To keep curtains closed at night?

[Margo34]

Settle a disagreement for us!
DH grew up in household where curtains downstairs were closed of an evening until you went to bed, then they were opened. He says this was because keeping them closed advertised you had stuff to hide so it was a security reason.
Meanwhile I grew up in a household where downstairs curtains were closed of an evening and stayed so until you got up next morning, again for a security reason to keep others from peering in and seeing what you owned.
We both think our way is better as a deterrent to potential unsavoury night time folk and uninvited midnight visitors. We both think each others way is weird!
Who is right?

YABU - he is right, open curtains over night.
YANBU - I am right, keep them closed overnight.

Another vote for DH being weird! Lights off and curtains open just screams "we're on holiday". Take him for a walk at 9/10pm and do a curtain count!

The best way is random! If they're always closed at night and open during the day, it'll be obvious when you've gone on holiday and the house is unoccupied. So you should continue to fight over it and not settle on one particular way.

I have also closed curtains when it gets dark, then open them in the morning when it is light.
I have never heard anyone with your husbands reasoning before. Everyone I know, and neighbours all do the same as me.

Have NEVER heard of anyone reopening curtains before bed. It’s not just about security but keeping heat in especially in winter.

Now I'm worried that my children's future spouses will be starting threads about how they grew up in a house with no curtain rules or regulations at all

I had no idea this is an area for such rigid procedures, if you asked my teenagers what the opening and closing rules are you'd get very blank looks and a who cares response I suspect.

I think if you truly have nothing of value his way makes sense. Like lorry drivers leaving the back open when its empty. But you most likely do, car keys, bank cards, laptops etc leaving the curtains open allows people to identify where those things are before making any noise making it quicker and easier to rob you.

I close the curtains because I don't like looking out at the dark. It makes the room feel cold and unfinished to have the curtains open when it's dark. So they get closed when it's dark and opened again in the morning. I've never given security any thought in the matter.

And I've never known anyone open them before going to bed. That's really weird.

I dH not think anyone has ‘rigid’ rules, it’s just the norm.We have wooden blinds so a bit easier to adjust to neither open or closed but hate them open if lights on as I don’t like people looking in. Depends where you live I guess and how far you are from the street. If my living room was onto the garden or high up , I wouldn’t care so much.

Surely your dh only has to look around after it gets dark and realise that everyone closes their curtains when it gets dark and doesn't open them until the morning.

If he doesnt believe you, get him to drive round the neighbourhood at midnight and count how many living room curtains are still open

Closed, less to do with security and more to do with keeping heat in the house.

Never heard of your Dh's view. Very odd.

Occasionally I have a bit of insomnia and go downstairs to read or watch TV. As I also sleep in the nude, if we left the curtains open I'd be giving the neighbours a view they really don't want to see when I'm wandering around in the middle of the night.

My DH is odd about curtains. Or lazy is probably nearer it. He never closes them when it's pitch black at night . He also never puts a light on. But he will close them in the day so that the house is dark. It makes him sound like a vampire reading this back!

I hate the idea of people being able to see in, so I like them closed at night. We have blinds as well so, I'm not too bothered as long as something is closed. I also close the blinds if I am going to be out for long periods of time. We have had various dubious characters hanging around scoping out the street though so that's why.

I’m here to support your DH. My parents always do as he describes. It’s so the downstairs looks ready in the morning. But they don’t close curtains upstairs either as they like the moonlight.

I close mine and open in the morning.

My DH likes them closed all day and night as that’s what his parents do. That’s bonkers.

Your husband's weird. LTB!

Curtains closed plus a hallway light on at night to show someone’s home (I’ve been burgled a couple of times).

When we were burgled, the police advised us to close curtains/blinds on every window at night and when we go out.

I doubt that a determined burglar will be deterred by the curtains whether they are closed or not.

Dance away OP your DH is wrong and you are right - bask in that for today

We close our curtains when the lights go on, and open them in the morning.

Curtains closed and a lamp on is a good way to make it look like someone might be in the room and is a good deterrent I find.

I've seen a couple of times in uni halls, everyone have their computers nicked apart from the rooms with curtains closed and lights on.

Ive always closed them.
Then again, it depends on how your house is. If you have fancy furniture, it might be a good idea to close the blinds.
Criminals look for an easy house to rob, so they ( generally ) wouldnt break into a house unless it looks promising- something that they can only tell if they are able to look inside.

I thought it was to keep the heat in/out

We always close the blinds in the kitchen and the curtains in the livingroom when we start turning the lights on. But we dont always open the kitchen blinds the next day 😂
DS's bedroom is at the front of the house and we don't always open both of his curtains out of laziness...

It's interesting that your dh see's it as a deterrent to open them at bedtime.

Lol! We don’t even have curtains downstairs. Our house is slightly elevated above the road so no one can see in. Well they could if they crept up to the window and used a small ladder but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

We have curtains in the bedrooms which we close for dressing/undressing. Apart from that I only close them on very cold nights. DH on the other hand would quite happily nail blackout blinds over the bedroom windows and never remove them, day or night, winter or summer. But he is getting increasingly odd as he ages. At the moment I go to bed with the windows open and the curtains drawn. He comes up a few minutes later and shuts them. As soon as he’s asleep I open them all again. Everyone is happy!

“I close the curtains because I don't like looking out at the dark. It makes the room feel cold and unfinished to have the curtains open when it's dark. So they get closed when it's dark and opened again in the morning. I've never given security any thought in the matter.

And I've never known anyone open them before going to bed. That's really weird.“

This is the correct answer.