October is Window Covering Safety Month, and it serves as a reminder that your luxurious blinds, shades, and drapery can pose hidden safety risks to small children and pets. However, child safe blinds don’t mean you can’t have a luxurious custom home.
Why Window Covering Safety Matters
Window treatments with exposed or dangling cords are one of the leading home hazards for infants and young children. So, when it comes to child-proofing a home, cordless window treatments are an ideal alternative to those with cords. Hunter Douglas and Austintatious Blinds and Shutters take child safety seriously, which is why we offer a variety of products from Hunter Douglas that do not have potentially hazardous free-hanging or exposed operating cords.
Child Safe Blinds & Window Treatment Options
Here is a look at some of the child and pet-safe window treatment options we offer:
- LiteRise® System : A manual, cord-free system: just push the shade upward or pull it downward to open and close. No dangling cords on this system.
- UltraGlide®: The UltraGlide® wand stays at a constant length and removes the need for free-hanging cords.
- Shutters: Shutters are inherently cordless and rigid. They offer a timeless look without the hazard of cords.
- PowerView® Automation: This option is fully motorized and cordless. It is operated via button, smartphone, or even voice (with a smart home integration). You can also schedule scenes that are ideal for naptimes, sunrise/sunset routines, and energy efficiency.
What Can You Do Now: Safety Tips
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission encourages parents and caregivers to follow these window cord precautions:
- The best option is to install only cordless window coverings in homes with young children.
- If you choose to have corded window coverings in your house, follow these steps to lower the strangulation risk to your child:
- Keep all window covering cords well out of the reach of children at all times.
- Move and keep all furniture, cribs, beds, and climbable surfaces away from windows.
- Make sure pull cords are adjusted to be as short as possible.
- Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies, roller shades, and vertical blinds must be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall with a tension device.
- Be sure “cord stops,” a washer-like device used to prevent a dangerous cord loop from being pulled out of an inner cord, are installed properly. Cord stops should be adjusted to limit movement on the inner cords of blinds and shades.
For a free repair kit, call the WCSC at (800) 506-4636, or visit windowcoverings.org. Consumers should know that some retrofit kits do not address the dangling pull cord hazard associated with many commonly used window blinds.
Child & Pet Safe Blinds & Window Treatments
By switching to cordless or motorized window treatment options or even retrofitting your existing treatments, you are helping to reduce the risk for your children and pets. Safer window coverings are luxurious and safe, offering cordless and simple operations. Reach out to one of our Design Consultants to explore your options for child-safe blinds and window treatments.