These Super Magnets Combated My Crazy Mother and My Even Crazier Neighbors
Written: Oct 09 '06 (Updated Nov 03 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: installs quickly and easily, good for metal doors, strong magnets, looks nice
Cons: only available in white
The Bottom Line: I am so glad I stumbled upon these blinds while surfing the Net.
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| jeavinl's Full Review: Magne Blind Magnetic Mini Blinds for Steel Doors |
When we bought our suburban New Jersey house three years ago, we pretty much moved into it as is. We painted the kitchen and hallway later on and we installed carpeting a few months later. But I didn't bother to buy all the fancy trimmings up front because I wanted to take my time and figure out what I actually wanted. Plus I figured that would allow me to find some good deals.
When my neurotic mother saw that I didn't yet have some sort of privacy covering for our aluminum side door window, she panicked. She's lived in NYC all her life and has bars and heavy curtains on all of her windows. She does not want the neighbors peeking in ever. So she went hunting for our electric drill, some screws, and something she could use as a curtain. Before I could even say anything to protest (not like I'm about to argue with a crazy woman with an electric power tool in her hand), she had drilled holes into my steel door to hold the fabric in place. She seemed pleased; I was appalled, but speechless.
Well it's been almost three years since that incident and that fabric only recently came down. Try as I might, I had no clue what to put there in its place. I only recently heard of magnetic curtain rods and blinds like these. But as soon as I saw these Magne Blinds on sale, I went out and bought them and installed them the next day.
THE BASICS
Magne Blinds look like standard miniature horizontal Venetian blinds. They come in two sizes, full length (25 inches by 68 ½ inches) and half length (25 inches by 41 inches), the latter of which I purchased, and are only available in white. They require no tools to install and are secure in a matter of minutes. What holds them in place are magnetic brackets that slide over the edges of the top and bottom metal strips. There are also plastic caps for the sharp edges of the metal. Magne Blinds look and work just like standard blinds. There's a plastic rod hanging from the left side to open the blinds and a pull cord on the right to lift or lower the blinds. I paid about $30 at a local department store called Boscovs. I've also seen these blinds online at Amazon.com. However, I have not seen them at my favorite home furnishings stores (Bed, Bath and Beyond and Linens 'n' Things), which explains why I've been stuck with screws in my door for almost three years.
INSTALLATION
I am terrible at putting things together. I get frustrated easily, I hate reading instructions, and I almost always end up yelling, "honey, can you come here a minute." So on the day when I planned to put these blinds up, I warned my hubby in advance that I was planning on doing some housework that might require his assistance. "Sure, just tell me when you need me," was his response, since he knew it was just a matter of when, not if.
To my delight, I never needed his help. In fact, the blinds were out of the box and in place in under five minutes. My guess is it took a whole two minutes, but I'll add a couple just for opening the box and reading through the simple page of instructions.
The top magnetic brackets need to be attached first. They slid right on and then I stood on tip toes and attached them over the window. They stuck immediately and held on tight. I wanted to adjust the placement a little so I stood on a chair to get a better vantage point and then removed them (with a bit of strength) and stuck them back on. I tugged on them a little and wondered how they'd hold up to repeated door slams (we almost exclusively use that side door since it's near our driveway) and toddler intervention (I was sure my almost-two-year-old would be curious and start tugging on the bottom blinds). But they held in place despite my test tugs. I slid the bottom magnetic brackets on and put the plastic caps over the ends of the bottom metal strip. Those magnets are not as strong as the top ones, but they do keep the blinds from rattling around.
Voila! That was it. I stood back to admire my handy work. The door looked so great! My whole kitchen had a more professionally decorated look with just that one modification. I didn't even bother to tell my husband I was done. I waited to hear his reaction when he later wandered in there for something to eat.
MY EXPERIENCE
Though I hated the fabric my crazy mother screwed into place originally, I had to admit she had a point about blocking out the neighbors. Though we are now blessed with nice folks in the surrounding homes, when we moved in there were a few occupants who disturbed us. One guy, who walked around with bare feet in the winter, was picked up by the cops a couple of times for drunken misbehavior. There was also a pack of teenagers who regularly sat on our retaining wall and looked like they were up to no good. I did not want crazy neighbors watching me cook and clean or peeking in while my husband was playing video games in his BVDs (there's already a running joke about this with one of our friends). So, though it wasn't a top priority, I've been thinking about that window for some time and wondering how to best cover it. The two options I came up with recently were both magnetic devices (a curtain rod or these blinds). I preferred the blinds since they'd allow me to let in light with just a twist of the rod.
I first came across them online at Amazon.com while looking for shades for my office. I was sure I'd be able to easily find them in a furnishings store so I didn't bother ordering them. But it did take some searching to find these. But once I did, I was very happy.
Like I said, the installation was a breeze. It took a couple of minutes to slide the magnetic brackets on and place them against the door. Although you don't have to, I use the bottom magnetic brackets since I never plan on lifting/lowering the blinds. I simple turn the rod to open/close the individual blinds. With the lower magnets in place, the blinds are very secure. They do rattle a little when we open/close the door, but they never budge.
My husband was amazed at how nice these look. He couldn't believe I put them up by myself and that it only took a couple minutes. He was a bit worried about the strength of the magnets, but they've held for the month we've had the blinds and I don't see them ever budging. We slam that door several times a day and we haven't had any problems. Since the bottom magnets are not as strong, they are easier to move and they do sometimes slide a little against the door. But that doesn't have an effect on the placement of the blinds.
The instructions do warn about the cord being a strangling hazard for small children so it is advised to adjust them to a height that your child can't reach. I didn't need to do anything since the knot was already high enough when I installed the blinds.
My daughter has noticed this new edition to the kitchen and has touched the bottom rung of the blinds. But she doesn't seem that interested and she hasn't tugged violently on them. But even if she did, I don't think she'd have the strength to pull them down. Of course, I won't put it past her. I do think that if we had a large, easily excitable dog I might worry about him/her pulling the blinds down but since we're pet-free, it's not a concern.
ANY DRAWBACKS?
My mother was very impressed when she saw these on my door during one of her last visits. In fact, she was so impressed that she wanted to buy the blinds for her own side door. Umm, no, mom, you can't. Why you ask? Because my mother's door is made of wood and magnets do not stick to wood. Yes, you will need a metal door or a metal frame to use these blinds. But if you do have a steel door, these are the perfect solution to your window treatment predicament.
As far as cleaning, I haven't really tried yet. I've had them up for about a month and there isn't any noticeable dust yet. I suppose a feather duster or a dust cloth would work fine. Since the bottom brackets hold the blinds in place, I think they'd actually be a little easier (and less noisy) to clean than standard jangly blinds.
OVERALL
I am so happy with these magnetic blinds. I was worried that the magnets wouldn't be strong enough, but they really are sturdy. The blinds barely rattle when we slam the door closed. They were incredibly simple to install and they look so professional. This has got to be one of the best $30 purchases I've ever made!
FROM THE MANUFACTURER
Magnetic high-quality aluminum mini-blinds that attach quickly and easily to your steel doors. The Magne Blind snaps in place with special locking, super strong magnetic brackets.
--Attaches in minutes
--No tools required
--Fits all standard steel door windows
--Customer avoids costly installations
--Available in two sizes
--Hold down brackets included
Skotz Manufacturing, Inc.
P.O. Box 473
Glenmoore, PA 19343
800-624-6763
www.magnerod.com
Recommended:
Yes
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