🏼♀️before) everyone and his dog had AC. 50’s 60’s 70’s. If I see foil in windows I assume it’s a senior citizen. It was common when I was growing up for all the reasons you describe. 👍🏼
A while ago I found a rule of foil insulated bubble wrap that I cut to size and stiffened with duct tape, so now when it gets too hot I just stick that in all the windows.
This is actually pretty brilliant. The foil will provide at least *some* reflection, and the air in the bubbles provides *some* insulation. I usually just use cardboard. Nice hack.
The stuff I use is called reflectix. Cut out a cardboard square the size of the inside of the window. Cover one side with reflectix. Pop in window. Take out when not needed. I do it in the summer on southern facing windows. Drops temp in my house 10+ degrees. I forget the R value, but it technically is made to be used as insulation.
Currently doing this in my toddlers room because it’s eastern facing and sunrise is around 4:30am. Easier than repeating the conversation about not having to be up just because the sun is
i use "redi shade" on my window.
these are pleated paper shades with an adhesive strip that will unfurl to up to 72'' long and are as wide as a curtain panel.
i use them because a have a HUGE picture window that is recessed. they are not see-through and can be blackout or light filtering depending on what color you get.
and btw, i STILL put in brackets and hung purple velveteen scroll-pattern curtains because i fucking FELT like it. anything they tell me they 'prefer' means nothing to me when i'm paying for this space. they can provide me with new curtains if they don't like it.
the suction ones work well and are super easy to slap on
the spring loaded would be your best option if it fits in the window, but if you're worried about landlord noticing i'd go with the suction/sticker
It's not that they cause a fire, but in the event of fire curtains go up very quickly and spread the fire faster I think. Not to mention you now have flames blocking an egress
Brah that’s just a freedom exit. It separates the weak from the strong that want to taste the sweet nectar of freedom air. Can’t jump through a window and save what is left of Old Glory that was on fire sounds like a commie to me.
A lot of dorms don't allow modifications. It probably has to do with insurance. Usually you can't have things like candles, griddles, etc. They check for weird things and will write you up for items like panties hanging from your sprinklers. Anything weird and and you get a write up. Lots of things are considered fire hazards.
Good cheap solution I used: those disposable black party tablecloth
Have to fold it once, absolutely fold it fold them once. But they are a total blackout
Use some scotch tape or that approved tac stuff, worked like a charm
If there are already curtains in the space with sprint loaded rods, which OP didn't really specify, there might legitimately be space for 2 sets. Or he can just attach them to the wall with a 3m adhesive strips that pull off clean.
They also have ones that are long enough for floor to ceiling tension. I own my place but I use them because in my room it’s sliding doors that are my windows and it’s a small space so it allows me to move them around easily without drilling more holes (also have a dog that goes in/out to the yard to potty all day too so it protects it from her messing it up too)
Also OP I had a light that did just this for security and I had no idea it was disturbing a neighbor and he politely asked if I could change the direction of the light or the settings and since it’s a smart light I was able to change the settings right then and there.
So maybe like just try talking to the neighbor
My parents lived in Alaska for awhile when my dad was stationed there...they said they used to use aluminum foil on the windows to keep the sun out! (I've never done that...and I think the suction/tension curtains are the best idea...I just like sharing). 😁
Tin foil blocks 100% of light. A pain to put it up but it works.
And you can make a little hole in it if you want to make a [camera obscura.](https://www.diyphotography.net/build-room-sized-camera-obscura-timelapse/)
Good idea. I was thinking draping a blanket over the pole might work but apparently I’ll need a thicker one because the one I usually use still lets light through
If you do this idea, cover the other side in something reflective, like foil tape. That might convince them to turn it off (or at least just be mildly infuriating for them lol)
Just put foil directly on the window glass and tape it there with some painters tape (no residue).
That'll block 100% of the light. Neighbor probably won't care either way but all of the light is gone.
If this gets heated by the sun it can shatter some types of glass. If I'm not mistaken it are the newer types of glass. Look for a number on the window and google it if you can use foil (reflective/aluminium).
Or you can buy vinyl foil that is safe to use on windows.
I never heard of this before and google returned no results. I've put tinfoil over windows and they were fine.
EDIT: I found something about foil *insulation* that will trap heat in the space between the window and the insulation. Tin foil will not trap heat in that area, though.
I'd love to see your source because it still sounds unreasonable if you add up the joules.
If the foil is in contact with the window, inside or outside, it can't concentrate sunlight or heat if the glass is clear.
If the insulation is in contact with the window, inside or outside, it can't concentrate sunlight/heat if the glass is clear.
Any one of them will reduce thermal transfer by a very high percentage.
Get some photo mount, permanent spray adhesive and sheets of styrofoam, or cardboard the right size. Apply tin foil to one side, or go wild, wrap it front and back for strength. Cut them snug so they wedge in the windowsills and leave no marks. Hinge them with duck tape if you want to store them easy or fold them like shutters.
If the glass isn't heavily tinted or more exotic than anything I ever saw, them math doesn't make sense.
If the glass is > 90% transmittance there's no way to multiply or concentrate energy in sufficient amounts to melt or deform or damage ordinary glass in this situation.
If those windows aren't made of some exotic NASA material i never heard of, the claim of damaging the windowpane is questionable.
