Mini Blind, Roman Shade Recall & Free Repair Kits Available

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) have just announced a massive, voluntary recall of an estimated 50 million window shades and blinds. The blinds affected by the recall include both the flat panel shade, called a Roman Shade and the "mini blinds." Mini blinds are plastic, wood, or metal blinds made of thin, horizontal slats.

The reason for this huge is that the loops that control the opening and closing of these blinds and shades can strangle small children who may accidentally get tangled up in the ropes. Since 1990, there have been 200 infant and toddler window shade strangulation deaths reported to the CPSC, prompting this massive recall.

How to order a free retrofit window blind repair kit

Fortunately for homeowners, it won't be necessary to rip down those blinds and shades and replace them with something different. The Window Covering Safety Council is offering up free retrofit kits for these styles of blinds. Free retrofit repair kits can be ordered by calling 1-800-506-4636 or on line at www.windowcoverings.org. With 50 million window coverings covered by the recall, parents should order these kits as soon as possible. *UPDATE* Due to the high volume of calls, the WCSC has opened up a second hotline at 1-800-372-5715.

For parents of young children, strangulation is a hazard that many of us should be concerned with. It's not just these styles of blinds and shades that can lead to injury or death, but any style of blind that is operated by means of a pulley and rope. The bamboo shades used to cool down the patio can also pose a hazard to kids, along with the fancy draperies operated by means of a traverse rod and even decorative tie backs.

Window blind safety tips.

When my children were infants, there was some basic common sense safety measures we took to prevent strangulation around the blinds. These safety measures included:

1) Installing cord free blinds or window coverings. Tabbed curtains or cafe curtains are two examples of window coverings that are "cord free".

2) No tie backs. Tie backs are those decorative loops that hold back draperies and curtains to let in the light. Unfortunately, these mini nooses pose an incredible danger for a child.

3) Keeping the crib away from the windows. From the height of a crib, it's just too easy for little ones to get tangled up in the cords or even pull down the curtains on their heads. Aside from the danger of strangulation or suffocation, energetic toddlers can fall against the plate glass window which could easily break. All these are important reasons why a bed, toy box, or even kids furniture should never be placed up against a window.

For additional window covering safety tips, check out the web site of The Window Covering Safety Council found here. This informative site is chocked full of information that all parents of newborns and toddlers should read before selecting curtains and draperies for the nursery and the rest of the house.

sources:

Windowcoverings.org
Huffingtonpost.com