Chances are, on display in your home, is a combination of furniture, art, and items that mean a lot to you. While a little bit of sun exposure is okay, when it's prolonged, that can cause permanent damage to the appearance of your interiors.

There is no restoring sun damage. The sun's light can cause a wide range of issues on everything from furniture to flooring, artwork, area rugs, paint, and other interior elements. Imagine your most valued furniture and decor faded, disfigured, and destroyed by the simple fact that it was never protected from sunlight.

With spring passed and summer here, naturally, there may be some concern of sun damage in your home. Fortunately, a simple set of solar shades is more than enough to deflect sun glare, reduce incoming heat, and protect your home from maximum sun exposure.

What UV Rays Do To Furniture And Interior Design

As pretty and appealing as natural light is, if sunlight is allowed unimpeded access to your interior, it could very well ruin your home's aesthetic.

Among the effects you will notice slowly over time include fading, discoloration, and a slow deterioration of materials.

This all stems from prolonged sun exposure. Carpets, couches, chairs, and other furniture once bright can quickly turn into old, dated pieces.

Sunlight is more inclined to fade brighter colors and natural materials are more prone than synthetic materials. Wooden furniture, in particular, can darken and fade. For many households, it can cost hundreds of dollars to refinish or outright replace sun-damaged pieces.

Enter Solar Shades: Your Home’s Shield Against UV Rays

Solar shades are the heroes that can protect your interiors from sun damage. Made with specialized fabric, these window coverings help preserve your exterior views while minimizing the sunlight entering your home. By doing so, they protect your furnishings and interiors from harmful UV rays, preventing discoloration and damage.

What Are Solar Shades?

Solar shades are a type of window blinds designed to preserve your view of the outside while restricting the amount of visible sunlight that gets into your home. They are built with a unique lightweight fabric weaved to filter light from entering the room.

Solar shades are typically divided up by the percentage of their openness, also referred to as the openness factor. The openness factor represents the percentage of open space in the shade’s weave or fabric.

For example, solar shades with 1% openness will let in an amount of a single percentage of visible light as only 1% of the total area of the shade is open. Comparatively, if your solar shades have a 5% openness factor, they will transmit a slightly larger amount of 5% of visible sunlight.

Unlike roller shades, solar shades do not use opacity to describe their type. Sheer, light filtering, and blackout fabrics are not used with solar shades. The openness percentage is what separates solar shades.

Through solar shades' maximum protection from the sun, you ensure the assets in your home aren't sun damaged.

Solar shades will still allow visibility and natural light to enter, however, they vastly reduce the risks of sun damage.

If you have a sun-facing room, solar shades will also be a massive help to minimizing glare as well as offering unparalleled sun damage protection.

Please note that solar shades are not blackout shades. Solar shades do not provide the sort of blackout effect that blackout shades do and, comparatively, blackout shades do not offer the same solar protection. If your aim is privacy over preventing sun damage, blackout shades are the way to go. However, nothing will protect your interiors better than solar shades.

Benefits of Solar Shades For Sun Protection

The major benefit of solar shades is that it provides protection from prolonged sunlight. No fading. No replacing expensive furnishings. Let’s dive in a little further on what the best advantages of solar shades are.

1. UV Damage

UV rays are part of the sunlight spectrum, and while solar shades do offer some UV protection, the amount of UV rays that are filtered out depends on the specific material and design of the shade.

The level of UV protection provided by a solar shade is not necessarily determined solely by the openness factor. Some solar shades are specifically designed to block a high percentage of UV rays, but it is not directly related to the percentage of visible light transmitted.

If UV protection is a concern, it's best to look for solar shades that are explicitly labeled as offering UV protection or have a high UV blockage percentage.

Manufacturers often provide specifications regarding the UV protection level of their products, so you can check those details to make an informed decision.

2. Reduce Heat

A sun-facing room can get very hot by the sun. A set of solar shades prevent sunlight from entering the room.

3. Energy-Efficiency

Your solar shades help to regulate temperature better so that your AC is not being overused in summer. Cool down rooms that are too hot. Don't have to pay more in your utility bills than what's absolutely necessary.

4. Anti-Glare

If you have a TV or screen in the room, glare can make it difficult to see what you’re watching during the day and cause eye strain. Solar shades are a sure way to minimize straining, squinting, and will keep your eyes relaxed.

5. Easy To Maintain

Solar shades’ fabric is a special form of material but it does not require any unique cleaning or maintenance. The occasional dusting is all that is required to keep them looking their best.

Ultimately, in a way, a homeowner can think of premium-grade solar shades as sunglasses for your windows.

Choosing The Right Solar Shades

1. Openness

The 'openness factor' of solar shades determines the amount of visible light they let in. The choice depends on the client's requirement for light control and visibility.

If you're looking to buy solar shades in Canada, there are three unique shades to choose from.

• SOL1 are solar shades with only 1% openness for visible light. They offer maximum protection but are also quite dark.
• SOL3 are solar shades with 3% openness and they are, by far, the most popular solar shade in the Go Smart Blinds catalog.
• SOL5 is another variety of solar shades. They have 5% openness and are also quite popular among interior designers, home decor experts, realtors, and more.

2. Color

This is another essential factor to consider when making your selection because most shades come in neutral colors designed to complement your home's existing décor. However, certain colors can help reduce the amount of natural light allowed into a room and also provide better temperature control.

Darker colors, such as black or navy blue, can be effective in blocking out more sunlight and solar heat than lighter colors like white or pastels. So depending on how much sun rays you need to block, picking the right color for your shade may be beneficial.

Fortunately, solar shades at Go Smart Blinds come in multiple colors and customers can choose according to their decor style.

3. Motorization

As an added benefit, SOL1, SOL3, and SOL5 are all motorized smart shades. They can be programmed to open/close on a 24-hour timer every day. It’s all automated, as in you don't need to do a thing to let light in come morning or to close them at night.

Smart shades can also be manually adjusted by remote control, smartphone app, or voice control. They are the most convenient way to control light exposure, natural light, and to protect furniture from sun damage.

As you increase solar shades’ openness, light blockage decreases and outward visibility increases.

To this point, this is the advantage of using solar shades over regular roller shades. With roller shades, in order to block sunlight from penetrating your room, one would have to block out light entirely. Living in a perpetually dark home is unfeasible for most. Solar shades, by comparison, allow light in while also blocking out the rays that can damage your furniture.

Conclusion

Solar shades are, by far, the optimal choice for households or businesses where sun blockage and natural light are simultaneously sought.

Protect your furniture. Protect your assets from sun damage. The only step you need to take to do this is to buy solar shades, premium-made and smart home equipped. Find solar shades to protect your interiors from sun damage at Go Smart Blinds.