In most homes, the garage serves as the storage room for power tools, gardening equipment and even unused and broken household items. This overcrowding is what makes the garage a pretty dangerous part of the house where minor to extremely severe injuries can take place.
Thus, you need to take precautionary measures to keep these things from happening. To help you out, here are our top ten tips you need to consider in making your garage a safer place for you and your family.
- Hang, ropes, hoses and other similar items on walls and secure them with ropes to keep them from falling down. Don’t leave them lying on the floor where they can trip someone.
- If you notice oil spills and grease on the floor, be sure to clean them immediately before you or somebody else slips on them.
- Have a fire extinguisher and first aid kit ready in the garage. Be sure to put them in places where they are very visible and easily accessible. Put signs if necessary or orient your family about where they are placed and how they are used. You may also want to install a smoke alarm and sprinkler in the garage in case of fire.
- Secure shelves by nailing them on the walls or tying them with ropes. This will help prevent them from falling down whenever kids try to climb up on them.
- Keep your kids’ items on lower shelves so they won’t be tempted to climb up the shelves.
- Inspect electrical outlets on the walls for signs of moisture and water stains after a strong rain, as this may mean that the outlet has been damaged by water. If so, plug the outlets and mark them as unusable until you can get an electrician to inspect them.
- Store hazardous chemicals like pesticides and paint thinners in tightly sealed containers, marked properly and away from the children’s sight and reach.
- Invest in a sturdy and dependable cabinet where you can lock up sharp objects like shovels, rakes, spades, and other similar tools.
- Avoid leaving ladders standing against the wall. Instead, store it horizontally on the ground.
- Keep your garage clean and free of clutter. Immediately clean up dust, dirt, cobwebs, and put things back where they belong.