When choosing a new window treatment for your Orlando home, you’re probably considering colors, energy efficiency, durability and more. One item that you might want to keep in mind is safety.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently found certain window treatments to be among the top five “hidden hazards” in American homes, having been the cause of a number of injuries and even deaths among small children and infants. To increase awareness and help families find ways to increase safety around the home, October is National Window Covering Safety Month.
No matter if you’re choosing window treatments for children’s bedrooms, or refreshing a house in which children could visit from time to time, Sunburst Shutters Orlando is here to help ensure your home is as safe as it can be.
How Could My Windows Be Dangerous?
The number one threat to children when it comes to window treatments in your house is hanging cords. Whether a part of shades, blinds, or any other window treatment, dangling cords have accounted for a large number of injuries and fatalities to small children over the last ten years due to asphyxiation.
Window Treatment Cord Safety
If possible, replace any window covering with cords in your house with non-corded replacements. Shutters, cordless shades and cordless blinds are all fantastic substitutes for corded window treatments, removing the most hazardous aspect of windows for the children in your home.
Plantation shutters–more than any other window treatment–are a great choice for children’s bedrooms, and not just because they aren’t even offered with cords. Sunburst plantation shutters have been designated as a top safety pick by window safety and family organizations like Parents for Window Blind Safety.
Hazardous Window Treatment Finishes
For solid window treatments, specific types of stains, finishes, or paints can give off fumes that can be hazardous to young children. Polywood® and Ovation® plantation shutters release no fumes at all, and are 100% safe for every area in your home.
Window Falls
As every parent knows, children are natural climbers, and the last place you want a kid climbing is near a window. Fabric window coverings do virtually nothing to protect a child from stumbling through a window, but plantation shutters can provide a solid, stout barrier that keeps your child from encountering that danger.
The Little Things You Can Do For Safe Windows
Choosing the best window treatment is the most critical decision you’ll make in improving window safety in your home, but there are things you can do as well:
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In kids’ bedrooms, make sure the crib or bed is kept away from the window. This decreases the chance of any accidents.
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Try not to leave any scalable furniture or other objects near windows that may be hazardous.
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Double check that all window coverings are solidly affixed to the window frame or wall to prevent accidents.
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If cords are absolutely necessary, make sure they’re pulled taut so they’re higher up, out of reach of any children. Retrofitting your cords is also an option with this easy guide.
Make Your House Safer And Smarter, Orlando
If you’ve got concerns about the safety of your window treatments, we’re glad to help. Give us a call at
407-630-7011 or use the form below to set up a free consultation, during which we can show you all your options to ensure that you have peace of mind in your home.