Window Treatment Safety for Atlanta Homeowners
When looking for new window treatments for your Atlanta house, you’re probably thinking about color schemes, insulation, longevity and more. One item that you might want to consider is safety.
Recently, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found select 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 young children. To increase awareness and help families find solutions to increase safety around the home, October has been designated National Window Covering Safety Month.
Whether you’re choosing window treatments for children’s bedrooms, or refreshing a house in which kids may visit occasionally, Sunburst Shutters Atlanta is here to help ensure your home is as safe as possible.
How Could My Windows Be Dangerous?
The number one hazard to kids in regards to window coverings in the home is dangling cords. Whether a part of shades, blinds, or a different window covering, these cords have been the cause of hundreds of injuries and deaths to especially young children over the past ten years from strangulation.
Window Covering Cord Safety
If possible, replace any corded window treatments in your home with cordless replacements. Shutters, cordless shades and cordless blinds are all great alternatives to corded window treatments, removing the most dangerous component of windows for the children in your home.
Plantation shutters in particular are a standout choice for children’s rooms, and not just because they aren’t even offered with cords. Sunburst plantation shutters have been recognized as a top safety pick by window safety and family organizations including Parents for Window Blind Safety.
Hazardous Window Treatment Finishes
For solid window treatments, some kinds of paints, stains or finishes might release fumes that can have adverse effects on young children. Polywood® and Ovation® plantation shutters discharge no fumes from any finish or stain, and are 100% safe for every room in your house.
Window Falls
Almost every parent knows that kids are instinctive climbers, and the window is the last place you want your child to climb near. Fabric window treatments do almost nothing to keep a child from falling out a window, but plantation shutters can provide a solid, sturdy barrier that shields your child from encountering that danger.
What You Can Do For Safe Windows
Picking the right window treatment is the most important choice you can make in boosting home window safety, but there are things you can do to help:
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In kids’ rooms, move the bed or crib away from the window. The distance helps decrease likelihood of any accidents.
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Don’t have any furniture that can be easily climbed near windows that may be dangerous.
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Ensure that all window treatments are tightly affixed to the window frame or wall to prevent falling.
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If corded window treatments are absolutely necessary, make sure they’re pulled taut so they’re higher up, out of reach of any children. Another option is to retrofit your cords, which you can do with this easy guide.
