Some people change their window treatments because they get bored and want to freshen up the room. Others do so out of necessity. Here are eight solid reasons you might wish to change yours.
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Your current treatments are not safe for your growing family
Perhaps you’ve recently welcomed a new addition to your family; if so, congratulations! Before you know it, your little one will be mobile: crawling and toddling all over your home.
If your blinds have long, dangling cords, your new crawler might find him- or herself tangled up in them. Sadly, a little girl or boy dies every month getting tangled in window blinds, according to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission.
Cordless blinds or window treatments are the perfect safeguard. They’re easy to operate, and provide greater peace of mind as you babyproof your home.
In addition, installing these blinds “increases safety for your pets,” writes Bailey Bales of Blindster.com. “Long dangling cords can be very tantalizing for cats and dogs. With cordless systems, you keep kids and pets safe.”
- The 1990s called, and they want their appliquéd window valances returned
Your appliquéd window valances or other outdated window covering were once the star of your room. But if it’s been a couple of decades since your window treatments were in style, it may be time to make a change!
Just because the window treatments remain in good condition doesn’t mean these outdated features have to be honored as a permanent fixture in your home.
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Your utility bills are off the charts
“Window coverings can reduce energy loss through the windows, lower heating and cooling bills, and improve home comfort,” says an article from the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.
“About 30% of a home’s heating energy is lost through windows. In cooling seasons, about 76% of sunlight that falls on standard double-pane windows enters to become heat.”
With the right window treatments, your windows that may leak air or magnify sunlight won’t affect your HVAC system’s output.
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You can see right into your neighbor’s house
Privacy can be a common concern among homeowners. Your window treatments should ensure it’s not a concern. Most homeowners love the light that large windows provide, but those have to be covered at least part of the time.
Threadbare or inadequate treatments don’t cut it. Besides, nobody wants to see their neighbor wearing next to nothing; you’d never be able to look him or her in the eye again!
If you love the light, but want to minimize transparency, get a layer of translucent and blackout curtains. It’s a stylish move and offers the best of both worlds.
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You’d rather not pause your TV show to shut the curtains
Too lazy to get up and close the blinds or curtains? You no longer have to, thanks to smart window treatments. A variety of blinds, roller shades, and drapes are now being retrofitted with smart technology that empowers you to control them with a remote.
Some are connected to smart tech apps on your phone, so you’ll always have the dial handy. You can go on living your idle lifestyle with the smartest blinds around.
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Your pets or kids have destroyed your current treatments
Your window treatments might be only a few years old, but your kids or pets got ahold of them, and it took but a few seconds to ruin them. Children and animals can scratch, rip, color on, snip, and drag window treatments out of shape.
We have to reiterate how crucial it is to protect kids from corded blinds. “Young children are quick, curious, and unable to recognize danger,” Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital told Parents.com.
“As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, I often have heard these words when a parent brings their injured child into the emergency department: ‘Doctor, I turned my head for a minute, and it happened so quickly, I did not have time to stop it.’”
Use this opportunity to replace your window treatments with child- and pet-friendly versions.
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It takes two hands to operate your blinds or shades
Pretty much all window treatments, especially blinds and shades, should require no more than a single hand to open and shut. If you’re wrestling with the strings and slats of your current window treatments, you should recognize it’s been far too long they’ve gone unreplaced.
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Your current treatments are just plain ugly
Window treatments go in and out of style so swiftly. Within a few years, you might regard your once-beloved shades as the eyesore of the room.
Also, most treatments aren’t designed to last forever. White blinds will turn yellow or brown over time as a result of dust and grime, even when you clean them regularly.
You can’t turn back the clock. Instead of trying, just get new window treatments so you can restore the room’s original beauty.
