Here is the problem with most “no-drill curtain” advice: it treats a curtain as a decoration. A blockout curtain is closer to a heavy blanket on a stick. The IKEA MAJGULL blockout pair weighs 2 kg before you add a rod. Whether your setup holds that weight is the whole question for a renter, so we’ve organised this article around it.
A note on how this was put together: we haven’t hung these curtains ourselves. Prices, sizes and limits below come from the IKEA, Kmart and 3M product pages as checked in October 2026, and from published guidance on window coverings. Where a number isn’t published, we say so.
“Blockout” is a claim, not a measurement
In Australia the word is blockout (blackout is the American spelling, and most overseas guides use it). Retailers describe their products as “100% blockout”, but that’s a marketing label. IKEA’s listing says MAJGULL blocks all light and gives no percentage; the “100%” you see in reviews is customers’ opinion, not a specification.
The bigger source of light in a bedroom is usually the edges. Renew magazine’s guide to curtains and blinds notes that curtains should touch the wall on each side and just reach the floor, and that roller blinds tend to leak light at the edges. A genuinely dark room is as much about how you hang the curtain as which one you buy: go wider than the window and longer than feels necessary.
Three ways to hang curtains without drilling
1. Use the rod or track that’s already there. Many rentals already have one. Check before you buy anything else. Then you only need curtains in the right style (eyelet, tab-top or heading tape, matching what’s already hanging).
2. Adhesive curtain rod hooks. 3M’s Command curtain rod hooks (2 hooks, 4 strips) are sold at Bunnings. The numbers from 3M’s own Australian page are the ones that matter:
- Holds 4.5 kg in total, and that includes the rod and the curtain, spread evenly across both hooks
- Designed for slim rods 1.27 to 1.9 cm in diameter and under 121 cm long
- Suits painted walls, tile, glass, laminate and finished wood
- Not for wallpaper, fabric, textured walls, brick or rough surfaces
- If the wall was just painted, wait 7 days before sticking anything to it
That 121 cm limit is the catch. It suits a small window or a light curtain, not a wide window with a heavy blockout pair.
3. Tension rods. A spring-loaded rod wedges between two flat surfaces, usually inside a window reveal, with no adhesive at all. A Bunnings Workshop community member recommends the Windoware 130-244 cm Springfit rod for wider spans (note that’s a community member’s suggestion, not an official Bunnings recommendation). We couldn’t find a published weight rating for it, so check the packaging before loading it with a heavy curtain. Tension rods also need a proper reveal to grip, so they don’t suit every window.
The curtains we looked at
| Curtain | Price | Size | Hanging | Washing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA MAJGULL block-out pair | $59.99 | 145 x 250 cm per panel, pair weighs 2 kg | Heading tape (needs hooks, rings or gliders) | Machine wash at 30°C, don’t tumble dry |
| Kmart Sherwood Faux Linen 100% blockout pair | $39.95 (clearance, was $59.95) | 90 x 223 cm per panel, wider sizes available | Eyelet, fits rods up to 3.5 cm | Cold hand wash only |
| Kmart Cadence & Co. Byron Matte Velvet 100% blockout | $55.95 | 90 x 223 cm, wider sizes available | Eyelet | Cold hand wash only |
A few things this table makes clear:
- IKEA’s MAJGULL is the only one here you can machine wash, and it’s 100% polyester with at least 90% recycled content. It needs hooks or rings for the heading tape, which is an extra cost; IKEA’s page lists the options.
- Both Kmart curtains are hand-wash only. That’s fine for a bedroom, and a real chore if you host guests.
- The 90 cm width may be narrow for a wide window. The pages list 135, 180 and 225 cm widths too. For a wide window you’ll want those, and the extra fabric means extra weight on whatever rod you use. Neither Kmart page states a weight, so check against the 4.5 kg Command limit in-store or with the retailer. The Cadence & Co. page calls it a “twin pack” but doesn’t clearly say how many panels come in it.
- Kmart’s pages describe the Sherwood curtains as helping regulate room temperature; treat that as a retailer claim, not a measured result.
What blockout does for summer heat, and what it doesn’t
Windows are where most heat gets in. The Renew guide, citing the Your Home guide, says windows can account for up to 87% of a home’s heat gain and up to 40% of heating energy lost. Thicker, blockout-backed fabric helps, but Renew also notes there’s limited published data on exactly how much, and that the article itself was published in 2018.
What it does say is practical for renters:
- A pelmet matters. A heavy curtain with an enclosed pelmet, or one that drops straight from the cornice, reduces heat transfer. Without a pelmet, warm air can slip behind the curtain and create a draught. Renew says pelmets can be retrofitted and that lightweight plastic or cardboard works, so this is one worth asking your landlord about if you can fix it without drilling.
- Seal the sides and floor. The same fit that keeps light out keeps air from slipping around the edges.
Curtains won’t replace cooling, but they’re the cheapest piece of it. If heat is your main problem, our guide to [keeping a rental cool without aircon] covers the rest.
Is this allowed without asking?
Hanging a curtain on an existing rod usually doesn’t count as a modification. Sticking hooks to the wall, even adhesive ones, is more of a grey area, because adhesive can lift paint, and 3M’s own page says not to use them on textured surfaces. State rules differ: Victoria allows some minor changes without consent, while Queensland, WA and others generally want written consent first. Our state-by-state guide to tenant modification rights has the details and the official links, and a short written request costs nothing.
For Airbnb hosts
Guests on holiday sleep in, and early summer sun is relentless, so blockout curtains are one of the cheapest ways to improve reviews. The practical catch is washing. A curtain you can only hand wash will get skipped between guests, so for a rental you host in, a machine-washable pair is worth the higher price. If your property has a rod, buy the curtains and leave the hardware alone.
Which setup for which situation
- Window already has a rod or track: just buy curtains. The MAJGULL if you want to machine wash them, a Kmart pair if budget matters more.
- Small window, painted flat wall, light curtain: Command rod hooks plus a slim rod, keeping the rod and curtain well under 4.5 kg together.
- Wide window or heavy curtain, no rod: a tension rod inside the reveal if the window has one, after checking its weight rating. Otherwise, ask the landlord in writing whether a proper rod can be fitted.
- Rented room in a share house or hosting guests: machine-washable fabric first, hardware second.
Prices and product details were checked on retailer and manufacturer pages in October 2026 and may have changed; Kmart’s Sherwood price was a clearance listing. This article isn’t sponsored by any brand. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm modification rules with your state or territory tenancy regulator.