October is National Window Covering Safety Month: Houston's Creative Blinds, offers 20% Off Replacing Older, Unsafe Corded Window Coverings

A 2026 survey found most parents know about cord hazards, but nearly three in four have not replaced corded blinds with cordless alternatives.

HOUSTON, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that children have strangled on cords from blinds, shades, draperies and other window coverings, and that incidents can happen in moments, even when an adult is nearby. The agency says cordless window coverings are the safest option when young children are present and recommends replacing most window blinds sold before November 2000, which may contain inner cords that a child can pull into a dangerous loop.

This October, during National Window Covering Safety Month, Creative Blinds is offering 20 percent off qualifying replacement window coverings for customers who swap older, corded blinds and shades for safer cordless alternatives, and is asking Houston families to check every window in the house for hidden cord hazards.

The offer comes as the family-owned company marks its 50th anniversary this October. Founded in 1976 by native Houstonian Steve Palmer, Creative Blinds is celebrating five decades in business by bringing awareness to hazardous corded window coverings.

"Parents know the cords are dangerous. That's not the problem," said Erika Palmer Mandel, second-generation owner of Creative Blinds. "The problem is that a blind hangs on a window for years and stops looking like a hazard and starts looking like part of the room without ever thinking of it as a safety issue."

An exposed pull cord, a dangling cord, an accessible loop or an older internal cord system deserves a closer look, particularly in homes where babies or young children live, visit or are cared for.

The need is larger than many homeowners realize. A national survey released by the Window Covering Safety Council in June 2026 found that 84 percent of households with children recognize that pull cords on window coverings can pose a strangulation hazard, yet only 27 percent reported replacing corded blinds with cordless alternatives.

"Most days we're helping people pick colors and fabrics," adds Mandel. "But this business also comes down to something a lot more important: getting an unsafe product out of a house before it becomes a tragedy."                                                                     

The Window Covering Safety Council recommends cordless window coverings or products with inaccessible cords in homes with young children, and its Best for Kids certification helps consumers identify products that meet that standard. Houston-area homeowners who are unsure whether an existing blind or shade should be replaced can bring photographs to a Creative Blinds showroom or discuss the product with a Creative Blinds window treatment professional, and are encouraged to check children's bedrooms, playrooms, grandparents' homes, babysitters' homes, guest rooms and any windows positioned near cribs, beds, furniture or climbable surfaces.

This caution comes with competence. Steve Palmer grew the business to 16 stores and a manufacturing operation in the 1980s, Palmer's father later joined the company and worked there for 26 years. Palmer remains part of the business today as daughter Erika Palmer Mandel helps write its next chapter. The legacy of expertise continues, and cautioning families about this risk is especially important.

"Companies do not survive 50 years because of a product. They survive because of the people behind them, the lessons learned when something goes wrong and the willingness to rebuild," adds Palmer, founder of Creative Blinds. "That is the Power of People, and it is what this month's safety push is all about. We are asking Houston families to take a second look at the products in their homes and make things right."

About Creative Blinds
Creative Blinds is a family-owned Houston window treatment company founded in 1976 by native Houstonian Steve Palmer and celebrating 50 years in 2026. The company provides custom shades, shutters, blinds, drapery, motorization, professional installation and window covering service throughout greater Houston. For more information, visit creativeblinds.com.

SOURCE Creative Blinds