Not Curtains, Not Regular Blinds: The Affordable Hack That Adds Privacy To Glass Doors

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Glass doors are lovely in that they let in the light and allow you to see what's going on outside. They're also perhaps slightly concerning if they're not covered in any way, because anyone outside can see into your home if the lighting is right. At night if your lights are on inside your home, it's almost like your home interior is on display for anyone walking past your house after dark. There's no need to change your door, add privacy film, or even hang French curtains for privacy on a glass door. A simple, supremely inexpensive hack does the trick for some glass doors: Just add roll-up beach mats. A budget beach mat that's about as wide as the glass area on any door or door panel acts a bit like a roll-up blind over the door. This method works for doors that swing open and closed, rather than sliding glass doors. 

Beach mats are more readily available during warm-weather months, and likely for under $5 apiece for the most basic kinds. Many of them have colorful trim around the perimeter, so you could even pick one that matches an accent color in the room that houses the glass door. Once hung, these mats are a door or window covering style that looks a bit like a mashup between roller shades and blinds made of natural materials.

Before purchasing the first beach mat you find in a local shop, measure the glass portion of the door you wish to cover. If you'd like the mat to cover the entire glass area for maximum privacy, you'll want a mat that is approximately the same width and length as the glass part of your door. If a mat you find is just slightly narrower, such as an inch, that could work as well, as long as you center the mat over the glass. You'll just have a small gap on either side once you hang it.

Insert a screw-in hook above the glass area of the door at each side. Drilling a narrow pilot hole first will make this easier. If you prefer to add privacy without drilling holes over the door, stick-on hooks could also work. Either way, the hooks belong above the top two corners, but about an inch beyond in both width and height, depending upon the size of your beach mat. Ideally, the hooks will be spaced apart just slightly narrower than the beach mat so you can easily attach the mat to them. Once the hooks are in the door, take one narrow end of the beach mat and insert the hook into it, then do the same at the other end. Allow the mat to unroll completely for your new DIY window covering. When you're ready to open the shade again, just roll it up and use the ties that are attached to the mat to tie it up in a roll again. If your mat doesn't have ties, you can simply use some jute or a ribbon at each end. You could also sew on some ribbon or something as simple as shoelaces.