Manufacturers are Becoming Safer With Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, all newly manufactured stock window coverings should not use cords or have small, inaccessible pull cords. Sunburst welcomes this decision, as it comes after negotiations between the Window Covering Manufacturers Association and the American National Standards Institute, and encompasses any pre-manufactured window coverings. And while the new safety requirements don’t recall corded blinds or shades, some people in Sacramento have viewed the statement as a reason to change out their corded window treatments.

 

Why The New Window Treatment Safety Standards?

For over 70 years, cords on window treatments have been determined as one of the Top 5 Hidden Hazards In The Home by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Children and infants can get tangled up in the cords, causing injury or strangulation, with a study finding that there were almost 17,000 window cord injuries over a fifteen-year period. Independent cord safety products, such as cord cleats and locks, tried to make treatments safer, but consumers did not install them as much as expected.

What Do The New Requirements Cover?

Each stock (ready-made) window covering available in stores or online needs to now be cord-free or have inaccessible cords. This accounts for over 80% of all window treatment products marketed in the United States and Canada. Custom-made treatments don’t have the same requirements; however, cords can only be 40% the length of the covering and should default to a tilt rod instead of a tilt cord. These requirements are only on window treatments constructed after December 19, 2018, and old shades and blinds have not been recalled.

What Are Your Options For Cordless Window Treatments?

With the new standards, families are now looking at the entire range of safer options when acquiring or replacing their corded coverings. Luckily, there are many products that are cordless, such as:

• Plantation Shutters: These popular treatments cover the window with large louvers and usually utilize a center tilt-rod. Shutters can be seen as the longest-lasting window treatment and are constructed with either real wood or a faux wood composite that doesn’t warp, crack, splinter, or chip. There has never been a cord on plantation shutter, so these treatments have always been considered child-safe.

• Barn Door Window Treatments: Instead of opening up and down with a cord or tilt rod, barn door shutters attach to a track over the window and slide apart sideways. You can part your barn doors a little to have some light peek in, or open them to the edge of the track for a statement piece.

• Cordless Shades and Blinds: Some shades and blinds have altered their mechanics to employ inaccessible cords that shouldn’t dangle down. Some operate by motors, which raise and lower treatments via remote control. Different shades open and close to their needed position by operating the bottom bar. These shades are available in different colors, textures, and patterns, and are even available in many semi-translucent models that give you the feel of sheer draperies.
  

Call Sunburst To Help You Cut The Cord On Window Treatments

If you’re looking to replace your corded shades and blinds with a safer choice, your Sacramento Sunburst representative is only a phone call away. We have many cord-free window treatments, and we can help you find one that looks great in your windows. Schedule your no cost in-home consultation by calling 916-665-0078 today.