Tag: Cordless

Get Both Style and Safety with Budget Blinds of Stillwater/Lake Elmo

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With Budget Blinds of Stillwater/Lake Elmo, your family’s safety is Pamela’s top priority.
Budget Blinds adheres to industry child safety standards and offer automated, motorized, and cordless window covering solutions to keep potentially dangerous dangling cords out of your home.
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Cordless shades offer added safety for children while making window operation a breeze.

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Automated shades are an excellent option because of their cordless operation and ability to be programmed to open and close at your preferred time of day. 

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Shutters ensure optimal privacy and child safety due to their cordless nature.

Call Pamela Brown at Budget Blinds of Stillwater/Lake Elmo today at 651-351-7620 or visit her website budgetblinds.com/stillwater

 

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Keep Your Family Safe with Cordless Window Coverings

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October is child safety month and at Budget Blinds your family’s safety is our
top priority. From cordless blinds and shades, to motorized shades, we have the safe solutions that minimize the risk of accidents or injury.
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Automated shades are easy to operate and eliminate the dangers of dangling cords, reducing hazards for kids and pets
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Shutters can be used in your home to ensure optimal privacy and child safety due to their cordless nature.
Schedule your design consultation with Pamela Brown at Budget Blinds of Stillwater/Lake Elmo, today!

Window Coverings That Are Both Stylish and Safe

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When it comes to deciding on the safest choice in window coverings for a home with children or pets, why take chances? Fortunately, with Budget Blinds of Stillwater/Lake Elmo, you don’t have to. I offer both stylish and safe cordless window covering solutions that minimize the risk of accidents or injury.
  • Motorized window coverings are easy to operate and eliminate the dangers of dangling cords.
  • Shutters can be used throughout your home to ensure optimal privacy and child safety due to their cordless nature.
  • Our shades can be ordered with a cordless or motorized lift, making them ideal for homes with small children.

Design Studio - Roman Shades

Because Your Child’s Safety Shouldn’t Be a Luxury

When it comes to deciding on the safest choice in window coverings for a home with children or pets, why take chances? Fortunately, with Budget Blinds you don’t have to. From cordless child-safe blinds and cordless shades with retractable lifts, to motorized shades, we have the safe solutions that minimize the risk of accidents or injury.

  • Our cord cleat and wand control options for blinds are easy to operate and eliminate the dangers of dangling cords, reducing hazards for kids and pets.
  • Shutters can be used in kids’ rooms and playrooms to ensure optimal privacy and child safety due to their cordless nature.
  • Consider installing window film, especially in kids’ playrooms, as an alternative to those window treatments that may require cords.
  • Our shades, including luxurious pleated shades, can be ordered with a cordless lift or motorized lift, making them an ideal solution for homes with small children.
  • Our decorative window film is an ideal cordless option and lets you select from a wide range of popular designs and character themes that children enjoy.
  • Many of our blinds can be ordered cordless with our cordless Lift & Lock™ or standard cordless lift system.
  • Budget Blinds adheres to the strict guidelines of the Window Covering Safety Council to ensure all of our products meet or exceed all safety requirements.
  • Additionally, all Budget Blinds products meet or exceed the American National Standard for Safety of Corded Window Covering Products.

Installing Cordless Window Coverings Could Save a Life

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Preparing a home for a new baby, or modifying home décor for a growing one, is as exciting as it is essential. To ensure a child-appropriate home means not only to make room for a crib or to decorate a baby’s room with soothing, warm colors; it also means to close the electrical sockets and secure any hazardous items that are not meant to be played with.

The precautions we take must be meticulous and not exclude the consideration of window coverings. As adults, we may overlook the danger of dangling cords––but small children and even pets can perceive them as hidden playthings. Choosing cordless window coverings is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the safety of your little ones and your furry friends.

Choosing new window coverings can be a daunting task. I can walk you through the various types of window coverings that are most appropriate for your home and suitable to your lifestyle, including cordless blinds and motorized shades.

Motorized shades and other popular window coverings can be operated by a hand-held remote, a power-wand, a wall switch, or set on a programmable timer for extra convenience. Motorization is especially ideal for those tall, hard-to-reach blinds, and for windows directly in front of furniture, such as dressers or cribs. Whether you prefer the classic look of traditional blinds and shutters or the modern appeal of curtains and shades, most Budget Blinds window coverings can be motorized.

Schedule a free in-home consultation with me and I will bring samples of cordless blinds in a variety of styles, colors, opacities, and textures, directly to your home so you can see how they will look with your family’s existing décor.

