Closing curtains when going out for the day

[ZappyDays]

Please can you help settle a debate with my DH.

It is 1:30pm and we are going out for the day, we won’t be back until after dark.

One of us decided it would be a good idea to close all the curtains in the house before we go out, even though it’s daytime, because it will be dark when we get back and save a job later. The other thinks it’s a bit odd to shut the curtains while it’s still daytime and we can just do it when we get back.

YANBU it’s a sensible thing to close them before you go out
YABU it’s strange, just close them when you get back later

How about c) it's fine either way, just pick one, it makes no significant difference to anything very much.

Keep them open but put lights on

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I'd do it when we got back.

I would close the curtains before going out, open curtains in a dark house tells everyone you’re out.

We leave the curtains open but tilt the (shutter blinds) slats slightly so people can't see straight in.

My DH insists on doing this and it drives me nuts. You might as well just say 'LOOK THE HOUSE IS EMPTY' ....

I leave a light on if I remember which I don't often do.

Very diplomatic but we want to settle a very important debate here.

Closed curtains on every window in daytime say ‘The house is empty.’ Open curtains showing dark rooms after dark say ‘This house is empty.’ If you’re genuinely worried about security put some lights on a timer.

I have dogs. If I am going to be coming home after dark, I close the curtains and put the light on for them.
If I didn't have dogs, I'd just draw them when I got home.

ETA: I only close the downstairs ones. Not bedrooms.

I have blinds and pull them halfway down. Then my Hue lights come on, either if I turn them on via my phone or they come on if they're re on a schedule.

You need to get automated and remote controlled OP!

Closed curtains during the day =
a) Someone has died from natural causes (see d)
b) I'm sick in bed
c) I'm still in bed and not sick
d) Someone has died not from natural causes and I am chopping up the body
e) We've gone out for the day and won't be back until late

Lights on a timer are always the best bet.

Neither of us were thinking of security reasons, it was purely done by one of us to save a job later and the other one didn’t see the point.

Always close blinds before I leave if back home when dark....leave a lamp on also x

Is the purpose of closing the blinds something to do with burglar deterrent or just saving a job for later?

If it's saving a job, you haven't saved any time or effort doing it earlier, your just doing it at a different time.

If I was to walk passed a house in the middle of the da with all the curtains drawn I'd wonder what you were up to in there 😄! (or the house is empty).

Curtain closer is correct. Once there's no more daylight let curtains do their job of helping keep the heat in. Plus it is nice to come back to a house that's ready for the evening.

On MN some people never open their curtains - that solves the problem!

Surely this can’t be the first time you’ve both gone out together in the daytime and not come back until after dark.

I would leave them open.

I always close the curtains in this situation and leave a lamp on and the hall light

Well it’s pretty grey and murky where we are so I’d have no issue in closing curtains now and keeping that out / heat in!

This is an excellent point, this is not the first time we’ve gone out together in the daytime and not come back until after dark but this is the first time one of us has decided it would be a good idea to close the curtains and realised the other one has an objection to doing this.

If you’re not doing it for security purposes it really makes no difference. I couldn’t be arsed to go around closing them to save time later. I do however close the blinds and leave lamps on so my house looks occupied at night

It's weird.

That's a lot of thought and preparation for just "going out" for the day, you are not preparing a 6 months expedition in the Amazon. Don't you just grab whatever you need for whatever you are doing, and.. go?

So for that only, I'd think closing the curtains when it's still daylight is odd.

Christ , we go to work in the dark and get back in the dark , like many others I would imagine, going by this we would never open the curtains