Window Covering Safety: What Buyers Should Know

If young children live in or visit your home, choose cordless window coverings and inspect the coverings already installed. Cords can create a strangulation hazard, including cords that are not obvious from the front of a blind or shade. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends going cordless when young children are present.

Safety standards help shape product design, but a date or product label is not a substitute for choosing the right controls, following installation instructions, and checking the room.

What changed in June 2024?

ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2022 took effect on June 1, 2024. This is the window-covering industry's updated safety standard developed through the ANSI voluntary consensus process.

The Window Covering Safety Council explains that the revision eliminated free-hanging operating and tilt cords on custom products and tightened requirements for other control systems. It also prohibits continuous cord loops and bead chains on custom horizontal slatted products. Some other product categories can use specified systems subject to additional requirements, so the change should not be described as every product becoming completely cord-free.

How does that relate to federal requirements?

Industry standards and federal rules have separate histories. CPSC’s current 15(j) business guidance identifies hazardous operating-cord conditions for stock coverings, along with inner-cord and labeling requirements affecting stock and custom coverings.

Update checked October 12, 2026: CPSC published a proposed rule on September 24, 2026 to expand its substantial-product-hazard provisions for window-covering cords. That notice is a proposal, not a new final rule. Separately, CPSC records the court’s September 2023 decision vacating the earlier federal rule for operating cords on custom coverings.

For shoppers, the practical question is straightforward: what controls does this exact product use, and what must be installed to use it correctly? If you need a compliance determination for a business or project, consult the current official requirements and the manufacturer's documentation.

Inspect the coverings you already own

A newer standard does not remove hazards from older products. Look through every room, including guest rooms and spaces children visit only occasionally.

• Check for dangling operating cords, continuous loops or chains, and accessible inner cords.
• Move cribs, beds, toys, and climbable furniture away from windows and covering cords.
• Check the product's identity and any applicable recall instructions before continuing to use a suspect covering.
• If replacement cannot happen immediately, follow CPSC's product-appropriate guidance. The agency warns that interim measures and retrofit kits do not eliminate the hazard.

A cord tied high or hidden behind furniture should not be treated as a permanent safety solution. Do not improvise a repair or remove a safety component to make a covering easier to operate. Ask the manufacturer about the correct replacement or repair path.

Questions to ask before buying

1. How does this exact model operate? Check the controls rather than relying only on a product photograph.
2. What installation hardware is required? Read the instructions and ensure the intended mounting surface can support the specified hardware.
3. Can an adult reach the controls? Plan around tall windows and furniture without creating a reason to add a cord or bypass a device.
4. What product documentation is available? Ask about the specific model if you need details about its standard or certification.

Window Blind Outlet lists cordless options in the cellular shade collection. Read the selected product's details and contact us if its controls or installation are unclear. A general shopping guide cannot certify every model or promise a risk-free room.