Garage Door Safety for Pets and Children: Keeping Your Loved Ones Safe

Your garage door is likely one of your home’s most frequently used entrances. But, for all its convenience, it can also pose potential safety hazards for children and pets. At Keystone Door Solutions, safety is our primary priority. We install garage doors and openers that adhere to the highest safety standards. If you live in State College, Boalsburg, Bellefonte, Mill Hall, Spring Mills, Centre Hall, or Harrisburg, having professional garage installation services and purchasing your garage door and garage door opener from a reputable and reliable company as well as understanding garage door safety can help protect your family from preventable accidents.

Why Garage Door Safety is Crucial

While your garage door might seem harmless, it’s a heavy piece of machinery that can cause significant injuries if not installed, maintained, or used properly. Modern garage doors can weigh anywhere from 150 to 400 pounds. Without expert installation, high standards of quality and safety, and proper safety measures, they pose serious risks to children and pets who may inadvertently be in harm's way.

Even though garage doors today are equipped with sensors and safety mechanisms, accidents can still happen, particularly if those mechanisms aren’t working correctly or if proper safety precautions aren’t followed. At Keystone Door Solutions, we think that safety standards are paramount, which is why we help our clients regularly maintain their garage doors and openers and fix them immediately if they should stop working. 

Top Garage Door Safety Tips

Whether in Bellefonte or Harrisburg, these garage door safety practices should be followed to ensure your home remains safe for your children and pets.

1. Regularly Test and Maintain Your Garage Door Sensors

Most modern garage doors have auto-reverse sensors, a crucial feature that detects objects in the path of a closing garage door. These sensors help ensure that the door will reverse if an object's a ball, your pet, or a child – is in its way.

To make sure your garage door sensors are functioning correctly:

• Test the sensors by placing an object (like a broom) in the door’s path. The door should immediately reverse upon contact with the object. If it doesn’t, you may need to adjust the sensors or call a professional for repair.
• Clean the sensors regularly to remove dust or dirt that may block their function.
• Schedule annual maintenance checks with Keystone Door Solutions to ensure everything is in working order.

2. Keep Remote Controls Out of Reach

Garage door openers, whether on the wall, in your car, or as remotes, should be kept out of reach of children. Kids might find playing with the garage door fun, but this can lead to serious accidents. If your garage door opener has a locking feature, use it when you aren’t home to prevent unauthorized or accidental use.

Consider placing your garage door remote control:

• On a high shelf or a place your child can’t access.
• In a secure compartment in your car, away from where pets can accidentally trigger it.

3. Educate Your Children About Garage Door Safety

Children may not fully understand the dangers that a garage door can pose. Educate your children about garage door safety by explaining:

• Never play under or near a moving garage door.
• Not to race under the garage door while it’s closing.
• Avoid playing with the garage door remote as if it were a toy.

By reinforcing these safety lessons, you'll help create a safe environment for your kids to play in and around the garage.

4. Pet Safety: Create a Barrier

Pets are naturally curious, and it's not uncommon for them to wander near the garage door. Whether you live in Spring Mills, Centre Hall, or Mill Hall, creating a safe barrier to keep your pets away from the garage door can be essential to their safety. Our team is also very careful to adjust sensors and safety equipment on garage doors to ensure that your pets stay safe.

Consider:

• Installing a pet gate near the garage entrance if your pet tends to wander near the door.
• We can help by making sure your garage door sensors are placed at a level low enough to detect small animals like cats or dogs.

Also, always ensure your pet is accounted for before operating the garage door, especially if you have a curious cat or dog that tends to dart in and out of open spaces.

Stay Safe with Professional Help in State College and Beyond

If you’re unsure about the condition of your garage door’s safety features or want to install upgrades, it’s always best to consult a professional. Many garage door companies in the State College, Boalsburg, Centre Hall, and Harrisburg areas offer services to inspect and repair garage doors, ensuring the safety of your family. At Keystone Door Solutions, our five-star rating and exceptional client experiences make us the standout choice for garage door installation, repair, and garage door opener installation and repair.