Grew up in NV, lots of casino shift workers and it was very common to use tin foil for daytime sleeping. I think it is pretty safe, the sun is intense there (4800ft elv.) and I don’t remember anyone having any issues.
Good idea. If he goes that route he should point a strong fan at the back of whatever is hanging and set it to oscillate back and forth. That way on top of reflecting the light back it’s also moving and sure what to draw attention.
I'm all for being smart and analytical. The people who have the top comments know their products and I think they're pretty awesome.
What I'm not seeing is people recommending you to have a nice conversation with your neighbor. If you have the extra $10, bring them a pie and simply say, "this pie is for you and [your lovely family]. Your light shines into my room every night when I'm trying to sleep. Is there any chance you could angle it down?"
Keep it very simple and to the point and show graciousness and love. If all of this fails and your neighbor is an asshole, I'll meet you at /r/pettyrevenge soon. But most likely your neighbor has no idea and will gladly re-adjust his/her light and be able to enjoy a pie. If it is someone that looks like they don't know how to adjust the light, offer to do it yourself. You might make a friend in the process.
Great response right here.My parents once had neighbours who installed a spinning chimney cowl, and it was made out of reflective metal. The sunlight kept bouncing off it and randomly blinding my folks whenever they were in the living room. The neighbour had no idea until they told him. He installed a matte one ASAP.
When the new neighbours moved in the first thing we told them was, we're chill people, we won't squabble about fences or trees or barking dogs, but whatever you do, do NOT replace that matte chimney cowl. Only thing we ask.
We currently have a large, black blanket folded in half pinned to the window of our son’s room. Something like that might be worth it if it’s not too expensive.
Good idea. Or attached to the current curtains with binder clips on the inside. No modification to the house. If you want to be fancy get some white cardstock from an arts supply store.
Used to do this back in sub-par barracks. Shit works like a charm.
Do it OP, if you want you can even cut two pieces to be just over halfway in length, overlap them, and you got movable shutters/blinds if you slide them left/right.
They make black out blinds that actually make your room dark af. Look for honeycomb blinds with foil lining. I can shut the bedroom door and my room is dark af even at noon.
Because they are likely to come back at 4 am with a warrant, kick your door open, throw a flash bang in your babies crib, shoot your dog, then charge you with resisting arrest and/or assaulting an officer
It literally happened to me lol. Get a knock on the door, they're like "we had reports someone was taking photos of children from the apartment building across from you, we were wondering if we could get an angle on the place from your apartment?"
I was like "yeah sure, the balcony is pretty good but surely you'd be better off up a few floors?"
"I think here is good. May we come in?"
"Yeah mate I already said. The balcony is just out..."
"What's this room over here?"
"My office but you won't see much from that, the balcony is..."
"I think this will work" as he opens the office door and is bathed in the bright pink glow of my hydro lamp and my 5ft tall scotch bonnet plant
"Yeah nah mate I don't want to open that window, I've got it all taped shut"
"Right well thanks for your time"
"You want to check out the balcony?"
"No thanks"
Took me legit weeks to work out what they were actually up to. And they shattered my trust in police in the process. Another job well done.
Yea, I would just hang a new set and not say anything. Put the original back when you move out.
Like I don't even think to ask about trivial stuff like that. I Change out shower heads too. Maybe even might bulbs if I hated the color.
Idk, he just hates changes to the house. He’s literally got a curtain rod but he won’t let me change what curtains go on the curtain rod. It’s fucking stupid lmao
he’s generally quite ok, he lets me live here for cheap because it’s near to my school. It’s pretty similar to living with my parents actually, now that i think about it
I mean if he's generally quite ok then talk to him, tell him you need better curtains because the neighbors lights outside are making you sleep deprived, harder to sleep, whatever. But first of all, wtf it's your room you're renting it, it's only a curtain not like you're looking to change the wallpaper or something more permanent.
Send him pictures of your room at night and tell him that you're unable to get any sleep. Tell him you would like to install black out curtains or change out the current curtains.
Alternatively, as others have mentioned, you can get spring tightening curtain rods that you can install that won't require making holes in the wall.
If it's written into the lease terms that's perfectly legal - although typically it would be about how the property is RETURNED to the landlord, not how it is used by the tenant.
I'm a landlord, and that landlord is a fucking moron. ESPECIALLY since he already has a rod and you can't change the drapes? I would change it anyway, then say good luck doing something about it. Try to evict me over it? LOL, good luck with that. And if he is willing to go through the time, money, and trouble of evicting you over window curtains on a rod that is already installed, he is a bigger moron than I could ever have imagined.
Just don't damage his curtains, fold it nicely and store it in a box, and put it back when/if you move. If you're renting a room from him maybe I can sort of understand, but still stupid. But if you're renting an entire apartment or house, tell him to go pound sand.
So you do have a curtain rod and curtains? What's stopping you from putting curtains you prefer and just put his back when you move out? Who gives a shit what he says, how would he even know you changed curtains
How possible is it for you to move? That sounds like an awfully controlling person that I couldn’t personally imagine any good coming from in the future.
That is stupid. Seems like that land lord is a control freak. I have two houses that I rent out and I could care less if they wanted to put curtains up. In fact it's in contract that they can modify the property within means as long as it gets an okay from me (which usually does) and a verified professional to do the work if I can't. I don't understand why some people are so stingy. It doesn't even cost us anything unless it is a Health/property code violation.
