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Purpose of Curtains

Debbie Tolle

Curtains are a multifunctional item found in the majority of homes. Curtains have been around for a long time, starting out as rudimentary pieces of cloth. Over the years, curtains have evolved into the basic stylish window treatment to the most elaborate creations designed out of some of the finest materials. The purpose of curtains is based on the room that you are hanging them in, and what it is that you want the curtains to accomplish.

Decorative

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Shower Curtain

Curtains add color and life to any room in your house. They are used to pull together a room in the final stages of decorating and often will be an accent color that blends with the furnishings. Kitchens are an area where curtains are often used just for decoration. This is where you will find lighter weight curtains that are easily cleaned. Curtains can be grease catchers especially if you cook a lot with oils.

Privacy

Curtains provide privacy in bedrooms, living rooms, dens and anywhere in your home that you do not want the outside looking in. Heavily lined curtains provide the best source of privacy because they cannot be seen through.

Temperature Control

Thermal lined curtains are used to help retain heat in the winter and keep your room cooler in the summer. This also helps to reduce your heating and cooling costs. Some air within your home will leak out through windows and outside air will come in; the larger the windows are, the more air that leaks. Air also leaks through gaps around sides of your windows that have not been caulked. Thermal curtains greatly reduce the amount of indoor air that can leak out, and the amount of outdoor air that can come through.

Light Control

Heavy curtains allow you to control the amount of light that is emitted into a room, whether it is from sunlight, moonlight or outside lighting. People often close curtains at night to completely darken a room for sleeping; this also works great for people that must sleep during the day.

Soundproofing

Some rooms in your home can be extremely noisy. You can use thermal curtains to also help reduce noise. These curtains have a rating on them that will indicate the amount of noise that can be eliminated. A rating of 0.5 will reduce up to 50 percent of the noise in the room in which these curtains are hanging.