I chose this curtain because there were no reviews complaining about perfumes or chemical odors, and at $21 it seemed like a reasonable chance to take on a very utilitarian purchase. A couple of weeks ago, I bought a different brand's blackout curtain, which is good quality in every way except it was loaded with perfume that took many washings to remove, only to reveal that the perfume was covering a strong chemical odor. I had to leave it in the sun for a week and launder a few more times to remove the chemical odor. Because it wasn't apparent until after the first wash and dry just how strong all the smells in the first curtain were, when the RYB panel arrived I washed it immediately in hot water, then dried it on hot. It laundered very nicely and there was NO lingering smell of chemicals or perfume.I needed this single panel to augment the first panel that wasn't quite wide enough. I needed two panels, though, so I cut this one down the middle. I would have left it raw as I often do. But the panel has no backing to hold it together and begins to fray right away, so I had to hem the raw edges. This is just an FYI that in case you tear your curtain or if a seam comes undone, you need to repair it right away.So now this curtain, in two pieces, frames the other curtain and blacks out all the street lights. It hangs smooth and straight. It is only about 1/4 the weight of the middle curtain so I don't have to worry that the combined weight (along with the curtain-opening robot) will pull out the drywall. We think the two curtains (this one in black, the other one in light blue linen) look good together, and even if we're wrong, only we see it so it's ok.Caveat: I don't think this curtain is thermal. It's only one thin layer of woven fabric.