AIBU to ask why so many people don’t draw their curtains? Like, ever

[RollyPollyBatFace]

Are you one of these people? And if so, why?

my job entails visiting people’s homes. Not in any caring capacity or anything like that. And what I notice so so much is houses with all the curtains drawn. At morning, afternoon, you name it.

Literally people sat indoors with lights pn and curtains drawn.

im the type to draw curtains as soon as up and open windows for an hour or so. So it really puzzles me that some people never do this

so - if you’re one of those people I’d really like to know why!

and I’m not talking about a night shift worker, or someone who goes to work at 4am or someone with a migraine etc etc. I’m talking about families who don’t appear to know that curtains open

I close the blind in my kitchen at night and when I go out, but I never close any other curtains - hardly anyone ever goes past my living room window, and nobody can see into my bedroom unless they are about 17ft tall or can fly - there are no buildings opposite. I sleep with something over my eyes, but I'm always awake before my alarm (7am) anyway 😀

Sometimes I’m rushing out in the mornings when it’s still dark and forget to open them. I quite like getting back in the dark to them being already drawn with the lamps on.

I don’t understand the people who sit with lights on in the dark with their curtains open. You can see everything and it’s weird.

Drawn curtains as we get reflection of the blinds on the TV screen when sunny.

Oh, you mean OPEN the curtains !

Dog sleeps on the sofa in the front room. Leave them closed till he is up and about (usually late morning). One day a week I go into the office and someone else comes. I dont ask them to open the curtains. At the weekend kids often want curtains closed to see the TV.
When it comes to closing the curtains, no one seems to give a shit but me. So unless i close them, no one does. So sometimes we seem to end up in a parallel universe where the curtains have been closed most of the day, but the i open them and not long after it gets dark and they remain open because no one closes them again.

In short, I guess we dont really give a shit! The front of the house doesn't really let much light in till the afternoon, meanwhile we have a fully glass back which is south facing

I leave mine open same with the windows 😊 I like the sunlight and fresh air 💕

Why are you baffled? My bedroom is on the first floor with the garden behind it, behind the garden is a somewhat boggy bit of medow mostly just left empty (not on a route to anywhere, no paths, nobody hangs out there and even if they did they'd need to carry a ladder to look into my bedroom - no reason anyone would do that!) behind that is thick woodland...

@Reification maybe read what Ive already said?

I think many people just really love their privacy, the cosiness, stopping the sun making the tv less visible

My FIL has to have them closed all day, always has been like this, even when younger so it’s not an age thing.

He’s obsessed that someone might look through his windows and see things to steal. In his house that’s locked up like Fort Knox, at the end of a long drive, in a quiet cul du sac.

He’s also obsessed with keeping the heat in. Triple glazing and curtains shut, windows never open as its a security risk - makes for an interesting smelling house.

We have slatted shutters. They are always open until it gets dark. Everytime he comes here he says “what if someone can see in?” He’s even got dh saying we should have them closed. I not living in darkness incase someone glances though the window while walking past - not that you can see anything in the day time due to reflection.

Our NDN have blinds rather than curtains but they’re always closed. They’re really weird people, convinced everyone wants to know their business and look into their house. She once came out when I was cutting down a bush in the front garden and told me to keep it so no one would look through our window. Like no one cares what we’re doing.

My sister and her family only wear clothes when visitors come, so that's why their curtains are closed as soon as it becomes necessary to put on a light.

I never close my curtains because it encourages the cats to run up and down them.

I did - you said you were baffled at nobody being able to see in.

Then you raised other points, but I replied by asking you why you were "baffled". Baffled doesn't just mean "I haven't experienced that" it means you can't imagine it being possible.

It doesn't matter, but your reply (quoted above) is rude because it implies I'm the one lacking comprehension, when you are the one "baffled" by something simple.

Privacy! have nosy neighbours who can see right into my lounge. Not unusual for them to stand by their upper windows while on the phone etc and I don't like feeling watched (even if they're not actually watching me).

I tend to think that they are growing cannabis

Couple of weeks ago when it snowed my boiler went and I kept most of my curtains closed to keep as much heat in as possible until the boiler man got there.

How ridiculous. No wonder Muslim women and children get rickets. I don’t care what religion people are, no God says that women aren’t allowed daylight.

I'm another with no downstairs curtains at all. I live in a cottage in a village, my house is raised up above road level so nobody can see in except my friend when she's riding through - and then only when she rides the big horse. My main reason for not having curtains is that the windows are tiny, there's only one window at the front and one at the back (this is downstairs, upstairs the bedrooms have curtains), so I need all the light that I can get in and even open curtains block a surprising amount of the window.

People are very, very odd or they just do things differently to you?

Not enough light outside at this time of year, even at midday. My shitty eyes can't cope with the darkness of natural light from the windows. When I visit friends I have to ask them to turn the lights on as I just can't see properly. Mind you, I do have problems with my eyes so maybe I'm the weird one.

Can't help with 'in all weathers' but I leave curtains closed on very hot and very cold days, to regulate the temperature.
The only person I know with permanently closed curtains suffers badly from anxiety and feels safer like that.

Don't think I've seen alot of permanently closed curtains. Only houses I can think of like this seem to have curtains that are attached with a wing and a prayer and would probably fall off if they were interfered with!

Im another one with no curtains though. Anywhere I might be spied on I have frosted film on the window.

I think it means both - you draw them open or draw them closed.

I have no window coverings in the kitchen and dining room at the back of the house and the ones at the front are opened as soon as someone enters the living room and closed when it's dark. But sometimes all day goes by without my going into the living room so they stay closed then.

If I don’t have guests I have all my curtains and blinds closed at the front of the house all day! Prefer the privacy. We do have some Velux style windows that don’t have blinds at all, so there is some element of natural light, but coming from above.

As others have said, it keeps the glaring sun out in the summer, and the heat in during the winter. But mostly I just prefer the privacy.

If i have visitors I’ll open my blinds.

So many people on main roads sit there of an evening watching tv with full lights on and curtains open - that would never be me! But each to their own, and I guess it would be nice to not think twice about people looking in.

i have tinted windows