<p>It is often a girl thing. However, some dorm rooms are placed where morning sun comes in strong and early thru the provided blinds. </p>
<p>We’ve never had the problem since my kids’ rooms always had north facing windows. </p>
<p>I think the command strips and/or making loops somehow around the existing top of the blinds might work to hold a rod. </p>
<p>I also wonder if you got “tab topped” curtains with buttons, then could you loop the tabs around the top of the blinds and button close?</p>
<p>Most dorms will not let you drill any holes, put up brackets, etc. And some have cinderblock, so that’s really not easily done anyway without making permanent holes.</p>
<p>The newspaper and foil idea would work taped to the window, but also a few large posters as well.</p>
<p>my school provided shades in the windows. We hung curtains in each room. for the normal sized windows, we used a tension rod. For the giant three-windows-across windows we used a very long rod and a LOT of duct tape - LOL! It looked slightly ghetto, but we thought it was hilarious and we left it like that!</p>
<p>My kids didn’t have an issue at all. Their schools did NOT allow curtains to be hung in the dorm rooms at all (fire safety issues). Students who did hang curtains were fined and told to remove them immediately. If there was wall damage, they had to pay for that repair too.</p>
<p>For those of you with suggestions, thanks. Yes, the school does allow curtains, but no holes. For those of you who think I shouldn’t offer help, son does many things on his own, (matter of fact just rode through hurricane Issac without me running down there to get here), however he asked for help and suggestions which I will provide. Last year he taped cardboard over them (the issue is the security lights shining in) however he wants something that looks nice for when he has friends (read girls) over. We were set with tension rods till I found out it’s 3 windows across, with no framing between, and I haven’t found inexpensive tension rods that long. Son’s older sister is visiting this week, and I asked her opinion (she’s the art major), we looked at possible options yesterday. It’s funny, I would never put decorating suggestions in the helicopter parenting area, I recall asking my mom and grandmother for decorating ideas, really up until they passed away within the last 10 years. Also asked for cleaning tips, recipes and advice on many other things. </p>
<p>We saw several different command hook options, the only experience I’ve had with them was limited to the first ones that came out, used for holiday decorating and I wasn’t impressed. They didn’t hold weight as advertised, however there are many different options now it looks like, has everyone’s experience been positive, do they hold and remove without damage? Daughter suggested over the door single hooks slipped over the mini-blind which could hold a rod, they might be a little wide. Son text-ed and the top portion is metal, which might work for a magnetic rod, I didn’t realize so many of those were available. In fact I need a couple of those, myself, saw pictures of them on the fridge and dryer to hold towels and things. </p>
<p>The cable option seems viable too, that was one I thought of, just didn’t know if the length would drag the middle section down. </p>
<p>Which are the best command hooks, I saw some all plastic and some where the hook section was metal. Any thoughts.</p>
<p>Could you use something that can attaches strongly to the window glass itself?</p>
<p>I could envision thin hooks with a round adhesive backing to hang pieces of cardboard or poster tag to. This is provided that there is enough room between the blinds and the glass. Another approach would be a sheet of material that decreases the amount of light coming into a room. It’s a dark gray color but somewhat transparent.</p>
<p>I would get the command hooks that are all plastic. The ones with the metal hooks tend to wiggle (the hook part) while the plastic ones are stationary. I teach in a classroom with cinderblock walls. I use the command hooks for hanging the kids’ artwork. They stay stuck to the wall all year and peel right off with no goo left behind at end of year.</p>
<p>My daughter’s dorm window had mini blinds. They were mounted right at the edge and left no room for a tension rod. We used drapery hooks, the kind used for pinch pleats. We attached the hook to the curtains and there was enough space for the hook to slide into the top of the mini blind mount. Worked great.</p>
<p>Our S bought blackout curtains on-line at great prices. He used some for his apartment & gave some to D. He figured out how to remove the existing window coverings from his apartment WITHOUT damaging them, hanging his curtains & at the end of the year reversing the process. The curtains were VERY light & inexpensive, but REALLY blocked out the light & heat. They have held up well & D continues to use the ones he gave her to this day, I believe. Neither kiddo damaged any walls NOR paint NOR window coverings.</p>
<p>We also have had our kids resolve these issues. The other day, D was complaining that her apartment carpet smelled bad. We encouraged her to let her manager know & they are installing a new carpet at no charge!</p>
<p>We’re proud of her for advocating for herself.</p>
<p>By the way, duct tape is quite aggressive and likely to damage paint when removed. It can be removed with effort from glass. Even “painters tape” (the blue one) will damage paint and surfaces when left for a prolonged period of time, so be careful if you & kiddo don’t want to pay damages.</p>