Everything You Need to Know About Cordless Blinds
IN THIS ARTICLE
If you’re looking for new window treatments for your home, consider purchasing some cordless blinds. They’re one of the most popular types of coverings today for their style, function, and safety options.
Before rushing into a decision, however, it’s important to understand why cordless blinds provide families with a distinct advantage – and in particular, how they’re different from the corded varieties.
What Are Cordless Blinds?
Cordless blinds and shades are just like other window coverings, but they do not include the standard strings that most people are used to. There are no lines or rods hanging from the top rail, and there is nothing to pull.
Instead, the strings that operate the treatments interlace inside the blind slats and do not run beside them. This unique design makes them much easier to use.
Many people are familiar with wooden and faux wood cordless treatments. While these are very popular, they’re not the only styles available; you can also get single cell and classic pleated shades. Many types of roller shade, textured PVC vertical blinds, cellular shades, and classic S-curve vertical blinds also come without regular cords.
Additionally, you can select from light filtering, blackout or solar shade options. Like standard blinds and shades, there is a design to fit every person’s needs and budget.
How Do Cordless Blinds Work?
It’s easy to operate cordless window coverings. Only one hand is required – simply pull down the bottom rail to lower the shade, or push up from the base of the rail to raise it. If you want to open and close the slats, tilt the rail forward or backward. Each operation only takes a couple of seconds.
Cordless Blind Benefits
Window treatment manufacturers are selling more cordless products than ever. Homeowners, interior design bloggers and home improvement professionals alike are recommending them to their friends and customers for the way they enhance a home’s appearance and a family’s quality of life.
According to design experts and laypeople, the biggest benefits include:
Beauty
With no lines of string to hang about or become knotted up, homeowners are able to enjoy a sleeker, cleaner look. It becomes much easier to focus the eye on the artistry and charm of each fabric vertical, woven wood shade, or faux wood covering.
The latest design innovations also make it simpler for each buyer to find the exact type of shades or blinds they love. There are no limitations to the colours and materials available, which means there is never a need to sacrifice style for function. Interior decorators will tell you the options are as impressive as the lack of cords.
Buyers are never limited to a plain-looking blind. For instance, single cell, 9/16-inch light filtering shades come with a white backing for an impressive street view, but still allow some diffused sunlight to glow inside.
Since they come in a rainbow of colours – like teal, stone red and antique pewter – they also provide interior vibrancy and a subtle enhancement to contemporary and traditional decor. Sharp 14-percent solar screen roller shades come in several different fabrics and trendy colours like silver, charcoal and white linen.
These hues open up even the smallest room while blocking harsh light, improving energy efficiency and evoking a cosy, comfortable feel. You can explore the details of each product by checking with your custom blinds manufacturer.
Safety
Kids and pets are curious – especially when it comes to hanging strings and cords! Window treatments without exposed lines keep small children and cats from getting caught in the blinds or pulling them down.
These safety features make going cordless perfect for new parents, homes with young or untrained animals and landlords renting their spaces. Safer shades provide peace of mind, prevent serious injury, increase product lifespan and reduce the risk of claims, lawsuits and complaints.
Quality
When families are concerned about budget, they may purchase a poor quality set of shades or blinds from a home improvement or department store. These products are often made with shabby materials – including the cords they usually come with.
In contrast, cordless treatments purchased from a window treatment manufacturer are always made with care. Each item is customised to fit your exact window measurements. Many also include a limited lifetime warranty, so you can rest assured that the makers stand behind the beauty and durability of their design.
What’s more, a wealth of varieties are just as affordable as those in big-box stores – but they’ll last longer than the alternatives. Even if you prefer a premium style and spend a few more dollars upfront, you will benefit from your covering’s value over the long run.
Flexibility
No matter where you live or which room you’re installing your blinds in, there is a style for you. Choose blackout single cell or roller shades for your bedroom or the baby’s nursery, or select faux wood blinds to add warmth to your kitchen or bathroom without warping due to moisture.
If you’re interested in a subtle, modern look, consider classic top-down, bottom-up pleated shades, which are an excellent choice for living rooms, family rooms and dining areas. If your space’s personality oozed luxury and drama, textured PVC blinds covered in plush fabric will evoke a feeling of opulence.
There is no need to limit yourself to basic colours like white, cream or grey – although they’re available if you enjoy the sophisticated aesthetic. Purchasing from a manufacturer allows you to choose from dozens of interesting hues.
