The Garage Plan Shop Blog

Weather you have an attached or detached garage, there are many things you can do to be safe inside and around the garage. From ensuring your own personal health and safety and that of others to protecting what is stored inside the garage, these tips from The Garage Plan Shop will help you practice garage safety:

• If it isn’t necessary to have your garage door open, keep it closed. An open garage door is an invitation for any passer-by/burglar to have a street view of everything you have inside. If they see something appealing, they might just decide to help themselves when you’re not looking stealing tools, bikes and other valuables. Or, they may watch and wait for you to leave before they strike. And remember, often the things in our garage will provide an indication about what is inside the house turning your garage burglar into a house burglar too.
• Keep all windows and doors locked and secured when you’re not inside the garage. An unlocked window or door leaves opportunity for someone to break-in your garage. Lock windows and screens when you don’t need them open and keep the overhead door and any service entries locked when not in use.
• Install motion lights outside the perimeter of your garage. If you need to head to the garage late at night or you are coming home late, the motion lights will light your way from the garage to the house or vice-versa. They will also deter burglars. And you’ll appreciate an outside light turning on when you pull in the driveway late at night. Motion lights have an added bonus, the save energy by only coming on where there is motion rather than keeping a light on all night. 
• Organize the inside of the garage and keep everything in its place. Not only will this make it easy to find something you are looking for, but it will keep the floor and pathways clear making it easy to walk around in the garage and pull the car inside without risk of tripping over something or driving over something such as a sharp tool or rake that could potentially damage your tires.
• Store items such as power tools out of reach or out of sight of children. It is best to keep them locked in a storage closet or cabinet inside the garage, but it you don’t have a place to lock them up, install sturdy shelving units or cabinets and store dangerous power tools and other items that may have your children up and out of reach.
• Do not store flammable materials such as paint cans, gasoline containers and lawn fertilizer in your garage, especially if your garage is attached or situated near your home. If your garage catches fire, there is a good chance your house might too. Not only are these items at risk for catching fire, but they also give off hazardous fumes of not sealed and stored properly. These fumes can make their way into your home putting everyone at risk. It is best to store flammable items and other harmful chemicals in a backyard storage shed as far away from the home and garage as possible.
• If flooding ever threatens your property, chances are your garage will be the first to take on water. Such cases call for the help of a professional fire restoration or water damage restoration minneapolis company. It is important that the water is removed from the appliances in your garage as well as moisture from the interior because it can also become the reason for a short circuit in your house. The flood cleaning service providers have the tools and technologies that will help to remove moisture from the interior. And if your crawlspace hasn’t been encapsulated yet, contact a professional crawlspace encapsulation service to get the job done.
• Never let your car run inside the garage with the garage door closed. The build-up of gases and emissions from a running car can cause serious illness and even death. If you need to warm your car up in the winter, back it out of the garage or at least open the garage door all the way to let the harmful gases escape.

Following these safety tips will help protect the items you store inside your garage and prevent unnecessary health risks to you and your family.

Tags: garage organization, garage plans, garage safety, garage safety tips, garage storage, Safety, safety tips

If you’ve decided to build your dream garage, or just add that extra space you’ve been needing, it is important you make plans to keep your garage safe and hazard free. Knowing how to safely store chemicals and other hazards should be one of your top priorities as many of these dangers usually end up in the garage. Educate yourself and plan ahead so you know just how you are going to store these potentially dangerous items keeping you and your family safe, not to mention your dream car that will be parked inside your new garage. These tips will help you.

Tools and Ladders

·         Make sure extension cords stored or used in the garage are rated for outdoor use due to possible moisture in the garage. Those not rated for outdoor use can easily cause an electrical short or possibly catch fire if stored and/or used outside.

·         Plan to store ladders horizontally against a wall or at floor level using storage hooks to secure them. If stored vertically and not tightly secured, they can easily tip or fall harming people and damaging property.

·         Lawn and garden tools and other small hand tools such as a screw driver or hammer should be placed in a secure space such as a toolbox. If possible lock the toolbox preventing children from accessing dangerous items.

·         Store tools, especially those with sharp points or blades, out of reach of children, but make sure the adult accessing the tools can retrieve it easily without causing any danger or harm to themselves. Also make sure all power tools are turned or switched off before storing after each use.

Chemicals

·         Chemicals should be stored in their original containers with complete warning labels so you know what is inside and what dangers or threats each may pose. Store out of reach from children and in a safe place where they will not fall or spill. They are best stored away from the home in a detached garage or storage shed rather than an attached garage.

·         Anti-freeze is a sweet smelling liquid that can be a killer to pets. As little as one tablespoon can make your pet sick or even be lethal to cats and small dogs. Make sure all caps are secured tightly and store in a safe place. Keep anti-freeze away from children too.

·         Do not store paints, pesticides or auto fluids in old food containers. These containers might leak causing fumes resulting is breathing and respiratory problems, burns and fire hazards.

·         Propane is highly combustible. Propane containers and anything that uses propane should be stored away from the home in a detached garage, shed or outbuilding. It is not safe to store propane in your attached garage.

·         Ice-melt mixtures and road salt can be very harmful to children and pets. Make sure these items are stored in non-spill, childproof containers. Put them in a locked closet in the garage or out of reach of children and pets.

Tags: garage organization, garage safety tips, garage storage tips