Living with children can be challenging, especially when they can’t help but poke around everywhere due to their curiosity.
If you are a household with kids, it is important to childproof your house and that includes your garage.
The garage door, for instance, can cause serious harm to children.
To eliminate danger and ensure that your garage doors are safe, here are some tips and tricks to help you:
Have a Routine Check-up for Your Garage Door
Doing a routine check of your garage doors is a must-do if you want to keep your children safe from hazards.
Always keep your garage doors well-maintained and address any issues or potential problems as early as you can.
It is also crucial that you hire a professional garage door contractor when installing and maintaining your door as they know best about this matter.
Keep the Door Opener Out of Reach
Children love pressing buttons — your garage door remote is no exception.
The opening and closing motions that your opener can do will surely feel like operating a toy for them so you must always keep playful hands away.
Doing this will make sure that your kids won’t be able to leave the house through your garage door without your knowledge and are safely within areas under your supervision.
Check the Door’s Safety Mechanisms
While contemporary garage doors have built-in safety mechanisms, do try to check the sensors at either side of your door every now and then.
The sensors are there to make sure that if ever an object is in the way of your garage doors when closing, it will resist from doing so.
You may check this feature by placing an object like a box or a bucket, for example, underneath your door’s closing pathway.
If it stops and reopens immediately, then your sensors are working perfectly.
However, if it continues to close, then you should immediately schedule for your door to be repaired.
Inform your Children About the Do’s and Don’ts
It is vital to educate kids on the importance of keeping their distance away from the door if it is in motion.
As mentioned earlier, the opening and closing motions of the garage door can also make it seem like the door is a toy in itself.
Talk to them and teach them safety tips like avoiding to play near the garage door and to never play with the door and its control panels.
Keep Children Away from the Door
This is especially important if you have toddlers or younger children around the house.
Wait and make sure that they are inside the garage or check if they are safely seated and strapped inside the car before opening your doors.
Their curiosity towards the door might leave them wandering around if you leave them unsupervised so always be mindful to prevent any injuries from happening.
Keep Your Car Locked and Keep its Keys
On the other hand, if you have older kids, always keep your car doors locked and keep your keys out of reach.
They might try to imitate your driving and end up damaging the garage door, even worse — “drive” out your house, if they know how to operate the door.
Investing in Your Garage Door
One of the best ways to make sure your doors are sturdy and function well is if you invest and purchase a quality, dependable garage door.
Oftentimes, children’s games cause the most damage to your door and their activities may result in scratches, bumps, dents, and other damages.
You might be tempted to buy cheaper alternatives available in the market.
However, be warned that these doors do not always deliver the same performance when compared to other trusted door manufacturers.
Do not compromise on your family’s safety and spend a little more for a durable garage door.
As a parent, your children’s safety is one of your biggest concerns.
Following these safety tips will surely put you in ease, knowing that your household is safe from any harm.
When you are aware of possible dangers your garage doors can bring and continue to inform your family on how to avoid them, accidents are sure to be prevented.
If you are residing in Mississauga, Toronto, Markham or Newmarket, know that there are several professionals that can help with any of your garage door repair concerns.
