Along with bell-bottoms, disco balls, orange shag carpeting, and avocado green appliances, roller window shades come straight out of the 1970s.

Thank goodness all the rest of those things stayed in that decade, right? Or would you like to see bell-bottoms and disco balls make a comeback?

Well, one thing is for certain: roller shades are still in style and will be for a long time.

What makes them so popular and long-lasting? Let’s take a look.

Top 7 Benefits of Roller Window Shades

For many consumers, this is what makes them such an attractive option – even in 2014:

1. Make for a beautiful decoration – With other blinds, you get horizontal slats. They’re often attractive, but not as gorgeous as some of the unique designs you get with roller shades. You can get opaque patterns, floral designs, and even abstract designs that fit perfectly with the look of any modern home.
2. Safe for pets and children – You pull them down by hand. No cords necessary when you customize with a cordless lift option. You’re guaranteed your pets and children won’t hurt themselves on roller window shades. But, you might have to protect these shades from them!
3. Durable – Even though your pets and children may bump into them on occasion, roller shades hold up quite well to many impacts. You do have to make sure they’re high-quality though. Buy a cheaply made brand, and you still have to replace them frequently.
4. Easy to clean – You don’t have dozens of slats to wash. Nope. Instead, you simply pull them down and vacuum.
5. Protect your privacy – They don’t have any holes where lift cords route through. In fact, you can even get a blackout roller shade option that blocks out 99% of all light. Now that’s private!
6. Effortless operation – Blinds with lift cords get a little annoying to operate, don’t they? You try to lift them up, but then the lift cord doesn’t get caught on the catch. So they fall a little more than you like. Then, when you want to let them down, sometimes you don’t pull the lift cord out at a far enough angle. The cords again get caught on the catch. Frustrating!
   With roller shades, you simply pull them down. When you want to raise them, tug gently and let them go.
7. Conserve energy – All blinds do this to one degree or another. However, you can get solar roller shades designed specifically to reduce light and heat.

Is Never Buying Shades Again a Reality?

It is if you buy roller window shades. As long as they don’t sustain huge impacts, like footballs or toys hitting them, they will at the very least last you a long, long time.