Window shades being recalled

WASHINGTON - Six companies are recalling millions of window blinds and shades, after the deaths of three children who got caught in cords that help the coverings move up and down.

The recalls, announced yesterday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, involve some big-name companies, including Pottery Barn Kids and Ikea Home Furnishings, plus smaller companies that sold their window covers at retailers such as Target. Ikea, the Swedish retailer, has its North American headquarters in Conshohocken.

No deaths were associated with the blinds and shades from Pottery Barn Kids and Ikea, but the safety commission said there had been six reports of children becoming entangled in the inner cord of the Pottery Barn Kids shades.

"I urge all parents to inspect their blinds and shades immediately and obtain the free repair or refund that the companies are offering to consumers," commission chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum said.

The commission said the three deaths, dating to 2006, involved blinds or shades made or imported by Vertical Land Inc., of Panama City Beach, Fla., and Lewis Hyman Inc., in Carson, Calif. Lewis Hyman is recalling 4.7 million oval roll-up blinds and roman shades. Vertical Land is recalling 32,000 shades.

The other recalls involve:

Pottery Barn Kids/Williams-Sonoma. About 85,000 roman shades with exposed inner cords on the backside.

Ikea. 120,000 Melina roman blinds sold at Ikea stores from 2006 to 2008.

Victoria Classics. About 163,000 Thermal Sailcloth and Matchstick Bamboo roman shades sold at Target stores in 2008 and 2009. They were imported by Victoria Classics of Edison, N.J.

Lutron Electronics. 245,000 roller shades distributed by Lutron Electronics Co. Inc., of Coopersburg, Pa., and sold at specialty dealers and Expo Design Centers from 2000 through April 2009.

For more information, contact the commission at 800-638-2772 or www.cpsc.gov.