Recall: Smith + Noble Shades

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a voluntary recall of 1.3 million Smith+Noble Roman and roller shades.  These shades pose a choking hazard for children.

The Roman shades can cause strangulation if a child puts his or her neck between the inner cord and the fabric or if the child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his or her neck.  The roller shades cause strangulation when the continuous loop cord is not attached to the wall with the provided tension device and the child’s neck becomes tangled in the cord.

The defects have caused 1 child to become entangled, however, no medical treatment was necessary. The shades were sold exclusively by Smith+Noble both online (www.smithandnoble.com) and through catalogs between 1998 and April 2010.  They sold for $100-$1600.

Anyone with the Roman shades should stop using them immediately and should contact the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) at 800-506-4636 or www.windowcoverings.org to get your free repair kit.  Those with the roller shades should ensure the tension device is attached to the continuous loop cord and installed into the wall.  If you no longer have the tension device, you can contact WCSC for a free replacement tension device.

Photo credit:  CPSC