These tips from the Window Covering Safety Council can help keep your home safe for children
NEW YORK, NY – April is the perfect time to clean out your home and get a fresh, organized start to the spring season. There is nothing like that first warm day where you can open all of the windows and let fresh air into the house while you clean. While chores like vacuuming and storing winter clothes are on most people’s minds, child safety checks may not be.
The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) is reminding parents and caregivers that the home may contain potential safety hazards for children. The organization, dedicated to informing consumers about window cord safety, is urging all parents and caregivers to be conscious of child safety this spring. The tips below can be used during any cleaning routine to help keep your home safe for loved ones.
- Check that your window coverings are safe for children. Only cordless window coverings should be installed in homes with young children, because cords may pose a strangulation hazard. Replace corded blinds, shades and draperies with today’s safer cordless products.
- If you cannot immediately replace older corded window treatments, be sure to keep all window pull cords and inner lift cords out of the reach of children. Make sure that tasseled pull cords are short and continuous-loop cords are permanently anchored to the floor or wall. You can order free repair kits available through the Window Covering Safety Council at (800) 506-4636 or visit org
- Check that all furniture, cribs, beds and climbable surfaces are located away from windows.
- Clean out your medicine cabinet and throw away any expired over-the-counter medicines. Make sure that all medicines have child-proof containers or are located in a locked cabinet.
- Test all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries.
- Inspect any childproofing devices for signs that they may be worn out. Cabinet latches, child safety gates and furniture covers can become less effective after extended use and may need to be replaced.
- Make sure all outlets have covers that cannot be easily removed and that are large enough to prevent a choking hazard.
For more information on window cord safety in the home, visit www.windowcoverings.org. Connect with WCSC on Facebook and Twitter for more home safety ideas, and to help pass safety on.
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Window Covering Safety Council: The (WCSC) is a coalition of major U.S. manufacturers, importers and retailers of window coverings. The Council assists and supports its members in the industry’s ongoing efforts to encourage the use of cordless products in homes with young children, its redesign of corded products, and to support the national ANSI/WCMA standard for the safety of corded window coverings. WCSC’s activities in no way constitute an assumption of any legal duty owed by its members or any other entity. Consumers seeking more information can visit WCSC’s website at www.windowcoverings.org.