If some of your windows look out over the street or are overlooked by your neighbours, then you may be sharing more of your home life than you like. Your neighbours may not be able to resist a quick peek into your home every time they walk past; some may spend a lot of time at their own windows and looking into yours. If this gets on your nerves, then look for ways to improve your privacy. How can you do this?

Use Curtains

While you don't want to lose all light and keep your regular curtains closed all the time, other types of curtains improve your privacy. For example, sheer curtains don't block out that much light, but they do stop stickybeaks from looking into your home.

Bear in mind that the privacy you get from sheer curtains is variable depending on the lighting in the room. For example, if you have a light on, people will be able to see through the curtains a little more. So, you may not get as much privacy at night as you would like.

Put Blinds or Shutters Up

If curtains don't work for you, or you don't want to use sheers, then blinds or shutters are an alternative way of improving privacy. People can't see through them when they are closed. Plus, if you use venetian or vertical blinds or plantation shutters, then you can partly open them to let light in without exposing the inside of your home to the outside world.

You may lose more light with blinds or shutters, however. If you're not ready to trade off light for privacy, then this may not be the best solution for you.

Use Home Window Tinting

Adding tints to your windows may give you the privacy you'd get from curtains, shutters or blinds without any light loss. Typically, tints are sheets of film that stick to the inside of windows. If you use the right tints, you won't lose light – translucent or reflective films may even bring more light in. Most importantly, your neighbours' ability to look into your home will be greatly reduced.

While home window tinting isn't difficult — you simply follow the instructions to stick the film on the glass — it isn't always easy to get a perfect finish. If you get things right, people may not even see the tints, get it wrong and you may end up with film that has visible bubbles and creases. For the best home window tinting results, hire a professional installer. Talk to local glass companies that sell tinting packs. Some may also offer installation or may be able to recommend a glass specialist who can help.