Safety Features in the Home Protect Your Children and Pets

When it comes to the safety of your children in the home, there are many things that could be potential hazards, like cleaning products that could be poisonous if ingested, dressers tipping over, or stairways that kids can fall down. One area that you may not have given much thought to is the window coverings in your home. That’s right: blinds and shades with cords. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, window coverings with cords that hang down are one of the leading hazards for kids under the age of six in the home. Additionally, cats and dogs have been known to play with dangling cords and can often find themselves tangled up.

At Custom Blinds & Design in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, we love kids and pets. That’s why we make it a point to discuss protecting them in the home and showing families the benefits of going with cordless options for window treatments as a great alternative. Our professionals will help you find the right window covering for your home that will give you peace of mind when it comes to safety in your home.

Window Treatments with Safety in Mind

We offer several Hunter Douglas window treatment options that can make your home safer by ensuring that cords that could be potentially dangerous to a young child or a pet are not left hanging freely. Cordless controls provide a safer environment for your toddler and furry friend, as well as offer easier ways to open and close blinds or shades. Cordless controls such as PowerView® Automation, LiteRise®, and UltraGlide® Wand are some of the safety mechanisms that can be installed. Let’s look at how these cordless controls can be beneficial and provide safety in your home, every day.

• PowerView® Automation
  PowerView® Automation allows you to adjust automated window treatments with the press of a button, tap on your mobile device, or with your voice– if you have a smart home system. You can even schedule shades to move automatically at different times of the day– suited to your preferences and lifestyle. This is a great option for a young child’s room where you could close the window coverings during their nap or in the summer time during Daylight Saving Time.

• LiteRise® System
  LiteRise® gives you the ability to raise the shade or blind up or pull it down using your hand. A cord isn’t required and it is available in a variety of styles, giving you many choices when it comes to the look you want in the room.

• UltraGlide® Wand
  With the UltraGlide® system, your window covering comes with a retractable wand or cord (depending on your product choice) to raise or lower your shade. This option eliminates having any cords dangling within reach of young children or curious pets. The wand or cord always remains a constant length when raising and lowering your window treatments. When you’re not using it, it retracts fully or to a minimal length.

• Shutters
  Shutters are perfect for children’s bedrooms, play areas, or any room in your home as they are cord-free.

Another option to make your home safe for your children and pets is with a wall-mounted cord tensioner. A cord tensioner works specifically with products that have a continuous cord loop operating system. Installed properly, the tensioner holds looped cords securely, keeping the loop from hanging down and becoming a hazard to your child. Keep in mind that if the tensioner is installed incorrectly or damaged, the window shade or blind won’t function properly and the continuous loop is left hanging, which presents a strangulation hazard.

At Custom Blinds & Design, our expertise is putting the perfect solution for windows in your home, accounting for all factors, including the safety of your child or pet. We encourage families to use only window treatments with cordless operating systems or inaccessible cords if you have young children or pets in your home. To learn more about how we can help you eliminate safety hazards in your home, give us a call at our Omaha Gallery, 402-895-9900, or our Lincoln Gallery, 402-730-2000 and schedule a free consultation with one of our designers.