Updated October 22, 2026 · Written by the family who measures and installs them
Quick answer
Choose a blackout roller shade with side channels. Blackout fabric stops light coming through the shade, and the channels close the light gaps at the edges, which is where an ordinary shade leaks. On a west-facing bedroom, a dual roller adds a solar screen in front for the hours you are awake.
Why the room is still bright
Las Vegas runs around the clock, and a lot of the valley sleeps while the sun is up. Most bedrooms were never set up for it. Even a shade made from blackout fabric lets light in around its edges, and in a west-facing room the afternoon sun finds every gap.
Getting a room truly dark is about two things: fabric that stops light completely, and nothing letting light around the sides.
Blackout fabric with side channels
A blackout roller shade is the most reliable answer. The fabric does the blocking, and side channels, tracks that run down both edges of the window, close the gaps where light would spill in. It is the setup we recommend for anyone who sleeps days.
Cellular shades also come in blackout fabrics, and their trapped air adds insulation, which helps a hot west bedroom stay cooler while you sleep.
A dual roller for the hours you are awake
A bedroom that is dark for sleep still needs daylight the rest of the time. A dual roller puts two fabrics on one bracket: a solar screen in front that cuts heat and glare but keeps your view, and the blackout behind it. It is the setup we specify most for west-facing bedrooms in this valley.
Let a schedule do it
Motorized shades can close themselves at the same time every day, and open when your alarm goes off, so the room is dark before you get home from a shift. Alta's BLISS motors run from a free app or a remote, with timers by the clock or by your local sunrise and sunset, and they recharge with a USB-C cable, so there is no wiring.
Getting it right the first time
Blackout only works if the shade fits, which is why Josh measures every window himself, backed by our measurement guarantee: if a measurement is off, we remake it and install it again, free. Tell us at the consultation that someone in the house sleeps days, and we will plan every bedroom window around it.
