Manufacturers are Becoming Safer With Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, all newly manufactured stock window treatments should be cordless or have small, inaccessible pull cords. Sunburst welcomes the announcement, as it comes after discussions between the Window Covering Manufacturers Association and the American National Standards Institute, and includes any pre-manufactured window coverings. And while the new safety requirements don’t recall old corded treatments, many in Destin have used the regulations as an opportunity to change out their corded window treatments.

 

What Are The New Window Treatment Safety Standards?

For over 70 years, corded 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 tangled up 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. External cord safety products, like cord shorteners and wind-ups, tried to solve the problem, but consumers did not install them as much as expected.

What Do The Safety Regulations Cover?

Each stock (ready-made) window covering sold in stores or online needs to now be cord-free or have inaccessible cords. This involves over 80% of all window treatment products purchased in the U.S. and Canada. Custom-made coverings will not have the same requirements; however, cords can only be 40% the length of the treatment and should default to a tilt rod rather than a tilt cord. These standards are only on window treatments constructed after December 19, 2018, and previously made treatments have not been recalled.

What Are Your Options For Cordless Window Treatments?

With the new safety requirements, consumers are now pursuing the entire range of safer choices when acquiring or replacing their corded coverings. Luckily, there are a lot of options that are cordless, such as:

• Plantation Shutters: These family-friendly treatments cover the window with large louvers and usually open by a center tilt-rod. Shutters have been know as the most durable window covering option and are made with either real wood or a faux wood composite that doesn’t warp, crack, splinter, or chip. Plantation shutters have never used a cord, so this product has always been seen as a safer option.

• Barn Door Window Coverings: Instead of opening up and down with a cord or tilt rod, barn door coverings attach to a track above the window frame and slide apart sideways. You can open your barn doors a little to let light through, or open them all the way apart for a different look.

• Cordless Shades and Blinds: Some shades and blinds have altered their mechanics and now use internal cords that shouldn’t hang loose. Others use motors, which raise and lower coverings without touching the treatment. Some shades open and close to their desired height by operating the bottom bar. These shades are available in a multitude of colors, textures, and patterns, and has many semi-translucent models that offer the same ambiance of sheer draperies.
  

Let Sunburst Help You Cut The Cord On Your Shades and Blinds

If you want to replace your corded shades and blinds with a safer treatment, your Destin Sunburst representative is only a phone call away. We will show you a vast selection of safe options, and we can assist you in finding one that works best for your rooms. Book your no cost in-home consultation by calling 850-203-0419 now.