Each October marks the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) National Window Cord Safety month. The awareness program is designed to remind parents to pay attention to window cord safety, check their own window cords, and fix any hazards that exist in their homes.
Though poorly designed window cords may seem like a small threat to safety in a home, the CPSC actually counts window treatment cords as one of the top five hidden hazards in U.S. homes, as they can pose a strangulation risk to small children, and even pets.
So what can you do to ensure your window treatments are safe? The CPSC’s number one recommendation is to switch to cordless window treatments or window treatment operating systems, like motorized or remote-controlled window treatments, tension roller shades, or cord-free operating systems like Lite-Rise by Hunter Douglas.
Don’t have the budget to replace every window treatment in your home? Shades, blinds, and drapery can be retro-fitted with cordless operating systems to keep costs down. The WCSC and CPSC also offer a list of recommendations for ensuring that window treatments with cords do not pose a safety hazard. They include:
- Move all furniture, cribs, beds and climbable surfaces away from windows.
- Keep all window cords well out of the reach of children.
- Make sure tasseled pull cords are as short as possible. Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall.
- Be sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit inner-cord movement.
We’d be happy to help you make your home a safer place this month. For more information on how to make your home safer with cordless window treatments, or how to retrofit window treatment cords with safer options, get in touch with Shades Co. here.