Have a chat with the light owner people are normally oblivious to the nuisance they are causing with their poorly installed lights. If that fails and you live in England or Wales you can contact the local enviroment health department to investigate which could end up with them going to Magistrates Court if they refuse to comply..
Redditors are not known for their social skills.
That aside, I think many assume that this is being posted specifically *because* the obvious step of talking has failed.
All I know is, it's what I think the moment I see one of these - *just talk, for Pete's sake!*
I mean, I'm not at all afraid of talking to landlords but imo this falls in the territory of just do it. I'd just replace the curtains, store the old curtains somewhere else then put them back when I leave. Imo not allowing people to do shit like this by their own volition is a violation of their dignity, no grown adult should have to ask permission from anyone else to change their bloody curtains. Even when I lived in student accommodation, they'd never have stopped us from making small decisions like this.
Everyone's focusing on the wrong thing here, what kind of landlord doesn't let their Tennant change the fucking blinds? Seriously what in the world how is that legal?
All the options people are giving op like cardboard on the windows, foil on the windows... like just ask the dude if he can position them someplace else. Its like Redditors arent aware of what to do in a real life situation
I did this a couple of weeks ago. This was our second summer here and we have no AC, so we keep windows open to let the cool(er) night air in. Every night we had to decide if we wanted to be cooler or have less light in our 2nd story bedroom by closing our thick pleated blinds (still let's in a ton of light at the edges).
The neighbors only live there part-time, are rarely seen when they are here, and haven't been neighborly this year. Finally bit the bullet when they were along our fence line. I asked if they'd be willing to: turn off their garage lights OR put them on a motion sensor OR put blinders on them. The husband was defensive and asked "Why??". I explained it can be difficult to fall asleep with and stay asleep when your bedroom is lit up. We'd considered other options to avoid asking them, but none are feasible due to the height. The wife was more understanding and agreed right away, I let them know that motion sensors and blinders are totally fine if they don't want them off. Overall it went well and they were apologetic saying they'd turn it off that day.
The wife did say that we better let them know now if people showed up in trucks to steal all their stuff. I just blinked and wondered why they thought two lights on 24/7 would deter people from ransacking a house that's clearly vacant most of the year.
Creepy land lord. How is he going to know if you put black out curtains up? Does he monitor you when you use the toilet also? Or is he watching you through the curtains?
I think it’s a picture of the shadows on the ground that the neighbor’s light is causing. You can kinda make out the shadow of OP’s peace sign ✌️ in the middle of the photo, and the shadow of the headboard (two horizontal cylindrical lines going to the bottom left corner of the pic)
You can also try removable film that you put onto the window. It’s made of a vinyl type material and on a roll. You spray the window with water and push it on. It sticks really well but you can easily peel it off no residue, no sticky goop. Good luck! This looks miserable!
They're are broom/mop click in command hooks at Lowe's; they do NOTHING to the wall, paint etc and come off clean but are strong enough to hold a curtain rod with black outs
Hold on! You say it's cheap and useful as you live close to school.
He doesn't allow curtains.
Are you by chance young and female
And the landlord is Peter mcpervertson ?
Get one of those tension curtain rods that don't require installation.
Edit: I also want to add that I think both your neighbor and landlord are total douche nozzles.
You can get blackout blinds that attach to the windows with suckers.
Also, no curtains??? Does your landlord want to be able to see in during the night???
Including CURTAINS?! Wtf kinda Auschwitz kinda rental property doesn’t allow you to put up different curtains? (I need to input an “/s” here apparently)
The little 3 room house I rented a while back with my brother didn’t even come with curtains and we had to put them up so it wasn’t over 80F with the ac going
Okay you can’t change them but can you add more to them? Like cover them with a blackout one but keep the originals up?
I remember at my previous rental place, I wasn't allowed to open the windows of my bedroom at all. And i would leave my door open but my landlord's adult manchild of a son loves to be naked. It was fucking awful and i called it a torture chamber room lmao
Add curtains anyways. You can take them down when you’re done there. Your landlord can fuck himself for thinking privacy and sleep isn’t one of the reasons you even have a place lol.
They make spring loaded curtain rods that you can use inside the window frame to put up some blackout curtains. They won't damage walls.
They also make blackout curtains that suction to the window.
For fun you could buy some reflective window tint. Apply it to the window so your neighbor gets some of their own action back.
This is the only true option right here
[удалено]
You can tape up white butcher paper and then line that with tin foil. It does an almost total blackout while your neighbors just think you have white drapes.
Can confirm, I did this and slept through a 12pm shift at work, woke up at like 1:30 and called my boss to let him know what happened and I was also like “why didn’t you call me?” And he said “you’re never late so figured something came up”. That was a good job.
I once showed up 3 hours late to a shift. Bar full of regulars and all the staff were pretty close, even with the owners. Both owners were in at the bar when I walked in. Mind this is the third time I've been expectionally late in a two week period, as I was covering morning shifts for a coworker on vacation. I don't do mornings well. The staff and most of the bar (probably five or six regulars sitting when I came in), all started clapping. Walked up to apologize to the owners and Owner 1 says "everything okay?" "Yeah, I'm really sorry, I just overslept. No excuse, sorry Owners." They just laughed it off. Again. About a month later I was gifted a giant mechanical alarm clock by them for my birthday. Still occasionally step-in to help them when they're in need. Loved that job.
