Having Trouble Locking Your Garage?

It is so important that your garage doors lock properly. Your car is one of the largest investments. Also, most garages have a door that leads into the interior of your home. An unlocked garage is equal to an unlocked back door and can leave your home vulnerable.

The bars on the inside of the garage are the main component of the garage door lock. Over time these bars can become misaligned or weak. You should check these bars and the lock regularly. If you see that there could be a problem it is a good idea to call for a Utah garage door repair or maintenance check. Professionals are able to suggest the best methods to repair the bars.

Other worries about locking garage doors include who owns a key. If you have recently moved into a new home, you should change all of the locks. The garage door lock is included. You never know who could have gotten a hold of a spare key in the selling process. Keep your valuables safe by not taking any chances.

Keep in mind that your garage is used often. A lock can break or become misaligned anytime you use the garage. This is why regular maintenance is so crucial to the safety of your belongings stored inside of the garage and inside of your home.

How to Keep Animals Out of Your Garage

Stray feral cats, raccoons and other animals can not only be bothersome pests, but can also be dangerous to you, your family and your pets. These animals can ravage items that you have in storage. They can spread disease and they can bite or scratch.

It is important to find methods to stop them from going into your Utah garage door humanely.

Some animals are able to slip in when the garage door is opened. It seems rather simple to say, “Just keep the garage door closed.” But, if your car emits many emissions you should leave the garage door open for at least 30 seconds after driving inside. These emissions can even cause weather stripping on doors to wear down if a garage is immediately shut.

Before closing your garage door inspect the area for any animals. If you do see an animal you can usually shoo them away or use a loud sound like a clang on a pot or pan to scare them away. If you have problems with the same animal frequently, contact your local humane society or pest removal services.

Some animals are able to get into garages through very small spaces. If you have square venting windows in your garage, you will need to install screens. Also, if you have a pet door in your Utah garage door, you may need to remove it. These will all increase the amount of animals seeking shelter or looking for food in your garage.

How to Protect your Refrigerator in the Garage

In Utah especially, where family sizes are statistically larger and food storage is an important consideration for many, it is common for a household to have more than one fridge. It is a convenient and space saving method to keep a second refrigerator in the garage. How do you maintain the fridge properly when it is next to a garage door? We have some great tips for you.

Check the fridge temperature regularly: This fridge may be used less often and it may be more difficult to notice changes in temperature. Check the temperature at least once a month. The fridge temperature should be close to 40 degrees. Check it more often during seasonal changes because the fridge may have difficulty between exterior temperature changes.

Clean the fridge often: You may be less likely to store partially opened food containers in this fridge. You may also be less likely to have spills in this fridge. But, it is crucial that is cleaned often. A fridge stored in a garage will be more likely to have mildew and mold build up. You must maintain it or it may need to be repaired just like a Utah garage door repair.

Keep a maintenance sheet on the fridge: A maintenance sheet will help you to remember to check the temperature and clean the fridge regularly. It can be easy to forget when you last maintained the appliance, especially when it is the secondary unit to the one in the kitchen that you use daily.

Need More Light in Your Garage?

Do you have a hobby or crafting area in your garage? Do you work on your vehicles in the garage? Do you shudder thinking about the creepy, crawly creatures lurking in the dark corners around your Utah garage doors? You can make drastic improvements by brightening up the area.

There are many methods to adding light to the area. Many people prefer to add high gloss paint to the walls and ceiling of a garage. With a couple of coats of high gloss, eggshell white paint, a garage is brightened greatly. Paint eliminates the need to add more light and to use more energy for lightening the area. But, it can be a large project. Also, the white is capable of showing much more dirt than plain cement walls.

Other methods include hanging fluorescent lighting. This can add a great deal of light to a garage. It is the preferred lighting for many crafters who work in their garages well into the night on projects. These lights can be a bit complicated to install and are dangerous if they are broken. The bulbs contain toxic chemicals that can spill out if they shatter.

Some garages already have natural light sources such as small windows. Many of these windows are covered with bushes or trees. Many people also will conceal these windows to keep pests or potential criminals away. You can remove bushes and install small bars over the window and still benefit from the natural light sources.

Consider the choices available to creating a lighter and brighter garage area. You will be able to select the choice that is right for you and your needs.

Garage Floor Coatings

Spring is a popular time to get a garage floor coating. Dirt and debris has gathered all winter on the floor and is difficult to remove. Cleaning this can be a big job and includes sweeping and power washing the surface. Moving all of the storage items can make this a lengthy process.

There are many different types of garage floor coatings varying in color, quality and, of course, price. Novice homeowners can apply some coatings while some coatings require professionals with the essential equipment required.

One of the most requested coatings that requires professional application is polished concrete with radiant heating. This is a beautiful style that includes a clear or stained polish over the top. The radiant heating works well for those that spend much time in their garage. Those with man caves enjoy the modern look of the floor and the heat component.

A basic coating of epoxy is a very popular type that can be applied by a homeowner that has been educated on the product and application methods. Many hardware stores offer afternoon courses in garage epoxy skills. This can be applied to a regular garage to help with the appearance and ease of cleaning. If you are having a Utah garage door repair, this is the perfect time to apply a coating.

Be sure to consider how the surface coatings are maintained and how often an application will need to be reapplied before making a decision on type. Also, consider how much time you spend in your garage. A crafter or hobbyist who spends hours in a garage per week will prefer a different coating than one who simply parks their car in the garage.

Get Rid of Spiders in Your Utah Garage

The spring and the fall are both common seasons for insects and spiders to appear in or around your Utah garage door. In March and April spiders will seek shelter from wet conditions by retreating to both damp and dry areas indoors. While most spiders are harmless, Utah is known to have a large black widow population.

