Best blackout curtains for a bedroom that faces east

What actually matters

Light leaks around the curtain, not through it. Most curtains sold as blackout do block light through the fabric. What wakes you is the light coming around the edges — at the sides, over the top, and through the gap where two curtains meet. Fabric quality is rarely the limiting factor.

How it is mounted. A track or pole mounted well above and wide of the window, with the curtain overlapping the frame generously, will outperform better fabric hung tight to the opening. A wraparound track or a pelmet closes the top gap, which is usually the worst one.

Layers and lining. Triple-weave fabrics block more than a single layer with a coating, and they drape better. A separate blackout lining behind existing curtains is often the cheaper route to the same result.

Thermal benefit. Heavy blackout fabric also reduces heat coming through the glass, which in an east-facing room in summer is a real second benefit.

How we will test this

Measured, not judged by eye: light meter readings taken at pillow height at sunrise, with each curtain hung on the same track in the same window. The number that matters is lux at the pillow, and almost nobody publishes it.

What we are leaving out

Blackout blinds, which are a different fitting problem, and anything that cannot be washed.