Window Treatment Safety and Control Options
Parents often try to protect their children from the dangers of the world lurking outside their windows, but tragically sometimes the most devastating threats can be hanging right inside. The U.S Product Safety Commission issued a report this past December announcing that since 1990 more than 200 infants and young children have died from accidentally getting caught and strangling themselves with window blind and shade cords. A nationwide recall of about 50 million units was ordered and the Window Covering Safety Council is urging parents with small children to “go cordless” with their window treatments. Luckily, there are a number of control options offered by the window treatment industry that do not bring home the risk of these long and dangerous cords.
The first option is to go electric. Most window blind and shades can be motorized now, entirely eliminating the need of cords. You can either use a wall mounted switch or remote to control the motorized system. You can also choose whether to have the treatment plugged into a wall or battery-powered. For child safety purposes, it may be best to go with a battery mounted in the head-rail since a cord plugged into the wall may draw your child’s attention to the power outlet. The electric option is, however, the most expensive and may be out of your budget’s range.
A more economical alternative to motorizing is using a pole instead of a cord to open and close your window treatments. With this option, there is a hook on the end of the pole that fits into a small hole on the handle used to push the treatment up and down. You will more than likely still need to pay a little bit extra to have this option added, but not nearly as much as the cost of motorization. Almost all styles of custom ordered shades and blinds are able to have this option added.
If you’re looking for an option that will cost you the absolute least amount of money, you can always just go with window treatments that do not require cords. This may limit your options as far as style goes, but it will give you peace of mind about your child’s safety and not cost you an arm and a leg in the process. A regular curtain or drape will work for this as they can simply be opened and closed by hand. There are also some cordless blinds and shades available; you just have to do some searching. The essential thing is if you have small children in your house, it is imperative that you be aware and make sure that your window coverings are cordless.
Camilo Gallardo
Horizon Window Treatments
www.horizonyc.com
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Safety should be your first priority. If you are unsure about a safety concern please contact your local childproofer. If you are based in Arizona contact Arizona Childproofers, the leaders in children's safety, childproofing, and pool fences. azchildproofers .com. 480-998-SAFE.
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