For this installment, Blinds by Design – proudly serving Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky (KY), Jeffersonville, Sellersburg, and New Albany, Indiana (IN), and the surrounding areas – is here to inform you of the new child safety standards regarding cords and window treatments. Contact us today to see our wide selection of cordless blinds and shades.

As of Dec. 15, 2018, the vast majority of window covering products sold in the US are cordless or have inaccessible or short cords as a result of a new safety standard. The Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) coordinated the two-year effort to update the safety standard, ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2018, under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), working closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the window covering industry and consumer groups. The new safety standard is a direct result of ongoing industry innovation, technological advances and new product development. The new US ANSI window covering safety standard is by far the strongest safety standard in the world.

The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is dedicated to educating parents and caregivers about the potential strangulation risks of window blind and shade cords and urges consumers to only use cordless window coverings or window coverings with inaccessible cords in homes with young children. Keeping kids safe can be a challenge when danger may not be obvious. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission calls corded window coverings one of the top five hidden hazards in American homes, with infants and children accidentally becoming entangled in window blind cords.

Ideally, use only cordless window coverings in homes where infants and young children are present. Most older window coverings do not meet the latest national standard for window cord safety. The Window Covering Manufacturers Association suggests Replacing older window treatments with today’s safer cordless products. If you have corded window treatments in your home, put blind cord safety at the top of your child proofing checklist.

Child Safety Checklist for Homes with Corded Window Treatments

• Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall.

• Make sure that tasseled pull cords are as short as possible.

• Continuous-loop cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be permanently anchored to the floor or wall.

• Keep all window cords well out of the reach of children. Eliminate any dangling cords.

• Check that cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit the movement of inner lift cords.

If you have questions regarding child safety and window treatments, we have answers! Contact us today to schedule a consultation with an experienced design pro. Whatever your style, we’ll help you achieve it!

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