How To Child Proof Your Garage Door
Child proofing often begins inside your home, moving sharp and hazardous items up high and out of reach. However, have you ever considered child proofing your garage door?
Wherever movement is possible, there is a risk of your child injuring themselves. Trapped or crushed fingers or a blow to the head might well have you on a trip to A&E. Furthermore, if your child successfully gains access to your garage space, they have access to all manner of dangerous objects, from tools and machines to flammable liquids and poisonous paints and solvents.
Here we take you through everything you need to do to childproof your garage doors.
Safe & Secure Locking Mechanisms
It is best to keep your garage door locked at all times. Many manual garage doors are balanced to make opening effortless, so a locked door is a must. Automatic garage doors pose another risk, and your child may be tempted to play with the opener. Many automated garage doors have child safety locks that you can activate to prevent opening even if a child presses the buttons on the remote control.
If your garage is attached to your home, then don’t forget to keep the internal door between the two spaces locked. It is also a good idea to keep vehicles inside the garage locked, just in case, and make sure that keys are kept out of reach.
Seal Any Gaps Around Your Garage Doors
Children can’t resist sticking their fingers into gaps; after all, it’s their naturally inquisitive nature that is central to learning about the world around them. However, it is best not to leave it to your child to learn that sticking their fingers into the gaps around garage doors might lead to losing a finger. To protect your child from potential harm, you should seal any gaps around garage doors using rubber seals or stoppers.
Regular Maintenance & Speedy Repairs
Your regular maintenance should include checking that the auto-reverse feature on automatic garage doors is working. The feature uses photoelectric sensors. You can test the photoelectric sensors by activating closing placing a piece of wood on the floor in the garage door opening. If the garage door begins to close, the sensors are not working, and you should arrange a speedy repair.
If your garage doors show signs of slowing, warping, misaligned tracks, or don’t close, you should call an expert. Sometimes repair work will fix the problem; other times, you may need to consider replacing your garage door with new.
Use Only Licensed Garage Door Professionals
If you are in the market for new garage doors, we recommend talking to a licensed professional. The experts at WM Garage Doors will take you through the types, brands, and features of different garage doors and help you choose the product that is convenient for you and safest for your little ones.
A professionally installed garage door will have tamper-proof locking mechanisms, no gaps and safety features such as an auto-reverse function.
Contact us today and talk to a licensed garage door expert.