Here’s a guide from the garage door installation experts here at Garage Door Repair Chicago as to some vital information regarding child safety and garage doors – a must-read for parents that live in homes with garages.

Make sure to regularly inspect your garage door to ensure that there’s no broken components like springs or cables. If you find any, make sure that they are repaired AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and only by a licensed garage door opener repair professional.

Garage Door Reversal Testing

Make sure that your garage door reversal features are working properly. Put a piece of wood in the line of the garage safety sensors and close the garage door – or even better, put it on the ground and see if the garage door reverses directions as soon as the door makes contact with the object.

Making Sure Garage Door Opener Is High Up

Make sure the garage door opener is high enough installed that children can’t reach it and mess with it. We recommend installing it on the ceiling and keeping a cover over it so that it’s not easily touched by children.

Sealing Garage Door Gaps

Make sure to seal any gaps under or around garage doors with rubber seals – this helps keep your garage door insulated, and prevents youngsters from placing their hands (or bodies, or heads!) inside those gaps.

Make Sure Children Don’t Play by Garages / Garage Doors

Make sure that your children understand that inside, outside, and around the garage door is a No-Play zone. It’s easy for children to get injured by hitting components like joints or hinges in garages, not to mention damaging the garage itself. Additionally, there’s an associated risk of garage buttons being hit and closing the garage, potentially locking a child inside the garage. Children should be taught to never press any buttons they find around the garage – and this rule should apply to the rest of the house too.