Make your blinds safe
Child Safety with blinds is always a priority for us and we would like to share with you some of our knowledge.
Conventional blinds such as Verticals, Rollers, Venetians, and Roman blinds are operated with cords and chains, although looped cords and chains can be a dangerous hazard for children and pets.
Please think about the safety in your home when making plans for visits from relatives or friends who may bring children. Recent legislation means that freely hanging loops of cord or chain must be secured.
What are the methods of securing cords and chains?
As a blinds’ retailer and manufacturer, we comply with all the regulations and in our technical service we apply the following:
- Limitations on cord and chain lengths, determined by fitting height.
- The installation of safety devices on cords or chains.
- Testing of safety devices to make sure that all the loops are properly secured.
Essential safety devices for the cords and the chains:
- Child safety clips (tensioner).
These clips should be securely fixed to the closest surface and at the maximum distance from the top of the blind so the cords and/or chains are held permanently taut by the device.
- Cleat
If your blind is operated by cords, such as a venetian blind, use a cleat to wind the cord. Cleats should be securely fixed to the closest surface out of the reach of children and at least 1.5 metres from the floor. The cords must be secured in a figure of eight after every operation of the blind. Ensure that all spare cord is securely wrapped on the cleat.
- Breakaway connector
This is a special connector which is fitted on the chain at least 0.6m away from the floor which separates the chain when force is applied.
What more can be done?
- Make sure all cords and chains are always secured out of children’s reach.
- Position furniture away from windows to prevent children climbing too close to them.
- Make sure inner or rear cords are also fitted with safety devices.
- If you are not sure about the safety of your blinds installation, contact your local retailer.
There are many innovative solutions and products that make the blinds ‘’safe by design ‘’ which include:
Vertical Blinds being operated by a Wand instead of chains and cords.
The Wand control system has the same function of opening, closing, and rotating the slats and they are easy to use and completely safe. The look is also neat and modern.
Allusion Blinds are one of the most popular styles among our customers as they combine the lightness of the net curtains with the functionality of the vertical blinds. They are operated by the Wand system too with an amazing ‘’walk through’’ function.
Roller Blinds, Pleated blinds and Hive Blinds which are usually operated by spring control, can also be changed to a manual operation.
Rollers can be adjusted by hand, and we can also provide a Magic Wand system which is a battery-operated Wand to open and close the roller at any position. This innovative system is affordable and very popular in children’s rooms.
Intu and Perfect fit blinds are fixed within the window frames keeping them chain and cord free. This solution is perfect for patio doors and conservatories.
Shutters are extremely popular and can be made to fit any shape windows. They open manually with no cords or chains.
Another option is to use Motorised blinds. They are extremely safe and can be operated by mains, magic wand system, remote control or home hub available for IOS, Android (operating systems for Smartphone and iPad), Amazon Alexa, Dot and Echo. Battery-operated systems are cordless, chain free and wireless.
Many types of blinds can be can motorised and include Rollers, Day & Night, Romans, Venetians Blinds, and Perfect fit Day & Night.
For more information on the full range of Child Safe devices or ‘’safe by design’’ products, ask your local retailer Elegancy Blinds, proudly serving Leighton Buzzard with blinds and curtains. Call us on 01908 969961.