IKEA recalls roman shades, roll up shades and roller shades.

If you have these type of shades in your home, please remove them and replace them with something cord-free! For more information about what these type of shades look like, please see our video section of our website.

IKEA Recalls 3 Million Window Blinds on Strangulation
2010-06-10 21:08:36.718 GMT

By Jeff Plungis
June 10 (Bloomberg) — IKEA, the Swedish furniture retailer, recalled 3.36 million window blinds after a child died and two others were almost strangled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada said. The retailer is recalling roller, Roman and roll-up blinds, the agencies said in a statement today. In each type, children may get their necks tangled in loops or chains that are used to raise or lower the window coverings. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and Ace Hardware Corp. were among U.S. retailers in a wider recall of 50 million Roman shades and roll-up blinds in December. Consumers should immediately stop using all Roman and all roll-up blinds and return them to IKEA for a full refund, the agency said. Roller blinds that don’t have a tension device attached to the chain shouldn’t be used, the agencies said. Models with the tension device should be installed into a wall or floor and IKEA will provide assistance for the work, the agencies said. U.S. safety regulators and IKEA received a report of a 1-year-old boy in Lowell, Massachusetts, who was almost strangled in February, according to the statement.

Tangled Cords
In April 2008, a 1-year-old girl in Greenwich, Connecticut, became entangled in the inner cord of an IKEA Roman blind and strangled, the CPSC said. The agency and IKEA received a report
of a 2-year-old boy who was almost strangled. Both of those reports prompted previous recalls, the regulator said. No incidents have been reported with roll-up blinds. Janice Simonsen, a U.S. spokeswoman for IKEA, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment. Manufacturers should offer cordless blinds to ensure children are safe, said Linda Kaiser, a Chicago mother who founded Parents for Window Blind Safety after her 1-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, was strangled by a cord in 2002. Five children have been killed by window cords so far this year, after 13 died last year and 22 in 2008, Kaiser said. Last month, Maryland became the first U.S. state to adopt a law banning from foster homes and day-care centers window coverings with cords, Kaiser said. Consumers were directed by the agency to call IKEA toll-free at 1-888-966-4532 or visit the website for more information. IKEA sold the blinds in the U.S. and Canada from January 1998 through June 2009 for $5 to $55, the agencies said.