· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Shutters and Blinds
Accessible blind cords are a documented strangulation risk for young children. The federal safety standard for operating cords on custom window coverings counts 209 reported strangulations on window coverings among children eight and younger from January 2009 through December 2021, and 100 of them were fatal. Stock blinds have been built without hazardous cords under the industry’s 2018 standard, and since May 30, 2023 the federal rule has required custom blinds to have no accessible operating cord either.
The hazard
A cord within reach of a crib, a bed or any furniture a child can climb. CPSC’s findings in that rule put the danger at any cord longer than 8 inches that a child can get to, and call it a hidden hazard because it happens quickly and silently, in a few minutes, in rooms parents think of as safe, such as a bedroom or family room.
Continuous loop cords count too, not only the traditional pull cord with a tassel on the end. The Window Covering Safety Council’s cord safety advice singles out the continuous loops on draperies and vertical blinds and says to anchor them permanently to the floor or wall.
What should you do with existing corded blinds?
Replace them with cordless where the budget allows, starting with bedrooms and playrooms, because that is the only complete fix. The federal rule’s findings say cord cleats and tension devices are unlikely to eliminate or substantially reduce the hazard: a cleat only helps if someone wraps the cord around it every time the blind goes up or down, a tension device has to be fixed to the wall or sill, which a rental may not permit, and even a properly installed one can leave a loop a child’s head fits through. The same findings note that most of the blinds involved in strangulation incidents carried the permanent warning label. Until the old blind comes down, treat those devices as a stopgap.
Move cribs, beds and climbable furniture away from windows regardless; the Window Covering Safety Council says to another wall where you can. When you do replace the blinds, the cordless blinds we install lift by the bottom rail and tilt with a wand.
- Cordless in any room a young child uses
- Cleats and tensioners only as a stopgap until then
- Move cribs and furniture away from windows
- Check grandparents’ houses and vacation rentals too
- Continuous loop cords count as a hazard
What are the cordless options?
Cordless lift, where you raise and lower the blind by its bottom rail, motorized operation by remote, and shutters or blinds that tilt with a wand. Where a custom blind keeps a cord, the rule allows it only inside a rigid shroud, as a cord that fully retracts when you let go, or with a loop restraint built onto the covering. On price, the rule’s cost findings say stock blind prices went up after the 2018 standard while sales held steady, and put the added cost of replacing every custom window product in a home at as little as $24 for the less expensive lines.
Motorized is worth considering for tall or hard-to-reach windows whether or not there are children in the house, and the federal rule names remote-controlled operation, or a pole, as the way to work coverings in hard-to-reach spots. Our post on motorized blinds weighs whether they earn their cost, and our motorized page covers the battery and wired choices.
Where the risk gets forgotten
Houses without young children that children visit: grandparents, rentals, vacation homes. CPSC’s findings point out that some owners assume cords are no danger because no young children live with them or visit, yet window coverings last a long time, often one to two decades, and they usually stay up when a house is sold or new renters move in.
If you have just bought a house, or you rent one out, look at the cords on whatever blinds came with it. When you are ready to swap them for cordless, ask us for a free estimate.
Sources
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 16 CFR Part 1260, Safety Standard for Operating Cords on Custom Window Coverings (2025 edition, govinfo.gov) — Effective May 30, 2023; 209 strangulations and 100 deaths among children 8 and younger, 2009 to 2021; cords longer than 8 inches; hidden hazard; cleats and tension devices unlikely to be effective; warning labels; shrouds, retractable cords and loop restraints; remote control or a pole for hard-to-reach windows; stock prices rose after 2018; $24 household cost estimate; 145 million corded custom coverings in use in 2020; coverings stay installed one to two decades
- Window Covering Safety Council, Window Covering Cord Safety — Continuous loop cords on draperies and vertical blinds; move cribs, beds and furniture away from windows, preferably to another wall; cordless in homes with young children
FAQ
Cord Safety and Why Cordless Became Standard — questions
Are corded blinds still sold?
Stock blinds have been built without accessible operating cords under the industry’s 2018 standard, and since May 30, 2023 a federal rule has required the same of custom blinds. A custom blind can keep a cord only if it is made inaccessible, inside a rigid shroud, on a cord that retracts, or with a loop restraint. CPSC estimated about 145 million corded custom window coverings were in use in US homes in 2020, and that installed base is where the risk actually sits.
How do I make existing corded blinds safer?
Replacing them with cordless, starting in children’s rooms, is the only complete answer. Cord cleats and tension devices work only if they are used every time and fitted correctly, and CPSC found them unlikely to eliminate the hazard, so treat them as a stopgap. In the meantime move cribs, beds and any climbable furniture away from windows and keep every cord out of reach.
Are motorized blinds worth it?
For tall or hard-to-reach windows, often yes, since there is no cord for anyone to reach and the federal rule names remote-controlled operation as a way to work coverings in hard-to-reach places. Battery-powered motors need no new wiring, so they can go on windows in an existing house. Elsewhere in the house it comes down to how often the blinds are actually opened and closed.
How do you operate cordless blinds?
You raise and lower a cordless blind by its bottom rail, and the slats tilt with a wand rather than a cord. Motorized ones run from a remote, which also suits tall windows that are hard to reach. Where a custom blind keeps a cord, it sits in a rigid shroud, retracts fully or has a loop restraint.