Colour options for cordless shades and blinds include water green, royal purple and pink flamingo. You can also find wood tones and earth tones like oak, wheat, and tortoise.
Convenience
Gone are the days of fumbling around with jammed, tangled, or worn-out blind cords, repeatedly fixing the same problems. With a one-handed pull or easy flick of the wrist, you can pull your cordless blinds up, push them down, or tilt them open and closed.
Add more sunlight to the room while holding your toddler, or eliminate the glow of outdoor street lighting while simultaneously browsing for an action-packed show or movie with your TV remote.
You’ll never waste time untying snarled lines, slowly twisting a rod to get your treatments open, or pulling frantically to get a stubborn shade unstuck. Cordless coverings are always unconstrained, agreeable, and conducive to multitasking.
Important Details to Consider
When budgeting for your cordless treatments, think about the room in which you are installing them. If your kitchen, living room or bedroom has several windows, you will want to replace all the coverings so that they will look uniform.
Refrain from replacing only a couple of openings with roller shades or vertical blinds; one room with a couple different styles of blinds will look mismatched and unkempt. Some homeowners replace their corded blinds with a cordless style in a couple of spaces in their residence, only to feel like their standard shades now look old and outdated.
Think about switching out all of your regular treatments for cordless up front – or at least be ready to invest in the near future. Many families report their desire for more beautiful designs for every room once they see the style and functional benefits of their newest coverings.
There are some instances when you will need to weigh up the benefits versus potential limitations of cordless blinds. While these coverings work perfectly for almost every window, there are some apertures that may function better with a shade that has a cord.
Imagine windows with a width of over 100 inches, for instance. If you have a cordless style, two separate people may have to be available to open and close a treatment of this size evenly. A standard line would allow a single individual to operate the set of heavier, larger blinds.
If you don’t mind asking for a hand each time you open and close your window, it still may be advantageous to think about a cordless covering. If space is limited and your blinds or shades are behind a large sofa or television, cordless styles may be tough to manoeuvre.
This is because the bottom rail could be hidden by the furniture or appliance. Should you have limited access to the lower half of your window treatment, consider how often you’ll be getting behind the item to let in more sunlight.
Some two-story homes and residences with exceptionally high ceilings come with bow or arch windows that are out of reach. These are not only difficult to clean, but they also make cordless shades difficult to operate. Many homeowners with these types of openings have automatic lift systems, so shades can be opened or closed with a remote.
Besides these unique considerations, cordless shades and blinds are often a preferred choice for most windows. A careful look at each of your favourite manufacturer’s options will allow you to choose the type that is right for you. They may even carry the same colours and styles both with and without cords, so you can accommodate your biggest or highest windows while finding the same kind of single cell shade or roller shade free of the extra lines.
How to Purchase Cordless Blinds
If you’re ready to buy cordless blinds in the style and colour of your choice, it’s time to go online. Navigate to the website of a factory that manufactures each set of blinds based on the homeowner’s unique specifications.
Browse through their menu of shades for those that are cordless. Select vertical blinds for sliding glass doors, solar shades for porch and sun room windows, and vinyl roller shades for bedrooms. The choice is all yours!
Once you’ve found the treatment you desire, it’s necessary to provide the manufacturer with the right height and width measurements. Decide whether you prefer an inside or outside mount, then whether you need blinds that are horizontal or vertical.
Correct numbers in hand, it’s time to provide them to the factory company and purchase the products you need. After you order them, your new treatments will be shipped in a short time directly to your door.
Should you feel unsure about which cordless products you want, read the manufacturer’s product details. Consider whether the colour options, fabrics and contemporary or modern look will fit your room’s purpose and fashion.
For example, real wood cordless blinds won’t last long in a moisture-laden area like a bathroom or kitchen. If you like the look of wood, choose a faux oak or mahogany style instead. If solar screens look great on the website but don’t match the feel of your bedroom, skip them for a design that truly fits your needs and personality.
Still not sure? Consider examining the current treatments in your home or asking a design-savvy friend or family member for their recommendations.
Improving Your Home’s Appearance with Cordless Blinds
We’ve all experienced a time when the blinds we ordered weren’t to our liking (or caused more stress than they were worth!) These days, however, there have been great improvements in the design and technology behind window treatments. Each set of blinds in your home can now be beautiful and functional.
Swap your current coverings for a cordless variety, and you’ll be instantly impressed by their ease of use, safety benefits, and appearance. Don’t be surprised if your neighbours and party guests ask with envy, “where did you get those incredible blinds?!”