Good Housekeeping Promotion in Support of National Window Coverings Safety Month

Free Cordless Upgrades Offered to Help Promote Awareness of Potential Window Cords Hazards

New York (September 10, 2012) – In recognition and support of October as National Window Coverings Safety Month Good Housekeeping Custom Blinds and Shades will offer its customers free cordless upgrades between September 15^th through October 31^st.

The initiative is part of a nationwide campaign co-sponsored by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC). It was designed to increase consumer awareness of potential window cord hazards, as well as to encourage the use of cordless window products in homes with young children.

Good Housekeeping, which launched its comprehensive collection of custom blinds and shades earlier this year, features performance and safety-based window treatments, with an emphasis on cordless options for child safety.

“Window treatments need to be durable and safe, especially if there are young children in the house,” said Rosemary Ellis, Editor-in-Chief of Good Housekeeping. “Our custom blinds have been evaluated at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute to ensure that they meet industry standards and have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal.” 

Parents and caregivers throughout the nation are urged to replace blinds, corded shades and drapes with today’s safer products. In offering its customers free cordless upgrades, Good Housekeeping Custom Blinds and Shades hopes to shed light on and prevent potential strangulation hazards that window cords can pose.

In order to avoid such incidents and ensure child safety, the Window Covering Safety Council offers the following precautions:

·         Always keep windows closed and locked when small children are in the room. If you wish to open a window for ventilation, be sure it is one out of their reach.

·         Do not place cribs or other furniture near windows. Young children are determined climbers and they are often enticed to crawl over such objects and reach for nearby items. When doing so, they run the additional risk of falling.

·         Never allow anything to dangle into a crib or bed. Babies and toddlers can easily become entangled while sleeping or playing.

·         Discourage children from playing near windows and patio doors. Establish rules concerning safe play areas and stick to them.

·         Never allow long window covering pull cords to "puddle" on the floor next to the window.

·         Never allow pull cords or continuous cord loops to hang loose and free, especially within the reach of a small child.

·         Pay attention to the bottom chains that exist on many vertical blinds. While inconspicuous, these chains pose the same risks as pull cords, particularly to those children crawling on or playing close to the floor.

·         Only install window treatments that provide the highest quality child safety devices, such as cord-free hardware systems, cord tensioners and control wands.

·         Consider installing window guards on both upstairs and downstairs windows to prevent children from tumbling out. While screens are sufficient for keeping bugs outside, they do little to hold a child's weight. Be sure that each window guard has a quick release mechanism in case an emergency exit is necessary.

The complete collection of Good Housekeeping Custom Blinds and Shades are available through several authorized online retailers including: Blindsgalore.com, Americanblinds.com, Blindschalet.com, Selectblinds.com, Stevesblindsandwallpaper.com, Shadesshuttersblinds.com, Blindsaver.com and Blindsexpress.com.

For additional information about the Good Housekeeping Custom Blinds and Shades free cordless upgrade promotion, please visit: www.GoodHousekeepingBlindsandShades.com.


ABOUT GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Founded in 1885, Good Housekeeping magazine (www.goodhousekeeping.com) reaches nearly 24 million readers each month.  In addition to the print title, there is The Good Housekeeping Research Institute, the consumer product evaluation laboratory of Good Housekeeping magazine.  Founded in 1900 and continuing today with the same mission, the Research Institute is dedicated to improving the lives of consumers and their families through education and product evaluation.  Only products evaluated by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute can be accepted for advertising in the magazine, and thereby become eligible to display the Good Housekeeping Seal, the hallmark that provides assurance to readers that the products advertised in the magazine are backed by a two-year limited warranty against being defective, with specified exceptions.  In 2009, the Green Good Housekeeping Seal was introduced as an environmental overlay to the primary Seal.  It offers consumers guidance to help them choose products that are exercising environmental responsibility on a wide range of criteria. Readers can also interact with the brand on the digital front, with Good Housekeeping mobile (m.goodhousekeeping.com), at Goodhousekeeping.com and through its GH@Home and Anti-Aging Beauty Shopper iPhone apps. In addition to its U.S. flagship, Good Housekeeping publishes 11 editions around the world.  Good Housekeeping is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S. (ABC 2011) which reaches 82 million adults (Spring 2012 MRI). Follow Good Housekeeping on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and on the Inside the Institute blog.