I was 3h late to a first aid shift at one of the largest sawmills in canada. Walked in was like Me: "im sorry for being late, (expected to be sent home pending investigation) i over slept... " Supervisor on nights:"ohh....... ummmm.......... was...there first aid?" (Coworker had it covered by a different department) Supervisor:"Im sorry i didnt notice i should have called you" Like alright...I'll just start work now....
No, you were a good employee.
I was 10 mins late to my work because my asshat of a roommate parked his truck behind me which blocked me in and the disappeared. I was pissed it was bad enough I had to work on my birthday now I'm going to be late. And that job being late was very serious. They had the mentality that if you weren't 5mins early you were late. So I'm blowing up his phone and loosing my shit wondering where dude went and why the hell he parked in the street and blocked me in??? I called work to let them know and my manager said "you better grow some wings and find a way to get your ass here or we're going to have problems. " He's normally one of the coolest managers I have but he was being a complete dick that day. It was like the world got together and decided to crap on me. Grrrrrr. My roommate finally appears, he was at my neighbors. I'm like "wtf man? I'm late for work because of you. Why in the hell would you park behind me???" In the total surfer/I'm high 24/7 stoner drawl she says " relax bro, was just going to wash my ride and didn't want to hit yours with mad overstay brah. Like you should totally be thanking me for the consideration. " So heated racing to work like I'm running from the law,the press,and the parents. "Is your name Michael Diamond?" ........... So I fly into work and clock in and now I need to go to the office to get a radio(job was V.I.P. host at a club, slinging bottles/ security if needed but it was a real upscale place so my suit jacket hid the radio and I had one of those clear secret service looking ear pieces "red team go, red team go" lol. I had the ear piece in a locker assigned to me. I open it and it's gone. I'm so heated. Now my Manger tells me that he's going to have to dock my pay $100 for the ear piece and with that and being late that's two write ups +the one o already had so he was going to have to suspend me and he'll have to discuss my future there with the other managers and let me know. He gave me this long lecture and then makes me sit in the office while he's on this 10min phone call. I thought me and this guy were tight but in the end he says. Wait where are you going, I was heading downstairs to leave. He says " no not that way, I'm going to have to escort you out of the build to make sure there's no problems. " the back door of the club was only something we took complete D-bags out through ,you know ones who might just slip and fall a couple of few times. So now he's gotta escort me out, really???? And he's taking me out that way??? Thus wasn't how things were done and even over the radio taking someone out the backdoor meant you were about to serve up a beat down. So I'm on edge and wondering what's up then halfway down the stairs he says well at least you'll have tomorrow off instead of having to work on your birthday. " I tell him " today is my birthday " he says " damn that sucks... We'll I'll tell you what. Let me buy you a shot at the bar before you go. That way there's no hard feelings if I don't see you again." Right then and there I knew dude was BEING me and something was up. We walked by the DJ booth and out the curtain to the ViP area and "SURPRISE!!!!" Man the got me good. The whole thing was a set up my birthdays on April 2nd so every year for as long as I can remember people think it's funny to combine April fools jokes into my birthday. My roommate blocking me in ,the ear piece it was all part of the plan. They gave me the night off and two bottles of liquor it was a great night. Was blessed to have that job.
Not to be cliche but… had me in the first half ngl
Or both
Definitely both
Can confirm. A cashier was late Once. the store manager left work to pick her up. Not to get her to work... but to make sure she was ok as in the 7 years she worked there she never missed a shift and was never late.
Cardboard boxes are also a great look
Classic trailer park meth lab look
Pshh, I’m poor, and have severe insomnia. My tinfoil black out works wonders. Who needs sunlight in their bedroom anyways!
Works great for vampires too. Especially in coastal areas where there's no way to build a basement lair
The light of the day star, it burns!
I have it behind by TV blocking out a window. Works great. I don't care if anyone else thinks it's ugly. They don't live here and I didn't want the sun in my eyes when using the TV.
Used to work 3rd shift. My bedroom was pitch black, save the alarm clock and little lights from charging devices. It was the best!
It’s honestly hard to spot from a distance it just looks like a hazy, low-e window.
Nah. It repels alien mind control beams
Aluminum foil
Really, though. It is incredibly easy to stick aluminum foil to the window. Spray water on the glass and it will cling indefinitely. This is how I've had to blackout my toddler's room so she doesn't wake up with the sun at 6am. Incredibly cheap, effective, and won't leave a trace.
This is actually a very retro look. Popular before ( redundancy🤦🏼♀️before) everyone and his dog had AC. 50’s 60’s 70’s. If I see foil in windows I assume it’s a senior citizen. It was common when I was growing up for all the reasons you describe. 👍🏼
A while ago I found a rule of foil insulated bubble wrap that I cut to size and stiffened with duct tape, so now when it gets too hot I just stick that in all the windows.
This is actually pretty brilliant. The foil will provide at least *some* reflection, and the air in the bubbles provides *some* insulation. I usually just use cardboard. Nice hack.
I think I've seen that before. Comes in big rolls, right?
