Houston – October 01, 2026 -- Creative Blinds is offering 20 percent off qualifying replacement window coverings this October for Houston families who swap out older, corded blinds and shades for cordless alternatives, timed to National Window Covering Safety Month.

Cords on blinds and shades remain a strangulation risk for young children

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

A 2026 survey found a gap between awareness and action

A national survey released by the Window Covering Safety Council in June 2026 found that 84 percent of households with children recognize pull cords as a strangulation hazard. Only 27 percent, however, had actually replaced corded blinds with cordless alternatives.

Creative Blinds ties the safety push to its 50th anniversary

The family-owned company, founded in 1976 by native Houstonian Steve Palmer, is marking 50 years in business this October. "Parents know the cords are dangerous. That's not the problem," said Erika Palmer Mandel, the company's second-generation owner. She said a blind that hangs on a window for years can stop looking like a hazard and start looking like part of the room, with homeowners no longer registering it as a safety issue.

Houston residents can check windows for hidden risks

Creative Blinds is urging homeowners to inspect any exposed pull cord, dangling cord, accessible loop or older internal cord system, particularly in homes where babies or young children live or visit. The company recommends checking children's bedrooms, playrooms, grandparents' homes, babysitters' homes, guest rooms and any windows near cribs, beds or climbable furniture. Homeowners unsure whether a blind should be replaced can bring photographs to a Creative Blinds showroom or speak with a window treatment professional. The Window Covering Safety Council's Best for Kids certification helps consumers identify products that meet cordless or inaccessible-cord safety standards.

Three decades of growth back the current safety campaign

Steve Palmer grew Creative Blinds to 16 stores and a manufacturing operation in the 1980s, and his father later joined the company for 26 years. Palmer remains involved in the business today alongside his daughter. "Companies do not survive 50 years because of a product," Palmer said. "They survive because of the people behind them, the lessons learned when something goes wrong and the willingness to rebuild." He called this month's safety push an invitation for Houston families to take a second look at the products in their homes.