September 1, 2017

Ensure Your Garage Is Safe for Kids

Making the Garage a Safe Place for Kids

Most of us would never really leave our kids alone in the garage. There’s just too much that could happen. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t turn your garage into a safe place for them the play and spend time. Obviously, you’ll need to make some considerations here.

If you use your garage as a workshop and there are lots of dangerous tools around, or if there are flammable liquids stored there, you’ll need to either store those items elsewhere, or change your mind about letting the kids play in the garage. Let’s run through some important tips to help make the garage safer for your little ones.

Common Sense Tips for Garage Safety

Cabinets – We recommend opting for cabinets rather than shelves for storing items in your garage. Anything flammable should be stored in a closed cabinet. If possible, you should make sure that the cabinet can be locked. Any sharp tools or pointed objects should also be kept out of reach, and locked in a cabinet.

Tools – If you have electric tools in the garage, such as saws, drills or anything else, make sure that they’re unplugged and put away properly. Wrap the cord around the tool and then put it up. Any extension cords should also be wrapped up and stored correctly.

Car Doors – If you use your garage to park your car(s), make sure that your children cannot get into them. Lock all the doors to your car and make sure that the keys are not accessible to them.

Climbing – Make sure that all ladders and stepladders are put away and are not accessible to your kids. Your tall ladders should be hung securely on a wall, and should not be easily accessible. Stepladders can be folded and put away where the kids will not find them. Check for any other items that might allow your kids to climb or access tools and equipment stored on walls or high shelves.

Garage Door – The garage door is an important piece of equipment, and you should ensure that your children know that they need to leave it alone. They should never open the garage door, and the wall panel should be off limits, as well. In most instances, wall panels are installed at least five feet off the floor, so young children shouldn’t be able to reach them.

If you have a double garage door (usually measures about 16 feet), it will have reinforcement struts on the back. These look a lot like a ladder, and children are often tempted to climb them. Explain to your kids that they must stay off these struts, even if the door is closed and not in actual use.

Finally, make sure that your children stand well back from an electric garage door when it’s in motion. If the door is manually operated, make sure your children understand that they should never use the joints between the panels to open or close the door. It is very easy to crush little fingers this way.

Supervision – Finally, make sure that you can see your kids while they’re playing in the garage. Parental supervision is important, and will help to reduce the chance of a serious accident or injury.

The garage door is most certainly NOT a toy

In the End

If you’re not 100% certain that your garage door is operating correctly and is safe, you should contact us at 330-889- 0062 as soon as possible. We can inspect the door and opener, and provide a tune‑up to ensure that it’s in the best condition possible, and that it’s no threat to your children.

If you would rather communicate via email, we’d be happy to send you an online quote. If you’re thinking about replacing your garage door, we can visit your home in person to explain your options and ensure that you’re making an informed decision. Of course, we also recommend that you use our Design Centre to virtually design a garage door that fits your home perfectly, and you can also tour our image gallery to find inspiration from other customers.

Tags

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Copyright Garaga Inc. | Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use | Sitemap