Story after story has been told about the dangers of cords on window treatments. In 2010, three-year-old Daniel Sutton died in his home when he got tangled in the cord of a window covering. His parents later sued Hunter Douglas, claiming the company showed a level of reckless disregard because its window coverings weren’t safe enough. Stories like that were enough to propel the Window Covering Manufacturers Association to take action. A new safety standard was developed in the hopes that stories like Daniel’s might never happen again, and that may change the way you shop for cordless blinds and window coverings.
About the New Regulations
As of December 2018, any standard window covering must be cordless. If it is not completely cordless, its cords must at least be inaccessible. The standard also states that corded custom window products have to have a default length of 40% of the blind height. They also can’t have a tilt cord. Instead, they have to default to a tilt wand, to eliminate as many cords as possible.
The Potential for Danger
Stories like Daniel’s are really the push behind these new regulation. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were nearly 50 fatalities among infants and young children between 2012 and 2017, just before the regulations went into effect. The journal Pediatrics found that 17,000 children under the age of six went to the hospital as a result of injuries related to window coverings between 1990 and 2015. Children are curious, and window covering cords can become incredibly dangerous in a matter of seconds. Because window coverings have become so innovative in the past several years, it just makes sense that these new regulations go into a place and change the potential for danger.
What It Really Means For You
The new regulations will impact you most when you’re shopping for standard window coverings either in the store or online. Most of these regulations apply to stock window treatments, essentially the ones that are sold off the shelf at a retail store or an online store. For example, imagine you go to your local home improvement store to pick up a set of blinds for that room you’ve been refinishing. You’re going to find a very different selection than you might have before those regulations went into place.
Most of what you’ll see on the shelf now will be cordless blinds. Custom window coverings, designed specifically for your home, are largely unaffected by this regulation, particularly because many of those are used as accommodations for people with disabilities or elderly individuals who would be negatively impacted by a switch like this one. If you have special circumstances like those where corded window coverings are must, custom carriers can help you meet those individual needs around these new regulations, though those needs will be met in a different fashion than they might have before these regulations were put into place.
If You Still Have Corded Window Coverings In Your Home
If your home is full of corded window coverings, there are things you can do to help your kids stay safe until you learn where to buy cordless shades. First, move any furniture you have away from the cords to help make those cords a little harder to reach. If you have tasseled pull cords, keep them as short as possible. Make sure continuous loop cords are anchored to the floor or the wall. Finally, double check that cord stops are properly installed to help limit any potential movement.
Let Us Help
Looking for better cordless window treatments? Need a custom window treatment to meet your specific requirements? We have the best window treatments in Scottsdale. We even provide in-home consultations to help you learn more about your extensive options, whether you need something with a cord or you’d prefer something that helps keep your children a bit safer. Learn more when you contact Gallery of Shades today at
480.643.0014.