Manufacturers are Becoming Safer With Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, newly manufactured stock window treatments should not use cords or have small, 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 includes any pre-manufactured window treatments. And while the new safety standards don’t recall old corded treatments, some people in Salt Lake City have seen the announcement as an opportunity to change out their corded window treatments.

 

What Are The New Window Treatment Safety Standards?

Since the 1960s, 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, causing injury or strangulation, with a report finding that there were almost 17,000 window cord injuries during a fifteen-year period. External cord safety products, such as cord wraps and wind-ups, attempted to solve the problem, but families did not install them as much as expected.

What Do The Safety Regulations Cover?

Each stock (ready-made) window covering made for stores or online must now be cord-free or have inaccessible cords. This involves over 80% of all window covering products marketed in America and Canada. Custom-built treatments will not have the same requirements; however, cords can only hang down to 40% the length of the covering and should default to a tilt rod instead of a tilt cord. These regulations are only on window coverings made after December 19, 2018, and previously made coverings have not been recalled.

What Are Your Options For Cordless Window Treatments?

With the new safety requirements, people are now pursuing the entire range of cord-free options when acquiring or replacing their window treatments. Let’s look at a few cord-free options:

• Plantation Shutters: These family-friendly window treatments cover the window with thick louvers and usually open by a center tilt-rod. Plantation Shutters are the most durable window treatment and are manufactured with either solid wood or a faux wood composite that doesn’t warp, crack, splinter, or chip. Plantation shutters have always been cordless, so these treatments have always been seen as a safer option.

• Barn Door Shutters: Instead of opening vertically with a cord or tilt rod, barn door window treatments attach to a track above the window and slide side to side. You can slide the panels a bit to let light through, or slide them all the way apart for a different look.

• Cord-free Shades and Blinds: Some window treatments have modified their mechanics to employ inaccessible cords that shouldn’t dangle down. Some operate by motors, which raise and lower coverings by remotes or voice commands. Different shades simply raise or lower to their desired height by tugging the bottom bar. These treatments are available in different colors, textures, and patterns, and has a variety of semi-translucent fabrics 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 hazards with a more child-friendly option, your Salt Lake City Sunburst representative can help. We have many cordless options, and we can guide you in finding one that looks great in your windows. Book your free in-home consultation by calling 801-515-3598 now.