By making your home’s window blinds cordless, you protect your family from risks of entanglement or even death. The Window Coverings Manufacturers Association (WCMA) announced that a new window covering safety standard is set to take effect on Dec. 15, 2018.

Budget Blinds has always promoted child safe window covering products.  Our Home Office teams have worked diligently with all our vendor alliance partners to ensure they are in accordance with all safety regulations including those advanced by the WCMA and Health Canada.  That’s 100 percent of our alliance manufacturers providing child safe products.  And, we’ve been aligned with the WCMA for nearly twenty years.

Taking it a step further, 80 percent of our vendor alliance partners are participating in WCMA’s “Best for Kids” program.  This safety program is voluntary, and products must be submitted to a WCMA-recognized third-party testing laboratory.  Products that meet stringent criteria will be eligible to be listed and labeled on packaging and materials as “certified” Best for Kids.

To learn more about how Budget Blinds meets or exceeds these heightened child safety window covering standards, schedule a free in-home consultation with me, today!

To see a complete list of requirements of the new standards for stock and custom-window covering products, click the following link:  Revised Standards Take Effect Dec. 15, 2018

Pamela Brown
http://www.budgetblinds.com/stillwater

 

Pet Friendly Design Tips

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You can have a beautiful house and a pet, too! You don’t need to sacrifice style or the comfort of your animal companion to have a home that you can be proud of, but you do need to make the right design choices. Budget Blinds has put together a list of tips to help make your home stylish and pet-friendly.

Flooring

When it comes to the floors, keep in mind your furry friend’s paws can be quite hard on them with scratching and “accidents.” We recommend you choose hard-surface flooring to keep pet-occupied rooms in tip-top shape! Great options for durable floors that also look stylish include stone, ceramic, concrete or laminate. They are easier to keep clean and stain-free than carpet. Such floors are also cooler in hot weather, an important consideration for pets with thick or long hair.

Area Rugs

You already know that area rugs are a great way to enhance a room and add a pop of texture. However, they also protect floors from claws and stains while providing a cozy spot for your pet to snooze. The best area rugs for pet owners feature patterns with a multitude of colors that draw the eye away from dirt, stains and pet hair. Make sure to include a non-stick pad beneath the rug so your pet can safely run throughout the house!

 

Patterned Furniture

Most people who have pets “avoid white” at all costs, and for good reason. When it comes to upholstery, choose woven fabrics with patterns, textures and darker colors that help camouflage dirt and pet hair. Avoid fabrics that need constant cleaning, like silk and velvet. Don’t invest too much money on furniture pieces you know your pets will be spending a majority of their time on and make sure it’s made of durable material. We suggest buying furniture that uses washable slipcovers, making cleaning up stains or hair quick and easy!

 

Painted Walls

Protect your walls with paint. If your animal likes to rub up against walls or maybe drools a lot, then you’re going to want to use a semi-gloss paint finish on your walls.  Semi-gloss is great for rooms that see a lot of activity and moisture and allows for an easy clean up. Choose from a bold color or keep it simple with a neutral. When your pet makes a mess simply wipe your walls down with a damp paper towel and call it a day, it’s that durable!

Bedding

We all have pets that like to cuddle in our beds, it’s alright to admit it. Help protect your bed from the inevitable dirt, pet hair and accidents with a duvet cover. Duvet covers are perfect for pet-owners because they can easily be removed and washed whenever needed. In addition, choose sturdy cotton sheets in a color or pattern that can hide pet hair between washings.

 

Cordless Window Treatments

Keep your loved ones safe with cordless window treatments in your home. Avoid long drapes that touch the floor since they will only collect pet hair and debris. Look into window treatments that only cover the length of the window and that are easy to clean, like shades, shutters or blinds. You will also have peace of mind knowing your cordless shades prevent your pet from getting tangled (which can lead to strangling or choking).

 

We hope these pet-friendly design tips were helpful! No need to sacrifice style when you are a pet-owner, you just need to make smart choices. If you need help finding the perfect window treatments that are durable and low maintenance or an area rug, schedule your free in-home consultation today!

Stillwater & Lake Elmo | 651-351-7620

7 TIPS FOR A SAFER HOME

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The Window Covering Manufacturers Association announces historic new window covering safety standard, strengthening window covering safety:

“Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) announced today the approval of a new window covering safety standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that will require a vast majority of window covering products sold in the United States and Canada to be cordless or have inaccessible or short cords.  The new safety standard, ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2018, strengthens window-covering safety by requiring that all stock products sold in stores and online—which account for more than 80 percent of all window covering products sold in the U.S. and Canada—to be cordless or have inaccessible cords.

