Thrift Store Safety Checklist

In a recent national study of thrift stores conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 69 percent of the stores were selling at least one type of hazardous consumer product. Many of these were children's products.

THRIFT STORES: Check products carefully before you sell.

CONSUMERS: Check products carefully before you buy.

Crib, Jacket, Safety Gates, Lamps, Hair Dryers and Bunk Beds

THRIFT STORE SAFETY CHECKLIST

Diamond For Consumers and Thrift Stores Diamond

If you buy at thrift stores, here are some tips to help you make safer purchases.


 CribCribs
 Make sure cribs meet current national safety standards and are in good condition. Look for a certification seal. Check that crib slats are no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. Crib mattresses should fit snugly.
 Diamond If crib slats are too far apart, infants can slip between them and strangle. If the mattress doesn't fit snugly, infants can become entrapped and suffocate.

 Clothing
Clothing Drawstrings
 Be sure there are no drawstrings around the hood and neck of children's upper outerwear clothing, such as sweatshirts. Other types of clothing fasteners, like snaps, zippers, or hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro), should be used. Drawstrings at the waist should not extend more than 3 inches.
 Diamond Drawstrings can catch on playground and other equipment, and can strangle young children.
Hair DryerHair Dryers
 Look for hair dryers with large rectangular shaped safety plugs.
 Diamond These immersion protection plugs prevent electrocution by shutting off the current if the hair dryer comes into contact with water.
Chair and Floor Lamp Halogen Floor Lamps
 Make sure that halogen torchiere floor lamps have glass or wire guards over the bulb shield and the bulb is 300 watts or less.
 Diamond Glass or wire guards with lower wattage bulbs can prevent fires that occur when flammable materials like curtains get too close to the lamp. Wire guards are free. Call CPSC.

 Playpens and Play yards
 Check that playpens and play yards have not been recalled. Recalled products include play yards with protruding hardware or rotating top rails that don't properly lock into place.
 Diamond Children can strangle if pacifier strings or clothing become entangled on protruding hardware. Children can be entrapped by folding play yards that collapse.

 Car Seat Carriers
 Check to make sure the infant car seat carrier you are buying has not been recalled. Car seat carrier handle locks on recalled models can unexpectedly release when used as a carrier outside of a car.
 Diamond Infants can fall forward and strike the ground if the handle disengages.

 Bunk Beds Bunk Beds
 Make sure all spaces between the guardrail and bed frame and all spaces in the bed headboard and foot boards of the top bunk are less than 3 1/2 inches. Make sure there are guardrails on both sides of the top bunk.
Diamond Children can become entrapped and strangle in the bed's structure or wedged between the bed and a wall and suffocate.

 Toy Basketball Nets
 CPSC has recalled millions of hazardous toy basketball nets. Check before you buy. Children can strangle on loops or openings in these basketball nets if the nets come unhooked from the rim or have knots that slide. If children put their heads into these openings, the nets can get tangled around their necks.
 Diamond Toy basketball nets can present a strangulation hazard to children.

 Safety Gate Accordion Style Safety Gates
 Do not buy older accordion-style child safety gates. Make sure that newer style child safety gates are used to keep children away from potentially dangerous areas, especially stairs.
 Diamond Older child safety gates that do not meet current safety standards can present strangulation and other hazards to young children.

 Bean Bag Chairs
 Do not buy bean bag chairs with zippers that can be opened. CPSC has recalled more than 12 million bean bag chairs.
 Diamond Young children can unzip bean bag chairs and choke or suffocate on the small pellets of foam filling.

For more information about hazardous products, contact

 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, DC 20207

Toll-free hotline: 1-800-638-2772
Website: www.cpsc.gov


To get all CPSC recall information sent directly to you by:

Fax: send your name of fax number to 301-504-0399
On-line: visit CPSC's subscription web page.

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