How Safe is Your Garage?

You want your home to be a safe place for your family. That's why you take care to lock the doors, set a security system, install baby gates on stairwells and put a fence around the pool.


But have you ever considered the hidden dangers lurking in your garage? You may not realize it, but your garage can be a hazardous place for your family. Don't think so? Here are some ways to determine if your garage is safe and ways to improve potential dangers.

1. Is the floor clean?

Take a look at the floors in your garage. Are they clean? Or are they covered with oil and grease left over from last weekend when you changed the oil in your law mower?

Floors that are stained with oil and grease can pose a risk for slipping. A young child running through your garage can easily slip and fall in an oily spot and crack his or her head on the hard concrete. That situation could turn dire very quickly.

To reduce the chances of a slip-and-fall accident, consider epoxy floor coating. Epoxy coatings are stain resistant and very easy to clean. They not only protect the concrete floors from spills and cracks, but they protect your family. For example, if you spill some oil on an epoxy floor, simply wipe the spill away with a shop towel. It'll clean up in a breeze, leaving your garage floor safe and free of hazards.

Just be certain to properly dispose of rags that you use to clean up oil or gasoline spills. Letting them remain in your garage can pose a fire hazard.

2. Look for hazardous substances. 

Open containers of toxic substances like paints, antifreeze and gardening chemicals are accidents just waiting to happen. If a child or pet were to ingest such a chemical, the result could be deadly. Instead of leaving chemicals out in the open, lock them away in garage cabinets. They'll be safely out of sight of any inquisitive youngsters or four-legged friends.

3. Optimize storage space to reduce clutter.

If you've garage is messy and cluttered, you've probably got items strewn all over the floors. When tools, toys, equipment and various gear are littered about, you've created the perfect situation for a fall. Left a ladder out? There's a good chance a small child will attempt to climb it take a tumble to the ground.

Instead of allowing your garage to remain piled up with "stuff" that's easy to trip over or climb, stow items away for safety. Wall-mounted hook systems, overhead storage solutions and garage cabinets are great options to keep your garage floor clear of clutter and debris.

4. Lock items away to prevent theft.

No one ever thinks their home will be burglarized, but it does happen. If a thief were to gain entry to your garage, he or she is more likely to quickly grab the items within easy reach. Protect your valuable tools and equipment by storing them out of sight in garage cabinets. Better yet, consider cabinets with locks to further reduce the risk. When items aren't easy to find, it's harder for a thief to grab them and run.

5. Create space to park your car.

If your garage is already cluttered and you park your car in it, you're exposing your family to potential dangers. For example, if clutter prevents you from having a clear visual of your garage, you could easily strike an unseen child with your vehicle upon entering or exiting the garage.

While the result wouldn't be as devastating as hitting a child, you could also damage to your vehicle if you strike a piece of equipment or a garage wall or door. Having to repair your car or your walls is both costly and aggravating.

6. Store things out of reach.

Young children can get injured on seemingly safe items like ropes, screwdrivers or even rakes. To prevent children from being accidentally injured, store items like this out of reach of little hands. Overhead storage is a great option for items you don't use often or wall-mounted hook systems can offer places to store rope, extension cords, yard tools or anything else you don't want to fall into the wrong hands.

You may already have dangerous items stored high up, but are they truly safe? Are the hooks secured in the ceiling or on the walls? Or could they fall down and strike someone on the head? Or, do hanging items pose a danger to an adult who might hit his or her head on a piece of a equipment that's positioned too low?

Need some help reducing hazards in your garage? Boston Garage has years of experience helping homeowners organize their garages. We offer complimentary in-home design consultations that will give you an idea of exactly what types of storage solutions you need and how much it will cost. We are also experts in epoxy floor coatings which will mitigate the danger posed by spills in your garage.

Learn more today by calling us at 781-836-5145 or using our handy online form to request a consultation.