September 1, 2017

Making the Garage a Safe Place for Kids

Making the Garage a Safe Place for Kids

You might think of the garage as a place that is off limits to the kids, but this is restrictive in its approach. There are many ways that you can redesign the space and turn it into a great play area for young children and adults alike. The possibilities really are endless.

You are right to be concerned if you use your garage to store any type of dangerous or flammable equipment. These items should be locked away and stored appropriately anyway, so that does not need to keep you from turning the garage into that great game room that you envision. However, there are some steps that you will want to take to make it a safe place for everyone, especially young children. Keep reading to learn more.

Use some common sense to guide you

Choose cabinets instead of shelves for storage

Remember those hazardous products that we just mentioned? Make sure that they are kept in closed storage areas, preferably with a lock and key attached. All power tools that you have, especially those with sharp edges, should be kept out of sight as well.

Unplug all electric tools

If you like to use your garage for some do it yourself projects, just remember to keep those tools unplugged when you are not using them. It also a good idea to wrap the cords around all of your electric tools and keep them out of the reach of children when they are not being used.

Lock car doors

If you plan to leave one of your cars in a double garage, make sure that the doors are locked. Kids can easily get their fingers jammed in a door that is opened while they are playing. It is better to be safe in this regard. Better yet, consider moving both cars outside while the kids are playing. It will be more fun, and your vehicles will be better protected.

Ladders, stepladders and anything else that can be used for climbing

Keep anything that can be used for climbing out of the picture. A garage is not the place for high wire acts, so eliminate the temptation. You will want to make sure that any ladders are securely attached to the wall and remain unavailable to anyone that is playing.

It is also important that you not overlook ropes and lines that might be hung from various points throughout the garage. Children love to swing, but the garage is just not the place for that to happen!

The garage door is most certainly NOT a toy

You want to make sure that you educate your children that the garage door should not be treated like a toy. There are safety precautions to take, such as not using the button to open or close the garage door. Make sure your control panel is installed a minimum of 5 feet from the last step, as this will put it out of the reach of small children.

Double garage doors should already come equipped with reinforcement struts. These look like metal bars going horizontally across the inside of the garage door itself, and they should never be used to climb on the door. This includes if the door is closed, so make sure your children understand this rule.

Whenever you go to open or close your garage door, make sure that your children are standing back from the door. This is especially important if you operate the door manually, as fingers can easily become crushed if children are not careful.

The garage door is most certainly NOT a toy

All the same, keep an eye on them…

While you want the garage to be a safe place for children, it is always important to keep an eye on them no matter where they are. Consider leaving the garage door open if you go inside the house or when you are working in the yard. This is one of those ‘just in case’ rules that you will be happy you follow.

In Conclusion…

If you are not certain that your garage door is in prime operating condition, contact us immediately at 781-270-5066. We offer a tune-up service that can give you the reassurance you need that your garage door is safe for your kids

If you want, we can also send you a quote by email. If you are in the market for a new garage door, we can send someone over to go over options with you. Our technicians are highly experienced and can go over some recommendations with you. You are also welcome to visit our design center to create a virtual garage door for your home and see how it looks, or just look through our image gallery to get the creative juices flowing.

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