Manufacturers are Cutting the Cord On Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, all newly manufactured stock window treatments should be cordless or have short, inaccessible pull cords. Sunburst embraces these regulations, as it comes after negotiations 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 already purchased window treatments, many in Bluff City have viewed the regulations as a reason to replace their unsafe shades and blinds.

 

What Are The New Window Treatment Safety Standards?

In the past few decades, corded window treatments have been determined as 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, leading to 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, such as cord wraps and wind-ups, attempted to alleviate the hazard, but people did not install them as universally as expected.

What Do The Safety Regulations Cover?

Every stock (ready-made) window treatment available in stores or online should now be cordless or have inaccessible cords. This accounts for over 80% of all window treatment products marketed in the U.S. and Canada. Made-to-order window treatments don’t have the same requirements; however, cords can only hang down to 40% the length of the treatment and should default to a tilt rod instead of a tilt cord. These requirements only affect window treatments made 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 seeking different cord-free choices when purchasing or replacing their corded coverings. Check out a few window treatments that don’t use cords:

• Plantation Shutters: These family-friendly window treatments cover the window with large louvers and usually employ a center tilt-rod. Plantation Shutters have been know as 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 cordless, so these treatments have always been seen as a safer option.

• Barn Door Window Coverings: Instead of opening vertically via a cord or tilt rod, barn door coverings attach to a track above the window and slide apart sideways. You can slide your barn doors a little to let light through, or slide them completely apart to frame your window.

• Cordless Shades and Blinds: Some window treatments have altered their designs and now use internal cords that shouldn’t pose a hazard. Other treatments employ motors, which manipulate treatments by remotes or voice commands. Many shades simply raise or lower to their needed position by operating the bottom bar. These treatments are available in different colors, textures, and patterns, and has many semi-translucent models that offer the same ambiance of sheer draperies.
  

Sunburst Can Help You Cut The Cord On Your Window Coverings

If you need to upgrade from corded hazards with a better option, your Bluff City Sunburst representative is here to help. We will show you an array of safe window treatments, and we can guide you in finding one that works best for your rooms. Book your no cost in-home consultation by calling 276-685-5343 now.