curtain rods

[mistressdevine50]

HI! I have traverse rods (double) and only use the front ones. I dont use the cords because the cats eat them. They are put up out of reach, but there is enough play that the drapes can close all the way.In the morning, I pull the curtains open from the middle. At night, I pull them shut. They do not close all the way..the right side seems to stick on something and has trouble moving easily. I just pull the fabric of the drapes over each other and use a clothespin to shut them for privacy. Any suggestions? I am tempted to remove the cords alltogether - is this a good idea? any advice will be appreciated. MD

[ameijers]

Take the rods down and reset the stops on the cord, and undue the tangle of cord that is jamming them. To keep them from being a cat/kid toy, use a pulley tensioner about 4 feet off the floor. You will need to cut the cords different lengths, so the knot is up high at one extreme or the other, or put the loop at the other end of the window. New installations are done this way to make them kid-friendly. Rods like this will not work well w/o cords- too much stress on the little plastic clips that hold the metal hooks- they will start breaking on you, especially if they get direct sunlight on them. (BTDT) You could always take these rods down, and switch to old-style loops attached to the curtain, and just use a long decorative rod like a closet rod. Once you take the rod down and stare at how it works from the back for a few minutes while you pull on the cords, it will all make sense.

aem sends....