Manufacturers are Becoming Safer With Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, newly manufactured stock window coverings should not use cords or have compact, inaccessible pull cords. Sunburst applauds the announcement, as it comes after negotiations between the Window Covering Manufacturers Association and the American National Standards Institute, and encompasses any pre-manufactured window treatments. And while the new safety requirements don’t recall old corded treatments, many in Riverside have seen the regulations as a reason to replace their old shades and blinds.

 

What Are 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 intertwined in the cords, resulting in injury or strangulation, with one report finding that there were almost 17,000 window cord injuries during a fifteen-year period. Independent cord safety products, such as cord wraps and wind-ups, attempted to solve the problem, but consumers did not install them as universally as expected.

What Do The Safety Regulations Cover?

Every stock (ready-made) window covering made for stores or online needs to now be cord-free or have inaccessible cords. This includes over 80% of all window covering products sold in America and Canada. Custom-made coverings will not have the same restrictions; however, cords can only hang down to 40% the length of the treatment and will default to a tilt rod instead of a tilt cord. These regulations are only on window coverings constructed after December 19, 2018, and old coverings have not been recalled.

What Are Your Choices Regarding Cordless Window Treatments?

With the new standards, families are now looking at the entire range of safer choices when purchasing or replacing their window treatments. Luckily, there are a lot of products that have no cords, such as:

• Plantation Shutters: These family-friendly treatments cover the window with large louvers and usually employ a center tilt-rod. Shutters are the sturdiest window covering option and are manufactured with either natural wood or a faux wood composite that won’t warp, crack, splinter, or chip. Plantation shutters have always been free of cords, so these treatments have always been considered child-safe.

• Barn Door Shutters: Instead of raising up and down with a cord or tilt rod, barn door shutters attach to a track above the window frame and slide apart sideways. You can open the panels a tad to bring in some light, or open them completely apart to frame your window.

• Cordless Shades and Blinds: Some corded window treatments have modified their make-up and now use hidden cords that don’t pose a hazard. Other treatments employ motors, which manipulate treatments by remotes or voice commands. Some shades simply raise or lower to their desired height by operating the bottom bar. These treatments are available in different colors, textures, and patterns, and are even available in several semi-translucent fabrics that offer the same ambiance of sheer draperies.
  

Let Sunburst Help You Cut The Cord On Window Treatments

If you’re looking to replace your corded hazards with a more child-friendly treatment, your Riverside Sunburst representative is only a phone call away. We will show you an array of cord-free choices, and we can guide you in finding one for your family. Schedule your no cost in-home consultation by calling 951-517-3030 today.