6 Tips to Childproof Your Home Garage: Keeping Kids Safe

The minute your baby starts getting mobile most parents look for ways to childproof their home to prevent nasty accidents from happening. As your infant reaches toddlerhood, the safety game changes slightly as your child is more mobile and able to even reach and access places outside of the home. 

Pool fences and nets become a priority as do locks on garden sheds and stern warnings about not going near the driveway. But, what about the garage? It can seem attractive for curious children looking for places to hide, play or simply explore! Installing childproof panel lift garage doors is an excellent idea but what else can you do to safeguard your children in this part of your home? 

Read on as we share tips for childproofing your property so you don’t need to stress whenever the kids decide to venture outdoors!

6 Tips to Childproof Your Home Garage 

1. Be Vigilant With Garage Doors

Garage doors can be highly dangerous especially if your kid has access to the remote control! Weighing up to 100kg or even more, incorrect use of garage doors has resulted in multiple deaths every year – mostly with small children. Safety features such as sensor beams prevent garage doors from closing should they detect an object such as a child running underneath. 

Furthermore, it’s essential to keep the garage door remote control or wall console out of reach of children to prevent a tragic accident. It also stops your kids from accessing the street through the garage unless you’re with them.

Regular maintenance of the garage door opener will ensure the reverse system works should your kid be below the sensor beam. 

2. Lock Your Vehicles When Parked in the Garage

How often do you hear about a child getting into a car unsupervised and the chaos that ensues? To prevent your kid from doing this, make sure your vehicles are always locked when parked in the garage. Locking the boot is equally important as inquisitive children may decide to hide in your vehicle and then they get trapped. 

All vehicle keys must be stored out of reach and even out of sight, so your kids won’t be tempted to take them when playing games in the garage.

Telling your children that your vehicles are out of bounds is one thing but sometimes such warnings fall on deaf ears! Keeping your vehicles locked will safeguard your kids from potential catastrophes. 

3. Store Chemicals Safely

Homeowners often use the garage to store chemicals such as pesticides, fertilisers and household cleaning agents. These products can be highly toxic if consumed, resulting in accidental poisoning and, if not treated in time, death. 

The following toxic liquids should be sealed tightly and locked away in a cupboard:

• Motor oil and petrol
• Antifreeze
• Garden chemicals
• Paint and cleaning agents such as thinners
• Pest control poisons

With over 2,500 children in Australia admitted to hospital annually because of accidental poisoning, it’s clear how important it is to lock away such items that you store in the garage. 

4. Lock Up Power Tools and Garden Equipment

Other items that should always be locked away are power tools. Leaving them plugged into electrical sources is asking for an accident to happen!

Power tools should be kept locked away and out of reach of curious kids to prevent them from switching them on by mistake. 

Also, children shouldn’t have access to any garden equipment without adult supervision. Lawnmowers, grass trimmers and other electrical garden equipment should be stored securely as well as sharp items such as hedge cutters, spades and pruning shears. 

5. Put Locks on Potential Hiding Places

Homeowners often use their garages to store large items such as refrigerators, chest freezers, washing machines, recycling containers and cabinets. These make perfect hiding places for kids playing hide-and-seek with their siblings or friends. However, these items can be hazardous especially if your child gets trapped with no one knowing where they are. 

Putting locks on large items in the garage prevents children from having access to them. It also reduces the risk of kids damaging these items while playing.

Furthermore, attaching items such as tall cabinets to the garage wall prevents them from toppling over if your child decides to climb them. 

6. Secure Bicycles and Motorcycles

Securing bicycles on the garage wall will prevent them from falling over onto small children and causing injury. Motorcycles should be secured in case little ones decide to climb them when playing inside the garage. 

Other heavy items such as clamps, vices, chain saws, sports equipment and heaters should be secured, out of reach of curious fingers. This way, your kids can’t pull them down onto them, causing injuries. 

Final Thoughts

Childproofing your garage gives you peace of mind that your kids are safe even if you’re not around to supervise them. If you’re installing motorised custom garage doors make sure they come with safety features to mitigate the risk of them trapping your kids accidentally.

One last tip! Keep buckets flipped over, so they don’t fill up with liquid, such as leaking rain water, and become a drowning hazard.