5 Tips to Childproof Your Garage
Do you remember what it was like when your children first came along? Among the many massive changes to your life, there was one small detail. You had to go through your entire home and remove or lock away almost everything that was within your child’s reach. Suddenly anything that was breakable or could be swallowed was strictly prohibited. You probably never knew your home could be such a dangerous place.
But did you think of doing the same in your garage? While it’s not a problem while they are still infants, once toddlers begin to walk, they can get places that they’re not supposed to be. And they can do so in the blink of an eye.
Even if your children are always under your supervision, it’s still a good idea to childproof your garage to ensure no accidents happen. Here are just a few things you can do in your garage to protect your children.
1. Dangerous Chemicals
Just like the cleaning solutions and prescription medications in your home, the things you store in your garage can be very harmful. And some are quite inviting to inquisitive children – like bright blue or pink windshield washer antifreeze. Store them out of your children’s reach – and remember, they like to climb – or lock them away.
2. Items You are Storing
You know that battery you took out of the car you’re storing for the winter? You don’t want your children to come into contact with it.
If you use your garage door for storage – and who doesn’t – make sure things on shelves, hanging on the wall or stacked in boxes can’t fall and harm your children, or anyone else.
3. Your Car(s)
Just because it’s in the garage doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lock your car doors whenever you leave it – if only to stop your children from getting into it when you’re not around. And definitely, don’t leave your keys in the car.
4. Tools & Equipment
Your garage is a great place for a workroom. But if you have children, the tools and equipment you keep can be very attractive to them; and very dangerous.
5. Your Garage Door
It’s heavy and its always under tension. That makes your garage door potentially dangerous. Regularly check all the safety mechanisms of your garage door opener, including eye sensors and its automatic reversing function, to make sure they are working properly.
In the end, you have to treat your garage the way you treated your home when your children first arrived. Go through it with a sharp eye for anything that might be harmful and take whatever steps are needed to make it safe. For garage door maintenance and repairs in Markham and the nearby communities, contact Markham Garage Doors.
Things to Do and Avoid During Garage Door Safety Month in June
Garage Door Safety Can Be Heightened with Greater Awareness and Attentiveness
There are no shortages of warnings on packages and product labels with respect to risks of personal injury when the item is used incorrectly or without proper precautions. While this is often mandated by law for the manufacturer/supplier, it is the responsibility of the user or the consumer to read and heed these recommendations and warnings.
For the most part, the purchasers or users of these goods do adhere to their responsibilities, and particularly when there is some risk/danger to the well-being of their children and pets. This is not to say that adults are carefree, or careless, in such circumstances but rather that there is a heightened awareness on their part when safety concerns apply to their children.
There is at least one circumstance, however, where precautions and attention to safety may be lacking, even though it may be unintentional; this relates to injuries that can be directly attributed to the garage door –injuries to adults, children, and pets that can be prevented with a little education and some added attention when in proximity to the garage door itself.
The month of June has been designated as Garage Door Safety Month; the intent, of course, is to bring attention to the types of injuries that can be attributed to garage doors and their parts and to educate homeowners and their families on increased safety and methods of prevention. Here are some of the more common ways in which people can and do sustain injuries from a garage door, in no particular order:
- Children opening/closing the door as part of a game
- Racing to enter the garage before the door fully closes
- Fingers caught in the tracks, springs, or between the rollers
- Hand, wrist, or finger damage from attempts to repair a spring
- Gashes that result from clean-up/repair of broken window inserts
- Unexpected door movements from broken/malfunctioning sensors
- Cuts/possible infections caused by metal tracking, other sharp edges
There are likely other exotic or curious-and-unusual types of injuries that will undoubtedly occur as a result of individual inattentiveness or a lack of respect, for want of another word, for the force, weight, hardware, and mechanisms associated with garage doors; however, there should be sufficient evidence presented here to raise garage door safety to a greater level of consciousness. And if this can begin in the month of June, in alignment with Garage Door Safety Month, it can and subsequently should be applied on a year-round basis also.
Garage Door Inspections Are an Integral Part of Practicing Garage Door Safety
Another important aspect to garage door safety relates to ongoing maintenance and repair. When garage doors are kept in good and proper working order, it can help to minimize or reduce the risk of injury to homeowners and their family members.
Garage doors are subjected to repeated use on a regular basis and they are also exposed to seasonal weather extremes. Both of these factors can have a negative impact on overall door performance as well as its general condition; therefore, it would be prudent to conduct a thorough garage door inspection on an annual, if not semi-annual basis, to ensure that all aspects of the door are in an optimal working state.
Such inspections can be performed by technicians from an experienced and reliable garage door services provider like Markham Garage Doors. These knowledgeable technicians will conduct a systematic/comprehensive garage door inspection to assess the ongoing viability of all components, including:
- Torsion springs
- Cables and pulleys
- Rollers and tracking
- Door panels/hardware
- Door opener and sensors
- Insulation/weather stripping
Subsequently, should the garage door inspection identify any maintenance or repair needs, the Markham Garage Doors technicians have the skills necessary to quickly and effectively remedy the issues; this will return the garage door to a more optimal state in relation to:
- Performance
- Safety/Security
- Longevity/Lifespan
Please visit our Website for additional information on the garage door inspection and repair services available from the professionals at Markham Garage Doors.
June is Garage Door Safety Month, with the intention of bringing heightened awareness and attention to the potential risks for garage door-related injuries. One important step in this process will be to ensure that your garage door is in prime physical condition and in proper working order. Call the specialists at Markham Garage Doors today at (905) 472-9178 or (416) 570-3667 to book a garage door inspection and determine whether any repairs or maintenance actions are needed to help protect you and your family from possible injury.
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