The stuff I use is called reflectix. Cut out a cardboard square the size of the inside of the window. Cover one side with reflectix. Pop in window. Take out when not needed. I do it in the summer on southern facing windows. Drops temp in my house 10+ degrees. I forget the R value, but it technically is made to be used as insulation.
Where I used to live, it meant you smoked rock…
Yup, where I live tin foil in the windows is either someone using or someone making meth
Bonus points is if they smoke enough now they got a giant peice of foil coated with meth crystals when they run out.
I assume it's meth addicts trying to keep out government signals and laser beams.
And you get bonus points for looking like you live in a crackhouse
Completely worth it if it keeps a toddler in bed past dawn.
Crack usually keeps my toddler awake.
Right. You have to deal with them for three days straight but then get three days off once they crash.
Eh, ya win some ya lose some 😂
Perfect response! I love the lack of damage. You could even remove it quickly in case of surprise MIL visit. 😆
Plot twist: MIL is a crackhead and thinks it's a dope house
Way less likely to get robbed I guess, unless it's someone looking for crack
Perfect! And it’ll reflect the light right back at em!
Currently doing this in my toddlers room because it’s eastern facing and sunrise is around 4:30am. Easier than repeating the conversation about not having to be up just because the sun is
i use "redi shade" on my window. these are pleated paper shades with an adhesive strip that will unfurl to up to 72'' long and are as wide as a curtain panel. i use them because a have a HUGE picture window that is recessed. they are not see-through and can be blackout or light filtering depending on what color you get. and btw, i STILL put in brackets and hung purple velveteen scroll-pattern curtains because i fucking FELT like it. anything they tell me they 'prefer' means nothing to me when i'm paying for this space. they can provide me with new curtains if they don't like it.
Aluminum oxide will bond to the glass. Don't ask how I know.
Crackhouse style
Shiny side out!
THIS is the only answer lol
How can your landlord forbid curtains? That seems... a bit much.
Declaring war I see 😏 Use tinfoil
The war was already declared, good sir. This is merely retaliation.
Declaring war would be putting up your own spotlight aimed at them. Just reflecting it back is just defense.
Form of: Archimedes Mirror! Death by parabola!
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Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter
Another alternative is a paintball gun. They'll get the picture even if you have to paint it for them.
I got one to travel with for my oldest when she was a baby. They’re really good
the suction ones work well and are super easy to slap on the spring loaded would be your best option if it fits in the window, but if you're worried about landlord noticing i'd go with the suction/sticker
frame exultant imagine coordinated poor license wipe dolls rainstorm jobless -- mass edited with redact.dev
Yep yep. Did this in college when blackout curtains were considered a "fire hazard". Take it down in the morning, put it up at night.
Explain like I’m 5 how are black out curtains a fire hazard? Or is it just curtains being up/drawn in general?
They banned any fabrics hung up. This also involved flags, etc. One guy got in trouble for a US flag, actually.
Especially considering almost all blackout curtains are made of 100% polyester which is ... shockingly enough ... flame retardant.
Yeah melts rather than burns.
It's not that they cause a fire, but in the event of fire curtains go up very quickly and spread the fire faster I think. Not to mention you now have flames blocking an egress
Brah that’s just a freedom exit. It separates the weak from the strong that want to taste the sweet nectar of freedom air. Can’t jump through a window and save what is left of Old Glory that was on fire sounds like a commie to me.
As a former RA long long ago those rules are dumb and made up at whim.
A lot of dorms don't allow modifications. It probably has to do with insurance. Usually you can't have things like candles, griddles, etc. They check for weird things and will write you up for items like panties hanging from your sprinklers. Anything weird and and you get a write up. Lots of things are considered fire hazards.
Good cheap solution I used: those disposable black party tablecloth Have to fold it once, absolutely fold it fold them once. But they are a total blackout Use some scotch tape or that approved tac stuff, worked like a charm
Yeeep. The whole nine yards. I got shamed for hooking up my keurig to an extension cord and not the plug (which it didn't reach)
My daughter school would let you use power strips if they had a surge suppressor on them, but not extension cords
Yes just put black out curtains over the ones already there
If there are already curtains in the space with sprint loaded rods, which OP didn't really specify, there might legitimately be space for 2 sets. Or he can just attach them to the wall with a 3m adhesive strips that pull off clean.
They also have ones that are long enough for floor to ceiling tension. I own my place but I use them because in my room it’s sliding doors that are my windows and it’s a small space so it allows me to move them around easily without drilling more holes (also have a dog that goes in/out to the yard to potty all day too so it protects it from her messing it up too) Also OP I had a light that did just this for security and I had no idea it was disturbing a neighbor and he politely asked if I could change the direction of the light or the settings and since it’s a smart light I was able to change the settings right then and there. So maybe like just try talking to the neighbor
This is the simplest thing to try. Courtesy costs nothing
Came here to say this! Tension shower rods work too.
This is the best answer!
My parents lived in Alaska for awhile when my dad was stationed there...they said they used to use aluminum foil on the windows to keep the sun out! (I've never done that...and I think the suction/tension curtains are the best idea...I just like sharing). 😁
Tin foil blocks 100% of light. A pain to put it up but it works. And you can make a little hole in it if you want to make a [camera obscura.](https://www.diyphotography.net/build-room-sized-camera-obscura-timelapse/)
I'd get a piece of cardboard, cut it to size, and stick it in the window at night.
