November 10, 2010: Recall of Roman Shades, Roll-Up Blinds, and Roller Blinds by Hanover Direct

Recall Reason

Many styles of the blinds and shades are included in this recall. Image here represents just one.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Hanover Direct Inc., (also known as Domestications, The Company Store, and Company Kids) of Weehawken, New Jersey, has recalled about 495,000 Roman shades, roll-up blinds, and roller blinds due to strangulation hazards. (About 90,000 Roman shades were recall in October 2009.)

Roman Shades: Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck.

CPSC received a new report of the death of a 22-month-old boy in Cedar Falls, Iowa, who was found hanging by his neck from the outer pull cords of a Roman shade in May 2010. The outer pull cords were knotted at the bottom. He was rescued by his father but died later in the hospital. In March 2008, a 2-year-old boy from Ocean View, Delaware, climbed up on a toy chest to look out of a window and became entangled in the inner cords of a Roman shade. His parents removed the cord. No permanent injuries were sustained.

Roll-up Blinds: Strangulations can occur if the lifting loops slide off the side of the blind and a child's neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if a child places his/her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material. No injuries or incidents have been reported.

Roller Blinds: Strangulations can occur if the blind's continuous loop bead chain or continuous loop pull cord is not attached to the wall or the floor with the tension device provided and a child's neck becomes entangled in the free-standing loop. No injuries or incidents have been reported.

Do You Own This Product?

Click here to see the official recall.

This recall involves all styles of Roman shades with inner cords, all styles of roll-up blinds, and roller blinds that do not have a tension device. A tension device is intended to be attached to the continuous loop bead chain or continuous loop pull cord and installed into the wall or floor.

The blinds sold at Hanover Direct/Domestications, the Company Store/Company Kids; online at www.domestications.com and www.thecompanystore.com; and through catalog sales nationwide from January 1996 through October 2009 for between $20 and $579. The blinds were manufactured in China, the United States, and other countries.

Whom to Contact

Consumers should immediately stop using all Roman shades with inner cords, all roll-up blinds, and all roller blinds that do not have a tension device, and contact the Window Covering Safety Council at (800) 506-4636 anytime for free repair kits or visit www.windowcoverings.org. Consumers who have roller blinds with a tension device should make sure the tension device is attached to the continuous loop bead chain or continuous loop pull cord and is installed into the wall or floor.

For additional information, contact Domestications or Hanover at (800) 453-1106 between 9 AM and 6 PM EST, seven days a week, or visit the firm's websites at www.domestications.com or www.hanoverdirect.com.

Note: Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side or back of the product. CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.