On 25-Jul-2005, wrote:

Moving to an apartment that has sliding glass door to outside.
Standard size (8 foot wide).
Pros and cons of Vertical Blinds versus Drapes?
Hopefully from your experiences:-))

I like like vertical blinds but they do chatter in the wind. If this is a door that will be open most of the time I would consider curtains. What I call chattering is when the the blind slats hit each other because of the wind. Sometimes the get into some sort of feedback loop and the noise can be pretty obnoxious. My house is full of the things and if I want to open a window or door w/them, which is a must in the summer w/o AC, i have to tie the slats off with the cord (a few loops w/an overhand knot) to keep them quiet. Not a huge deal if the windows/doors stay open all the time but it's a pain on the one door I don't want to keep open all the time.

You can stop chattering by opening the blinds all the way and opening the window/door only partway but in a strong wind this won't work too well.

I think they make vertical blinds where the slats are secured on the floor as well. This would stop chattering (until whatever is securing them breaks).

Curtains are much harder to clean and will retain odors as will any cloth. But depending on the room decor they can look a lot nicer than blinds.

hope this helps
ml