There are two unwritten rules in the parent-child relationship: Children will play with and around things they are not supposed to, and parents must do their best to keep their children from getting into danger.

As a help to parents, Budget Blinds encourages parents to look for hidden hazards around window areas, particularly the window cords.

While nothing can replace the careful watch of a loving parent or caregiver, we encourage parents of infants and toddlers to opt for cordless or motorized treatments to eliminate the hazards posed by dangling window cords.

Corded window treatments can pose entanglement and strangulation hazard to small children and pets. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has received reports of nearly 200 strangulation deaths involving window covering cords and chains from 1991-2000. Nearly 10 percent of these deaths involved the inner cords, which run through horizontal blinds.

Budget Blinds encourages new parents to replace window treatments featuring looped cords or treatments manufactured before 2001 with cordless or motorized options to minimize strangulation hazards.

Window treatments manufactured after 2001 have updated safety features like breakaway tassels and inner cord stops.

 

Budget Blinds offers these seven tips to families with young children:

  1. Keep all cords out of reach from small children and pets.
  2. If your window treatments were purchased before 2001, or you don’t know when they were purchased, it’s a good idea to replace them with updated treatments with enhanced safety features, such as: breakaway tassels, inner-cord stops, retractable pull cords, cordless operation and motorization.
  3. If you move to a new home, ask when the window treatments were purchased and look for safety features like breakaway tassels, cord cleats and cordless operation.
  4. Secure all pull cords out of reach by using a permanent cord cleat.
  5. Retrofit kits are available to enhance the safety of looped pull cord window treatments.
  6. Place cribs and other low-standing furniture (beds, bookshelves, toy boxes, chairs, etc.) away from windows to prevent young ones from accidentally tumbling from windows.
  7. Install window guards. Don’t rely on screens designed to keep bugs out to keep children and pets in.

I offer consumers convenient, free in-home consultations, so busy parents-to-be need not shop from store to store to find the right cordless or motorized window treatments. 

Parents don’t have to sacrifice style for safety! We have a variety of options for families to consider.

Thank you,

Pamela Brown

 

 

 

SAFE AT HOME

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“There are many items in our homes that can become a hazard to children or pets, including window coverings. As a parent, I understand your concerns and have made window coverings safety a top priority. It is our duty and honor to provide our customers with safety-conscious products that meet today’s standards. We remain current on the latest safety products and features so that we can bring those innovations to you. From cordless products that protect children from potentially harmful dangling cords to security-grade window film that protects your home during destructive weather, Budget Blinds is your source for window coverings that keep you and your family Safe At Home.”

Cordless Operation
The safest window coverings for children are cordless products. They eliminate the use of potentially hazardous dangling cords.

Cordless Lift System
This innovative feature allows you to raise and lower window coverings easily with one hand. Eliminating the need for lift cords provides added safety and a cleaner look.

Motorization
Using a battery-operated remote control, you can raise, lower, tilt or open and close your window coverings at the touch of a button. No hard wiring required.

Spring-assist Clutch
Raise and lower window shades without the use of common cords with this built-in function.

Sliding Track System
Perfect for vertical products with side-to-side openings and sliding glass doors, sliding track systems operate without the use of dangling cords or chains.

Shutters
Shutters are a cord-free product, making it a great option for homes with small children.
Cord Control
You can live safely with window cords. Be sure to add these cord control features to all products with cords.

Break-away Tassels and Cord Stops
Designed to break apart under minimal pressure, these special tassels and cord stops can be a lifesaver should a child or pet become entangled in the cord.

Continuous Cord Loop System
Dangling cords are kept taut and under control to help prevent a child from becoming entangled.

Window coverings not only enhance the look of your windows and provide privacy, they also enhance your life.

  • 24/7 light control and sound absorption to facilitate napping and sleep
  • Cut glare to make rooms more livable
  • UV-blocking products keep harsh rays at bay
  • Window coverings keep your home energy efficient by providing a layer of insulation

Call or email me today to schedule your free consultation, mention this blog and receive a FREE CORDLESS UPGRADE!

-Pamela Brown

 

Going Cordless for Child Safety

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Budget Blinds® Reminds Parents that Window Safety is a Critical Consideration

“Going cordless” is a trend across several industries.  But the movement in window coverings is not just about modern style and convenience.  It is an issue of safety for homes with small children.  Budget Blinds® wants to help parents understand the options available that promote safety and consumer education.

