Manufacturers are Becoming Safer With Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, newly manufactured stock window coverings should be cordless or have small, inaccessible pull cords. Sunburst applauds the announcement, as it comes after conversations between the Window Covering Manufacturers Association and the American National Standards Institute, and encompasses any pre-manufactured window coverings. And while the new safety standards don’t recall corded blinds or shades, some people in New Brunswick have viewed the statement as an opportunity to install a safer option.

 

What Are The New Window Treatment Safety Standards?

For over 70 years, window treatment cords have been deemed one of the Top 5 Hidden Hazards In The Home by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Young children and infants can get entangled in the cords, causing injury or strangulation, with a report finding that there were almost 17,000 window cord injuries during a fifteen-year period. Independent cord safety products, like cord shorteners and fasteners, attempted to make treatments safer, but consumers did not utilize them as universally as anticipated.

What Do The New Regulations Cover?

Each stock (ready-made) window treatment available in stores or online must now be cordless or have inaccessible cords. This accounts for over 80% of all window covering products marketed in the United States and Canada. Custom-made window treatments don’t have the same restrictions; however, cords can only be 40% the length of the treatment and will default to a tilt rod rather than a tilt cord. These regulations only affect window treatments manufactured after December 19, 2018, and old treatments have not been recalled.

What Are Your Choices Regarding Cordless Window Treatments?

With the new safety requirements, families are now looking at various safer options when acquiring or replacing their blinds and shades. Check out some different window treatments that don’t use cords:

• Plantation Shutters: These popular treatments cover the window with large louvers and usually open by a center tilt-rod. Plantation Shutters are the most durable window covering option and are constructed with either solid wood or a faux wood composite that doesn’t warp, crack, splinter, or chip. Plantation shutters have always been free of cords, so shutters have always been known for safety.

• Barn Door Shutters: Instead of raising up and down via a cord or tilt rod, barn door window treatments attach to a track above the window and slide side to side. You can part your barn doors a tad to have some light peek in, or open them to the edge of the track for a statement piece.

• Cord-free Shades and Blinds: Some shades and blinds have changed their mechanics and now use inaccessible cords that won’t hang loose. Some employ motors, which raise and lower treatments without touching the treatment. Some shades simply raise or lower to their desired height by lifting the bottom bar. These shades come in a variety of colors, textures, and patterns, and are offered in a variety of semi-translucent options that give you the feel of sheer draperies.
  

Let Sunburst Help You Cut The Cord On Your Window Coverings

If you need to upgrade from corded window treatments with a safer treatment, your New Brunswick Sunburst representative is only a phone call away. We will show you many safe choices, and we can assist you in finding one for your family. Schedule your no cost in-home consultation by calling 732-301-6168 today.