As of June 1st of this year, new regulations on corded blinds and shades take effect. The new standards are designed to “reduce the possibility of injury, including strangulation, to your children from the bead chain, cord or any type of flexible loop”, and they apply to all interior window covering products, both stock and custom in the U.S. market.
What this means for you and your family is that cord-lock or corded lift systems will no longer be available.
Replacements for those cords will be continuous cords with certified tension devices, cordless lift systems, motorized wands and high tech motorization systems.
Cordless lifts are very nice options if you can reach the top of your windows, but a majority of my clients have large windows where that is not really a functional system for them. I highly recommend motorized blinds and shades. They are so nice because they can be added to any of your Smart Home hubs such as Google Nest or Amazon Echo. They can be set to your favorite positions, programmed to close with a timer and be operated by a remote or your phone. They are also a great option if you have several windows and don’t want to have to control each one individually several times a day, depending on the light.
The motorized wands are also handy, especially for kids rooms and those who are not techy and prefer not to mess with a remote. They also bridge the cost gap between cordless and motorized.