Manufacturers are Cutting the Cord On Their Window Treatments

As of December 2018, all newly manufactured stock window treatments should be cord-free or have compact, inaccessible pull cords. Sunburst embraces the announcement, as it comes after conversations between the Window Covering Manufacturers Association and the American National Standards Institute, and covers any pre-manufactured window coverings. And while the new safety regulations don’t recall old corded treatments, some people in Hartford have seen the announcement as an opportunity to change their unsafe window treatments.

 

What Are The New Window Treatment Safety Standards?

For over 70 years, corded window treatments have been included in the Top 5 Hidden Hazards In The Home by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Children and infants can get intertwined 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. Extra cord safety products, such as cord shorteners and fasteners, attempted to alleviate the hazard, but consumers did not use them as manufacturers anticipated.

What Do The New Requirements Cover?

Every stock (ready-made) window treatment made for stores or online needs to now be cordless or have inaccessible cords. This accounts for over 80% of all window covering products purchased in America and Canada. Made-to-order coverings don’t have the same restrictions; however, cords can only hang down to 40% the length of the treatment and must default to a tilt rod rather than a tilt cord. These requirements are only on window treatments manufactured after December 19, 2018, and previously made treatments have not been recalled.

What Are Your Options For Cordless Window Treatments?

With the new regulations, families are now seeking the entire range of safer options when buying or replacing their corded coverings. Luckily, there are a lot of products that have no cords, such as:

• Plantation Shutters: These fashionable treatments cover the window with large louvers and usually open by a center tilt-rod. Shutters can be seen as the longest-lasting window covering option and are manufactured with either solid wood or a faux wood composite that won’t warp, crack, splinter, or chip. There has never been a cord on plantation shutter, so this product has always been known for safety.

• Barn Door Shutters: Instead of raising up and down via a cord or tilt rod, barn door window treatments attach to a track over the window and slide apart sideways. You can slide the panels a bit to let light through, or slide them to the edge of the track for a different look.

• Cord-free Shades and Blinds: Some corded window treatments have altered their mechanics to employ internal cords that shouldn’t hang loose. Other treatments employ motors, which raise and lower treatments via remote control. Many shades simply raise or lower to their desired height by lifting the bottom bar. These treatments are available in different colors, textures, and patterns, and has several semi-translucent options that give you the feel of sheer draperies.
  

Sunburst Can Help You Cut The Cord On Window Treatments

If you’re looking to change out those corded hazards with a better option, your Hartford Sunburst representative is here to help. We can bring you a vast selection of safe options, and we can help you find one for your family. Set up your free in-home consultation by calling 860-266-5459 now.