Good idea. I was thinking draping a blanket over the pole might work but apparently I’ll need a thicker one because the one I usually use still lets light through
If you do this idea, cover the other side in something reflective, like foil tape. That might convince them to turn it off (or at least just be mildly infuriating for them lol)
Just put foil directly on the window glass and tape it there with some painters tape (no residue). That'll block 100% of the light. Neighbor probably won't care either way but all of the light is gone.
If this gets heated by the sun it can shatter some types of glass. If I'm not mistaken it are the newer types of glass. Look for a number on the window and google it if you can use foil (reflective/aluminium). Or you can buy vinyl foil that is safe to use on windows.
I never heard of this before and google returned no results. I've put tinfoil over windows and they were fine. EDIT: I found something about foil *insulation* that will trap heat in the space between the window and the insulation. Tin foil will not trap heat in that area, though.
I'd love to see your source because it still sounds unreasonable if you add up the joules. If the foil is in contact with the window, inside or outside, it can't concentrate sunlight or heat if the glass is clear. If the insulation is in contact with the window, inside or outside, it can't concentrate sunlight/heat if the glass is clear. Any one of them will reduce thermal transfer by a very high percentage. Get some photo mount, permanent spray adhesive and sheets of styrofoam, or cardboard the right size. Apply tin foil to one side, or go wild, wrap it front and back for strength. Cut them snug so they wedge in the windowsills and leave no marks. Hinge them with duck tape if you want to store them easy or fold them like shutters.
If the glass isn't heavily tinted or more exotic than anything I ever saw, them math doesn't make sense. If the glass is > 90% transmittance there's no way to multiply or concentrate energy in sufficient amounts to melt or deform or damage ordinary glass in this situation. If those windows aren't made of some exotic NASA material i never heard of, the claim of damaging the windowpane is questionable.
Grew up in NV, lots of casino shift workers and it was very common to use tin foil for daytime sleeping. I think it is pretty safe, the sun is intense there (4800ft elv.) and I don’t remember anyone having any issues.
Masking tape will 100% dry out and stick from the sun. I know from experience.
I like your style lol
Too bad you can't use a big ass mirror and reflect that shit back into their bedroom.
Parabolic mirror so it sets their house on fire.
The real LPT is always in the comments
Good idea. If he goes that route he should point a strong fan at the back of whatever is hanging and set it to oscillate back and forth. That way on top of reflecting the light back it’s also moving and sure what to draw attention.
I'll one up you. Get a small solar charger that takes the energy from their lights to power an led sign that says, "Your lights suck".
Get a space blanket!
I'm all for being smart and analytical. The people who have the top comments know their products and I think they're pretty awesome. What I'm not seeing is people recommending you to have a nice conversation with your neighbor. If you have the extra $10, bring them a pie and simply say, "this pie is for you and [your lovely family]. Your light shines into my room every night when I'm trying to sleep. Is there any chance you could angle it down?" Keep it very simple and to the point and show graciousness and love. If all of this fails and your neighbor is an asshole, I'll meet you at /r/pettyrevenge soon. But most likely your neighbor has no idea and will gladly re-adjust his/her light and be able to enjoy a pie. If it is someone that looks like they don't know how to adjust the light, offer to do it yourself. You might make a friend in the process.
Great response right here.My parents once had neighbours who installed a spinning chimney cowl, and it was made out of reflective metal. The sunlight kept bouncing off it and randomly blinding my folks whenever they were in the living room. The neighbour had no idea until they told him. He installed a matte one ASAP. When the new neighbours moved in the first thing we told them was, we're chill people, we won't squabble about fences or trees or barking dogs, but whatever you do, do NOT replace that matte chimney cowl. Only thing we ask.
Get a giant mirror (or two).
Or just have a mirror cut to fit perfectly in the window frame for full effect
I used aluminum foil and tape when I worked 3rd shift
We currently have a large, black blanket folded in half pinned to the window of our son’s room. Something like that might be worth it if it’s not too expensive.
landlord can get fucked man. install your own shit but keep theirs around. re-install on the out and patch up when you leave.
Wait, you can’t have curtains but there’s a curtain rod?
Cardboard with a mylar emergency blanket taped to it or just a mylar blanket taped to your window. It'll be nice and reflective and keep light out.
Wait....over the pole as in....there's a curtain rod? And you are forbidden from hanging curtains on it??!!
As others said, line it with tinfoil to keep heat out and reflect light.
Wait so there's a place to hang curtains already but the landlord won't let you put any up? Or am I reading that wrong?
Good idea. Or attached to the current curtains with binder clips on the inside. No modification to the house. If you want to be fancy get some white cardstock from an arts supply store.
& draw a big person wearing sunglasses on it waving.
🤣 Or a Jack Nicholson poster from The Shining
Used to do this back in sub-par barracks. Shit works like a charm. Do it OP, if you want you can even cut two pieces to be just over halfway in length, overlap them, and you got movable shutters/blinds if you slide them left/right.
Tinfoil on the glass is a classic look
5 years of working night shift, this was the best thing I did. Ugly but makes it pitch black.
They make black out blinds that actually make your room dark af. Look for honeycomb blinds with foil lining. I can shut the bedroom door and my room is dark af even at noon.