Black and brown widow spiders can be dangerous in the Utah garage, especially if you have children and/or pets. Other spiders can be simply creepy, crawly unwanted guests. There are several ways to prevent an infestation and to get rid of spiders that are currently residing in your garage.

First and foremost, prevent these infestations by keeping your garage clean and organized. It is better to use plastic, sealable bins than cardboard boxes for storage. This will keep spiders from nesting inside of your possessions. Also, many household members take off their winter shoes and clothing leaving them inside the garage. Avoid this as spiders can be attracted to the warmth left in a boot and crawl inside causing an unpleasant surprise the next time the boots are worn.

In addition to avoiding leaving things inside the garage that can be cozy homes for insects and spiders, there are ways to get rid of spiders once they have taken over. If you are privy to the types of spiders living in the area, you will be able to find specific sprays for the spider. For example, the Demon WP is a highly recommended widow spray.

Other items can be found such as sticky spider traps, Delta dust for damp corners and more. If you have tried these items and do not see improvement, contact a professional pest control company. They can also recommend seasonal sprays at the most optimal times of the year.

Install Shelves in Your Garage

If you are planning on organizing and cleaning out your garage, you may want to invest in some shelving units. Utah Garage Doors can conceal a great long-term storage area. Much of the space in a garage is never used to its full potential. The right storage equipment can help you to be able to park your automobiles and store sports equipment, seasonal items, food storage and more.

The types of items that you want to store will effect the kind of shelving that you will need. Many people prefer to have one wide and tall shelving unit on one side of the garage and another that is shorter and not as wide on the opposite side. This way many items and boxes of various sizes can fit on a shelf well.

There are metal and plastic shelving pieces available at hardware stores. These are relatively easy to put together piece by piece. These are great for renters and those that like a fast and easy project. But, these snap-on or secure quickly piece sets are more expensive than many that you can build yourself.

If you have a need for a custom sized shelf or would like a more permanent shelf, you may want to build your own. Using wood or cement and metal items, you can create your own shelving units. These usually cost less than the snap-on type, but will take more work and effort.

Online galleries and tutorials can be found that present all types of storage shelves from basic to creative to luxury styles. You should choose your style by deciding how much time and effort you would like to invest.

Tips for Having a Garage Sale

Spring is the perfect time to have a garage sale. Spring-cleaning can help you to clean out your garage and to make some money selling items that you no longer use or need. It will also help to create more space in your home or garage. But, there are a few tips that you need to know before you have your own garage sale.

You will need to be sure to advertise. Many garage sale shoppers will use the newspaper or sites such as Craigslist.com to find garage sales to shop at. Also, poster board signs with your address and information about the garage sale are helpful. It is always important to date the poster, since so many others forget to take down their signs. Shoppers don’t want to take the time to drive around looking for an unfamiliar address if they are not sure that the sign is new and the garage sale is indeed the current day.

Be sure to have plenty of change on hand. You will need silver change and dollar change. You never can predict how large of bills your shoppers will carry. It is disheartening to turn down a sale because you simply don’t have change. Be sure to get your change a day in advance so you don’t have to leave customers in between sales for a stop by the bank.

Start your sale early. Die-hard Utah Garage Door shoppers start their shopping very early so that they can find the best deals. 7 am is the perfect time to begin. If you are expecting a crowd of buyers, you may want to buy a box of donuts and have coffee or juice on hand for the shoppers. This is not necessary, but it is a nice touch that will keep shoppers browsing for a longer period of time.

Spring Clean Your Garage

Spring is the best time to clean your garage. It is no longer unbearably cold in the space without climate control and it is not yet too hot to work comfortably. Also, over the winter months a garage tends to get very dirty due to cars bringing in dirt and grime and spiders and other insects seeking shelter in the space.

The way you decide to clean out your garage will depend on the overall uses and cleanliness desired in the space. Do you use your garage for storage and over the winter has it become packed with miscellaneous items? If so, this is the perfect time to organize your items on shelves and in transparent plastic containers. At this time you can also select items that you don’t use for a garage sale or for donation to a charity.

If you park your automobiles in the garage over the winter, you most likely have dirt and grime on the garage floor and in the corners next to the garage doors Utah. If there is simply too much dirt for a broom to quickly sweep away you may need to use a power washer. You can find power washers that use water for rent at most hardware stores. They are easy to use and will clean a surface exceptionally well.

In addition to cleaning the interior of your garage, you will also want to clean the exterior of your garage by paying close attention to the condition of the garage door. This is also a good time to inspect the working hardware used in the door to be sure that is working properly. If there are any issues, spring is a great time to schedule maintenance appointments.

Program Garage Door Remote

Most garage door Utah remotes are quite simple and similar to program. We have collected the instructions that will work for most remotes. But, if you have a remote that does not respond the instructions, refer to the owner’s manual.

First, be sure that every opener is together. You will want to program them all at the same time. You will also want to be sure that they all have a fresh pair of batteries in them.

Next, you will need to locate the load and learn button on the motor. Hold this button down for 15 seconds. This should work to erase any old information that was stored on the remotes before. This also works for remotes that have been installed into automobiles.

After you have erased the existing program, you will need to reprogram the remotes. You will do this one by one with each remote. You will push on the load and learn button again, but not for 15 seconds, just push and release. Then, with the remote in your other hand, you will push on the open button until, the light bulb in the remote or motor flashes.

You will do this with each remote separately. Car remotes may work a bit different and you may want to read through the instructor manual before trying to reprogram them.