When you are cooking and the stove or oven is working, the kitchen can become a very hot place to be. If you are running air conditioning or if a ceiling fan is on, you know it can be a great strain on your energy usage to help keep the kitchen comfortable. But if you opt not to run the ac unit and prefer to open a window hoping for a cool cross breeze, you may run into another issue: having the sunlight come in through the window’s glass and further warming your kitchen. So how can you get around this problem, how can you stay cool in the kitchen especially when you are cooking?

For us, the answer lies in window treatments, namely, kitchen window treatments. These are specifically designed to withstand the extra heat and humidity generated in that room. They are water resistant, able to withstand direct splashing and any moisture build-up from the sink or from any boiling water. With the sun beating down on the window, it will generate even more heat in the kitchen as it will create an effect known as “solar heat gain” which is a greenhouse effect created by light passing through glass.

To combat solar heat gain, using the air conditioner will not be enough to cool the air, nor will it be very efficient. By using energy efficient window treatments to battle this effect, you can make sure that your kitchen remains comfortable for you as you prepare delicious meals for yourself and your loved ones.

Blackout Roller Shades

You may be thinking to yourself, wouldn’t roller shades made of a fabric like polyester be vulnerable to the moisture and heat generated in the kitchen? Well you would be correct in thinking that. What we suggest is getting vinyl blackout roller shades. Vinyl is resistant to water, moisture and heat, making it ideal for kitchens and even bathrooms.

Another factor to consider is the amount of privacy you want when in the kitchen. More often than not, you don’t want to be exposed to outside strangers while cooking. Blackout vinyl shades will provide you all the required privacy you need, you simply just need to roll them down and cover the windows.

Just Enough Light

One drawback from having roller shades fully rolled down is that the light from the outside will also be blocked out. If you are of the opinion that energy efficiency is everything, then this may be something to consider. You can get around this issue by getting solar roller shades instead of blackout ones. Solar fabrics allow light to pass through, but a muted level. It also is see-through to the side with more light, so during daylight hours, you will maintain your view of the outdoors. Solar fabrics are durable like vinyl and can withstand whatever the kitchen throws at it. 

With solar fabrics, you have the option to select between different levels of see-throughness and sunlight blocking. The fabrics are presented in percentages, with the lower percentages being more light blocking and harder to see through, and the higher percentages being the opposite. Depending on how much light you need to keep out of your kitchen to keep it cool, you have your options in terms of a better view versus light blocking.

Tilt for Light

Another material that is excellent for hot and moist areas like the kitchen are faux wood blinds. Like their name implies, they are an imitation material of wood, made from vinyl and PVC plastics. Unlike real wood, they are water resistant and can handle places like the kitchen and bathroom. For light control, you have two options: you can have it go fully up and down to open and close or you can have the slats tilt to allow light in or block it. With that, the level of light control is best left to the tilting, as you can tilt partially to allow just enough light in to prevent the use of indoor lights, but not enough sunlight that the solar heat gain becomes unbearable. 

How to Cool Down a Kitchen

You can absolutely use an air conditioner and electric fans while cooking in the kitchen, we most certainly are not discouraging that if it is necessary. What we do advocate for here at Zebrablinds is for greater energy efficiency. We believe that the use of window coverings to combat the sun’s heat can help you lower your usage of energy-consuming products and in turn, help cut down on your energy bills and your carbon footprint. Of course, if your kitchen doesn’t have a window, this won’t apply. But the same idea applies to other places in your home, if you find that rooms like the living room, bedroom, and bath all heat up drastically when the sun is beating down on it, then consider getting window dressing to prevent that and cool it down.