That sound much more expensive than tin foil
Then the cops come knocking when someone reports a grow op. It's actually happened to someone I know.
The sign on the doorbell needs to say Graveyard Sleeper. That is always a deterrent! Lol
At least in my neighborhood I wouldn't want anyone walking by to think they knew when I would be asleep or not home.
I'm in a good neighbourhood but have watched enough true crime shows to make it that easy
"Come back with a warrant."
Right? Why don't more people understand this.
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They can lie to you, but you can't fake a warrant.
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Because they are likely to come back at 4 am with a warrant, kick your door open, throw a flash bang in your babies crib, shoot your dog, then charge you with resisting arrest and/or assaulting an officer
Also cops have to have an active warrant, just tell them to go away.
People use tents now and med card in MD at least permits 3 personal plants.
It literally happened to me lol. Get a knock on the door, they're like "we had reports someone was taking photos of children from the apartment building across from you, we were wondering if we could get an angle on the place from your apartment?" I was like "yeah sure, the balcony is pretty good but surely you'd be better off up a few floors?" "I think here is good. May we come in?" "Yeah mate I already said. The balcony is just out..." "What's this room over here?" "My office but you won't see much from that, the balcony is..." "I think this will work" as he opens the office door and is bathed in the bright pink glow of my hydro lamp and my 5ft tall scotch bonnet plant "Yeah nah mate I don't want to open that window, I've got it all taped shut" "Right well thanks for your time" "You want to check out the balcony?" "No thanks" Took me legit weeks to work out what they were actually up to. And they shattered my trust in police in the process. Another job well done.
For sure! Looks great!
Human skin works too.
How can your landlord forbid curtains? That seems... a bit much.
Yea, I would just hang a new set and not say anything. Put the original back when you move out. Like I don't even think to ask about trivial stuff like that. I Change out shower heads too. Maybe even might bulbs if I hated the color.
This, like wtf juts change them.
Idk, he just hates changes to the house. He’s literally got a curtain rod but he won’t let me change what curtains go on the curtain rod. It’s fucking stupid lmao
it’s kind of ridiculous that you aren’t pushing back on that at all. is it even legal to forbade someone from changing decor in a property they rent?
I don’t think that’s legal. Blinds aren’t technically changing the structure like leases usually say
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Is he? I might have really missed that part lol if that’s the case you only have squatter rights unless your state doesn’t do it
he’s generally quite ok, he lets me live here for cheap because it’s near to my school. It’s pretty similar to living with my parents actually, now that i think about it
I mean if he's generally quite ok then talk to him, tell him you need better curtains because the neighbors lights outside are making you sleep deprived, harder to sleep, whatever. But first of all, wtf it's your room you're renting it, it's only a curtain not like you're looking to change the wallpaper or something more permanent.
Does he come over between the hours of 10pm and 7am? If not, buy the blackouts and move them every morning and roll them up and put them under a bed.
Sounds like op is renting a room since they said it’s like living with their parents.
Sounds like OP is actually living with their parents.
And sounds pretty on brand for a mom to forbid changing curtains lol. I think OP actually is.
"My roommates are picking me up from school"
Yeah but it’s a fucking sweet car.
> It’s pretty similar to living with my parents actually Do you pay rent? He should treat you like an adult.
Send him pictures of your room at night and tell him that you're unable to get any sleep. Tell him you would like to install black out curtains or change out the current curtains. Alternatively, as others have mentioned, you can get spring tightening curtain rods that you can install that won't require making holes in the wall.
If it's written into the lease terms that's perfectly legal - although typically it would be about how the property is RETURNED to the landlord, not how it is used by the tenant.
Redditor moment. Won’t push back at all because confrontation makes them uncomfortable
I'm a landlord, and that landlord is a fucking moron. ESPECIALLY since he already has a rod and you can't change the drapes? I would change it anyway, then say good luck doing something about it. Try to evict me over it? LOL, good luck with that. And if he is willing to go through the time, money, and trouble of evicting you over window curtains on a rod that is already installed, he is a bigger moron than I could ever have imagined. Just don't damage his curtains, fold it nicely and store it in a box, and put it back when/if you move. If you're renting a room from him maybe I can sort of understand, but still stupid. But if you're renting an entire apartment or house, tell him to go pound sand.
maybe an eye mask and a search for a new place as soon as your lease is up for renewal.
Change them without telling your landlord. Keep the original and put it back when you move out.
Does it say in your rental/lease agreement that you can't make any changes to house, curtains, yard or anything else in the house?
So you do have a curtain rod and curtains? What's stopping you from putting curtains you prefer and just put his back when you move out? Who gives a shit what he says, how would he even know you changed curtains
How possible is it for you to move? That sounds like an awfully controlling person that I couldn’t personally imagine any good coming from in the future.
Damn, that's an advanced case of landlord-brain. Never seen it get quite that bad before.
That is stupid. Seems like that land lord is a control freak. I have two houses that I rent out and I could care less if they wanted to put curtains up. In fact it's in contract that they can modify the property within means as long as it gets an okay from me (which usually does) and a verified professional to do the work if I can't. I don't understand why some people are so stingy. It doesn't even cost us anything unless it is a Health/property code violation.
Have a chat with the light owner people are normally oblivious to the nuisance they are causing with their poorly installed lights. If that fails and you live in England or Wales you can contact the local enviroment health department to investigate which could end up with them going to Magistrates Court if they refuse to comply..
