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Cellular Fabrics
Single-cell fabric or cell-in-cell (double-cell) fabric? Light-filtering or room-darkening fabric? And what makes EcoSmart cellular honeycomb fabrics better than so many others? All of your fabric questions are answered right here!
What are Cellular Fabrics?
Cellular Fabrics are Elegant AND Extremely Insulating!
Cellular fabrics are made from polyester material, specially configured to form air pockets (cells) that insulate incredibly well against heat and cold. Sometimes called “honeycomb fabrics” (due to the appearance when viewed from the side) cellular fabrics have a stylish, pleated look and they fold and unfold neatly in an accordion-like fashion when raised or lowered. Cellular fabrics are elegant, highly durable, and easy to clean. What truly sets them apart, though, is that they are the most energy-efficient window covering option – making them the perfect choice for shades that pay you back over time in energy savings!
Why Choose Cellular Fabric?
What Makes Cellular Fabric Such a Great Choice?
- It’s Gorgeous: Cellular fabric, also known as honeycomb fabric, has a clean, elegant, pleated look that adds style to any room.
- It’s Super Insulating: Cellular fabric is formed into rows of ‘cells’ which trap air in order to provide amazing insulation against heat and cold.
- It’s Long-Lasting: Cellular fabric, especially the premium-quality fabric that we use, is super durable and looks fantastic for years.
- It’s Easy to Clean: High-end cellular fabrics are simple to clean.
- Bottom line… you can’t find a better combination of great looks, outstanding insulation, and durability than you get with EcoSmart cellular fabrics!
How Do I Know Which Fabric Is Right for Me?
How to Choose the Best Fabric Option
Simply follow these steps and you’re sure to select the perfect fabric for your situation!
- Do I want light-filtering (translucent) shades or room-darkening (blackout) shades? The short answer is that most people select light-filtering fabrics for the majority of applications, and room-darkening fabrics for specific purposes (like darkening a bedroom). However, there are a few other considerations and we’ll help you sort through those in the section below!
- Do I want single-cell shades or cell-in-cell (double-cell) shades? These two fabric types do have some minor differences in energy efficiency and price, and the answer will depend on your priorities. Don’t worry, we have all the information you need, below!
- Should I Order Free Fabric Samples? Absolutely! Your new shades are an investment that will be in your home for years. We want you to be thrilled with your choices – and we’re sure you do, too! There’s just no substitute for seeing and feeling our premium fabrics for yourself, before you make your final decision.
Should I Choose Light Filtering or Room Darkening Fabric?
Light-Filtering or Room-Darkening Fabric?
Each fabric type has advantages, depending on the intended purpose. The short version is, room-darkening fabrics are usually reserved for those areas where you need (you guessed it) darkness. However, there’s a little more to it than that…
Light-Filtering (Translucent) Fabrics
- The most commonly purchased fabrics for most situations.
- Allow a glow of light in the room, while still maintaining privacy.
- While not transparent, a person or object directly between a light source and the shade might show a silhouette from outside (especially in lighter fabric colors).
- Are always white on the back, to provide greater heat reflection and to work with any exterior paint color.
- Although they provide fantastic insulation, they are not quite as insulating as room-darkening fabrics.
- Can be completely submersed in water for thorough cleaning.
- Are somewhat less expensive than room darkening fabrics.
Room-Darkening (Blackout) Fabrics
- Excellent for rooms that need nearly total darkness.
- Block 99% of light, although there will be some light leakage along all four edges of the shade.
- Provide total privacy, as they are opaque from outside the home.
- Do not have a white color option, as pure white would allow light to penetrate. However, different shades of “off-white” are available.
- Are either very light with a slight gray tint (in the case of single-cell) or medium gray (in the case of cell-in-cell) on the back.
- Offer the greatest insulation from heat and cold.
- Can be cleaned with a slightly damp cloth. However, the blackout material inside the cells should not get wet. Room-darkening fabrics are not recommended for bathrooms.
- Are somewhat more expensive than light filtering fabrics.
Should I Choose Single-Cell or Cell-in-Cell (Double-Cell) Fabric?
Single-Cell or Cell-in-Cell (Double-Cell) Fabric?
While single-cell fabrics are somewhat less expensive, cell-in-cell fabrics provide slightly more insulation. Let’s see which one is right for you…
Single-Cell Fabrics
- Single-cell fabrics have a somewhat lower cost than cell-in-cell fabrics.
- Single-cell fabrics are lighter in weight than cell-in-cell fabrics.
- Single-cell fabrics provide slightly less insulation than double-cell fabrics.
- Our single-cell fabrics have modern 3/4″ cells/pleats, giving them the same general appearance as our cell-in-cell fabrics.
- The back (outside-facing portion) of our single-cell fabrics is white.
Cell-in-Cell Fabrics
- Each cell (air pocket created by the design of the fabric) contains a smaller cell inside it.
- Because of the double-cell design, cell-in-cell fabrics provide somewhat more insulation than single-cell fabrics.
- Cell-in-cell fabrics have a slightly higher cost than single-cell fabrics.
- Our cell-in-cell fabrics have 3/4″ outside cells, resulting in 3/4″ pleats, giving them the same general appearance as our single-cell fabrics.
- The back of our light-filtering cell-in-cell fabrics is white, whereas the back of our room-darkening cell-in-cell fabrics is gray.
Are EcoSmart Cellular Fabrics Safe?
Of course! We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Our fabrics have been approved for use in schools, hospitals, and a variety of additional locations where safety is of the utmost importance. You can always feel confident that our materials aren’t transmitting dangerous gasses. In fact, after seeking and receiving approval from the local university medical center, we even used our fabrics to make safe, comfortable masks during the pandemic!
How Do I Clean My Cellular Fabric?
Our Cellular Fabrics are Super Easy to Clean
Although our fabrics are dust and stain resistant, when something lasts as long as our shades do, they might need a little touch-up now and then. Fortunately, our premium fabrics are a snap to clean. Here are some of your options…
- Give our fabrics a simple dusting with a feather duster. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
- Use a brush attachment with your vacuum hose and gently vacuum.
- Use a damp cloth, and even a mild detergent, and gently wipe.
- For our light-filtering fabrics, you can completely submerge the material in water and mild detergent.
- Please note that the blackout material inside the cells of our room-darkening shades should not get wet. If wiping the fabric, take care not to let liquid soak through to the inside.
Where Can I Learn More About Cellular Insulation?
We’re So Glad You Asked!
We’ve devoted an entire page to EcoSmart Cellular Shades Insulation and R-Value. We’re incredibly proud of the way our shades keep your home cool in the Summer, warm in the Winter, and saving you money all year long!
Should I Order Free Fabric Samples?
Yes, We Highly Recommend Ordering Samples
Isn’t it great when you can SEE what you’ll be getting? We think so, too, and it’s not just because we love to show them off. Here are some great reasons to order free fabric samples…
- See the Colors: Have you ever ordered something online and the color doesn’t look like what you saw on your screen? Yup, screen colors vary. We want you to love your fabrics as much as you do, and what could be better than seeing the real thing?
- Evaluate the Transparency: How much light shines through a light-filtering fabric? How much does a room-darkening fabric block? What’s the difference between lighter and darker colors? Hold your samples up to your window and find out!
- Test the Toughness: Our fabrics really are superior. We want you to stretch, pull, tug, and try to tear them. We want you to pour your stain-inducing liquid of choice on them (over a sink, of course!) and watch it roll off. You’ll be amazed.
- Did we mention they’re FREE? 🙂