Some styles of traditional corded window coverings pose a tempting hazard to infants and toddlers who view dangling cords as playthings.  Each year, entanglement by window cords is a serious danger that can cause injury to small children or maybe even death.

While accidents have decreased with changes in industry safety standards, there is still work to be done in spreading awareness.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least one child dies from window cord strangulation every month, and during that one-month period, at least one more child suffers a near strangulation.

There are simple yet critical steps parents can take to increase the safety in their homes.

Choose Safer Window Coverings

Budget Blinds® recommends cordless treatments for homes where small children or pets live or frequently visit.  Cordless options include:

  • Shutters: Offer a classic and inherently cordless window covering option
  • Motorized shades: Motorized shades can be raised and lowered with the touch of a button using a battery-operated remote control
  • Cordless cellular shades: A sleek and modern option, cordless cellular shades can be easily raised and lowered with one hand

 

Add Safety Features to Existing Cords

Existing corded window coverings can be retrofitted with safety features such as:

  • Spring assisted clutches: Can be raised and lowered without the use of cords
  • Sliding panel track systems: For vertical products with side to side openings
  • Break-away tassels: Designed to pull apart under minimal pressure
  • Cord stops: For horizontal window coverings that restrict how far the internal ladder cords can be pulled from the blind
  • Cord cleats: Safely tie dangerous cords out of your children’s reach

 

Place Furniture with Safety in Mind

Be mindful of where furniture is placed within a child’s bedroom or playroom.  Moving furniture, such as cribs, changing tables, toy chests and chairs away from the window area prevents access to window coverings. This also minimizes the risk of accidentally falling from the window should the child crawl up and over the wrong end. In the event that the glass breaks, positioning furniture away from the window reduces the risk of injury from broken glass.

If furniture must be placed near a window, consider adding security film, which helps maintain the integrity of windowpanes during a storm or earthquake, and from the impact of flying objects such as wind-driven tree limbs or baseballs from the neighborhood game.

 

Additional Safety Tips

Window safety is just one of many considerations when decorating a home with small children.  For more information and tips on whole home safety, visit www.cdc.gov/healthyhomes.

 

-Pamela Brown

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Let me start out with saying that the past TEN YEARS with Budget Blinds of Stillwater have really been amazing. I love owning and operating Budget Blinds of Stillwater and I am passionate about giving back to the community and serving my friends, family and customers every single day. The Greater Stillwater Area is such a unique and fun location to run a small business. We are beyond thankful to not only be continuing this success, but to have grown this business in such a supportive and welcoming environment!   To all our customers, network friends, business groups and family – thank you for this success!  Budget Blinds of Stillwater wouldn’t be celebrating ten fantastic years if it wasn’t for you!
Celebrate with us, as we mark our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY on our calendars! 
Thank you again for your business and your loyalty!
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Also- It’s NATIONAL WINDOW SAVINGS MONTH!! What better way to celebrate that than with your favorite blind lady? AKA- ME! Budget Blinds of Stillwater (check out my design blog here – BlindLadyStilly.com) For National Window Savings Month (October) I am proud to represent Budget Blinds every day. Budget Blinds is certified as “Best for Kids” window treatments. We adhere to industry child safety standards and offer so many varieties of motorized and cordless window options to keep cords out of your home!
Let’s connect with a FREE in-home design consultation! 
(I promise its painless – I work with your schedule too, and I come to YOU!)

Call me today and we can get started RIGHT away! 
* If you want an updated home before the holidays now is the time to connect with me! *

Get Inspired with Draperies!

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  • INSPIRED DESIGN FOR CURTAINS, CUSTOM DRAPES, BEDDING, RUGS & MORE

    Draperies create beautiful everyday environments and allow you to color your world in a very personal way! Our Inspired Drapes collection gives you THE widest selection of drapes, soft window treatments, and custom pillows and bedding with luxurious designer touches, at a very attractive price. Vivid color or calming neutrals — every choice is a statement.

    Whether you want draperies to provide light filtration and insulation, or to add amazing aesthetic touches to your favorite spaces, we’ve got you covered! Our ready-made drapery panels offer you an instant decorating upgrade and color without commitment if you like to follow color and fabric trends. Additionally, we can help you design CUSTOM drapery, from trendy to modern or traditional to fully dress your windows, making your home uniquely your own.  Need help selecting drapery?