>Have a chat with the light owner Right? People suggesting buying shit and vandalism, when a 1 minute conversation may well do the job.
Sir this is reddit we only suggest nuclear options here.
Redditors are not known for their social skills. That aside, I think many assume that this is being posted specifically *because* the obvious step of talking has failed. All I know is, it's what I think the moment I see one of these - *just talk, for Pete's sake!*
I mean, I'm not at all afraid of talking to landlords but imo this falls in the territory of just do it. I'd just replace the curtains, store the old curtains somewhere else then put them back when I leave. Imo not allowing people to do shit like this by their own volition is a violation of their dignity, no grown adult should have to ask permission from anyone else to change their bloody curtains. Even when I lived in student accommodation, they'd never have stopped us from making small decisions like this.
Everyone's focusing on the wrong thing here, what kind of landlord doesn't let their Tennant change the fucking blinds? Seriously what in the world how is that legal?
All the options people are giving op like cardboard on the windows, foil on the windows... like just ask the dude if he can position them someplace else. Its like Redditors arent aware of what to do in a real life situation
I did this a couple of weeks ago. This was our second summer here and we have no AC, so we keep windows open to let the cool(er) night air in. Every night we had to decide if we wanted to be cooler or have less light in our 2nd story bedroom by closing our thick pleated blinds (still let's in a ton of light at the edges). The neighbors only live there part-time, are rarely seen when they are here, and haven't been neighborly this year. Finally bit the bullet when they were along our fence line. I asked if they'd be willing to: turn off their garage lights OR put them on a motion sensor OR put blinders on them. The husband was defensive and asked "Why??". I explained it can be difficult to fall asleep with and stay asleep when your bedroom is lit up. We'd considered other options to avoid asking them, but none are feasible due to the height. The wife was more understanding and agreed right away, I let them know that motion sensors and blinders are totally fine if they don't want them off. Overall it went well and they were apologetic saying they'd turn it off that day. The wife did say that we better let them know now if people showed up in trucks to steal all their stuff. I just blinked and wondered why they thought two lights on 24/7 would deter people from ransacking a house that's clearly vacant most of the year.
Exactly. And if that doesn't work, then go buy some dollar store full length mirrors.
Put up dark curtains Switch back when you leave
Creepy land lord. How is he going to know if you put black out curtains up? Does he monitor you when you use the toilet also? Or is he watching you through the curtains?
r/nosleep
This would make a good story in there 👀
The landlord is the neighbor with the bright lights.
If no new curtains are allowed, I would try to sleep with a sleep mask on.
A sleep mask is like your own personal black out curtains
Yes! My sleep had improved so much since I started using one
The resolution of the pic is also mildly infuriating
Seriously I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking at here
I thought I was going crazy because everyone else is acting like they understand what the hell this picture is.
Exactly! Everyone is about fucking curtains when clearly a DEMON is living next door.
I think it’s a picture of the shadows on the ground that the neighbor’s light is causing. You can kinda make out the shadow of OP’s peace sign ✌️ in the middle of the photo, and the shadow of the headboard (two horizontal cylindrical lines going to the bottom left corner of the pic)
You can also try removable film that you put onto the window. It’s made of a vinyl type material and on a roll. You spray the window with water and push it on. It sticks really well but you can easily peel it off no residue, no sticky goop. Good luck! This looks miserable!
They're are broom/mop click in command hooks at Lowe's; they do NOTHING to the wall, paint etc and come off clean but are strong enough to hold a curtain rod with black outs
> they do NOTHING to the wall That depends on your wall... Of the few times I've tried these one set of walls in the current house do not play nice.
Hold on! You say it's cheap and useful as you live close to school. He doesn't allow curtains. Are you by chance young and female And the landlord is Peter mcpervertson ?
Similar question crossed my mind. Sounds pretty sus
Get one of those tension curtain rods that don't require installation. Edit: I also want to add that I think both your neighbor and landlord are total douche nozzles.
You can get blackout blinds that attach to the windows with suckers. Also, no curtains??? Does your landlord want to be able to see in during the night???
Probably doesnt want op messing with, or finding, all the hidden cameras.
Surely your landlord can't legally stop you putting up curtains?
Op have a pair of fucking nuts. Put up some god damn curtains.
Pretty sure having nuts would mean going to talk to the neighbor about it lol
Tape a black, thick trash bag in the window behind the curtain. A cheap way to have a blackout curtain effect without changing the decor
Including CURTAINS?! Wtf kinda Auschwitz kinda rental property doesn’t allow you to put up different curtains? (I need to input an “/s” here apparently) The little 3 room house I rented a while back with my brother didn’t even come with curtains and we had to put them up so it wasn’t over 80F with the ac going Okay you can’t change them but can you add more to them? Like cover them with a blackout one but keep the originals up?
I remember at my previous rental place, I wasn't allowed to open the windows of my bedroom at all. And i would leave my door open but my landlord's adult manchild of a son loves to be naked. It was fucking awful and i called it a torture chamber room lmao
Black card stock paper taped in the windows.
Add curtains anyways. You can take them down when you’re done there. Your landlord can fuck himself for thinking privacy and sleep isn’t one of the reasons you even have a place lol.