Last Updated on April 19, 2017
Whether you have young kids or not, it is important to think about childproofing your home. I don’t have kids, but my neighbor’s kids and my nephews frequent our house from time to time. It doesn’t take that much more effort to ensure they are safe when they come for a visit.
One of the most important places you need to make sure to childproof is the garage. There are many more dangerous items in the garage, and there’s always the chance that it accidentally will get left open, too great a temptation for many kids. To save yourself from any liability and the horrible chance that someone’s child will get hurt; childproof your entire garage.
Check on the door
The door is the first line of defense for your garage. Make sure it is in the best shape possible. While some of the features may make it easier for children to get in, they are important to have.
The safety sensors that make a closing garage door spring back open may be set off by a stray cat darting into your garage, leaving it open and exposed, but at least it will do the same if a neighborhood kid decides to dart underneath.
Every time you are closing your garage door, make sure that you watch it go down all the way. Even if you are in a hurry, it only takes a little longer. If something goes awry, you may be left with an open garage full of dangerous tools beckoning young children to come and play.
Keep dangerous chemicals tightly locked away
Kids love to get into anything and everything. Make sure that you keep any chemical that can be potentially life threatening out of their reach. This includes everything from gas for the lawn mower, to snail bait.
Build shelves inside your garage, if you can, and place all things toxic as high as possible. Our neighbor across the street has built a shelf all around the top of his garage and keeps anything deadly up there. Not only is the place completely childproof, it also frees up a lot of room in the garage for things he wants to do. Right now he is working on building a canoe that takes up most of the garage.
Organize everything
Part of maintaining a childproof garage is keeping it organized. If you have a proper place for everything, you will be able to better determine whether or not a child could be harmed with the equipment.
Some people go overboard on buying storage for their garage. My parents are probably the worst at this. They buy all the coolest new storage areas for tools, nails, bolts, and everything else. Then they don’t use them. Buy the storage items that will keep kids out of power tools, and any tools that have sharp edges. Don’t just stack them inside your garage, adding to the mess. Use them to keep things safe.
Keeping your garage childproof is important whether you have kids or not. You never know what could happen, so prepare for anything. A lot of the steps that make a garage childproof can also help keep your belongings safe, and keep yourself organized. Check your garage door, keep all chemicals and liquids high out of reach, and organize your tools in a safe area.
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Cassie writes about garage safety, and the best steps to achieve this. She also writes on finding the best garage doors in Layton, Utah, and which are the safest to use with kids in the home.
