Short answer: The best blinds for bathrooms and kitchens are moisture-resistant: faux wood blinds, aluminum blinds, and roller or cellular shades in polyester or vinyl-coated fabric. For bathroom privacy with daylight, top-down bottom-up cellular shades are hard to beat. Avoid real wood, natural fibres and fabric Roman shades near showers and sinks.
Key takeaways
- Moisture resistance matters more than anything else in wet rooms.
- Top-down bottom-up gives bathroom privacy and daylight.
- In kitchens, easy cleaning beats everything.
- Avoid real wood and natural fibres near steam.
- Ventilation reduces condensation and mould whatever you choose.
Why wet rooms are different
Bathrooms and kitchens put window coverings through steam, splashes, grease and big swings in temperature and humidity. In Atlantic Canada, add damp coastal air and long heating seasons that bring condensation on cold glass. The wrong product will warp, stain, sag or grow mould within a year or two.
The best options for bathrooms
1. Top-down bottom-up cellular shades (moisture-resistant fabric)
Lower the top for daylight and sky; keep the bottom closed for privacy at tub and shower height. Also insulating, which helps a chilly bathroom on winter mornings. Cellular shades.
2. Faux wood blinds
Unaffected by steam, wipe clean, and tilted upward they send light to the ceiling while blocking views from outside. Faux wood blinds.
3. Roller shades in polyester or vinyl-coated fabric
Clean look, easy to wipe, mould-resistant. Choose room-darkening or blackout for night privacy. Roller shades.
4. Aluminum blinds
Thin, tough, moisture-proof and affordable. Great for small windows. Aluminum blinds.
The best options for kitchens
1. Faux wood blinds
Our most common kitchen choice. Wipe off splashes, tilt for light control, look like painted wood.
2. Roller shades
A clean, wipeable panel, especially above the sink where you want nothing fussy. A solar roller cuts glare on a south- or west-facing kitchen without losing the view of the yard.
3. Aluminum blinds
Practical and affordable in smaller kitchens.
4. Cellular shades (away from the stove)
Fine on kitchen windows away from cooking, where their insulation helps. Close to the stove, pleats can catch grease.
What to avoid
- Real wood near steam: warping and finish damage.
- Natural fibres and linens near the shower or stove: they absorb moisture and odours.
- Fabric Roman shades right by the sink or shower: hard to clean.
- Long cords anywhere children are: choose cordless.
Privacy: day vs night
By day, most light-filtering fabrics give good privacy. At night, with lights on inside, the balance flips and shapes can show through lighter fabrics. For a street-facing bathroom, choose room-darkening fabric, top-down bottom-up, or faux wood blinds that close fully.
Condensation and mould
No blind stops condensation, which forms when warm, moist air meets cold glass. You can reduce it:
- Run the bathroom and range fans during and for 20 minutes after showering or cooking.
- Leave the blind slightly open or raised a few centimetres overnight to let air reach the glass.
- Wipe condensation off the sill in winter.
- Choose polyester or vinyl fabrics, which resist mould.
Read more: condensation and mould behind blinds.
How we approach this at Atlantic Shades
In bathrooms, we lean toward top-down bottom-up cellular in a moisture-resistant fabric or faux wood. In kitchens, faux wood or a simple roller. We choose fabrics and hardware with damp Atlantic homes in mind, and make every blind to measure in our Halifax workshop.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best blinds for a bathroom?
Top-down bottom-up cellular shades in moisture-resistant fabric, faux wood blinds, polyester or vinyl roller shades, and aluminum blinds. All handle humidity without warping or growing mould.
Can you put cellular shades in a bathroom?
Yes, in a moisture-resistant polyester fabric. Top-down bottom-up cellular shades are an excellent bathroom choice for privacy with daylight.
What are the best blinds over a kitchen sink?
Faux wood blinds or a roller shade. Both wipe clean easily and handle splashes.
Are vinyl blinds good for bathrooms?
Yes, vinyl and PVC blinds resist moisture. Faux wood blinds are a more substantial, better-looking version of the same idea.
How do I stop mould on bathroom blinds?
Ventilate well, leave the blind slightly open overnight so air reaches the glass, wipe condensation from the sill and choose mould-resistant polyester or vinyl fabrics.
Related: Wood vs faux wood blinds · Condensation and mould behind blinds · How to clean blinds and shades