Your garage is used for many different things, and often it becomes a dumping ground for whatever you don’t want in your house. Over time, your garage can become unsafe and harbor all kinds of potential hazards.
If this sounds like your garage, it may be time to make a garage cleanout happen at your New Jersey home! But where do you start? What kind of safety hazards could be lurking among all the items stuffed into your garage, and how do you prevent your family or yourself from getting hurt?
Falling Debris
Just keep stacking your junk, and you’ll find sooner rather than later that a garage cleanout will become necessary for safety reasons. In time, your clutter will no longer be just a tripping hazard but will begin to fall on you and your family. Depending on what it is, you can be severely injured, and your kids could even be fatally injured.
If you feel like your junk is piling up, a junk removal company can make it easier to clear away things you no longer need or want. This removes the need for you to rent a truck to drop items off at Goodwill and the landfill. Plus, you don’t have to do any of the heavy lifting!
Fire Hazards
Suppose you regularly store chemicals, flammable liquids, or other hazardous materials like fertilizer, bug spray, paint thinner, gas, industrial cleaners, or more in your garage. In that case, you may have a fire hazard on your hands. Make these potential hazards as safe as possible by storing them in their original containers and sealing them tight. Keep them away from any open flames or electrical outlets. If you have a spill, an immediate garage cleanout will be necessary to clean things up. Soak liquids up with sawdust or kitty litter and then get it swept up and disposed of.
Unplug any space heaters or power tools when you’re not around, and always keep a fire extinguisher on hand in case you have a sudden problem.
Seeing Broken Wires
Many of us ignore broken wires when we see them and figure that they’ve probably been that way for a long time, so it must be okay. But, in truth, faulty or broken wires are very unsafe and can create a fire hazard.
How did your wires get broken and become faulty in the first place? Were they accidentally cut somehow, or are they a product of mice or other critters chewing through them? Do your electrical outlets show burns or melting marks on them? You may have some faulty wiring at play behind the wall.
Inspect any broken wires you may have and call a professional if there is a problem. You don’t want to risk getting shocked or having a fire start in your garage and then spread to other parts of your home.
Debris Acting as Fire Fuel
If you were to have a fire in your garage and haven’t been able to begin your garage cleanout, New Jersey homeowners may find that the extra clutter lying around could add dangerous fuel to the fire.
Garage fires usually begin small but can become dangerous very quickly. Take time to clean out your garage properly so that excessive debris does not become fuel to a fire that would normally be able to be extinguished quickly were it not for the cluttered mess in your garage.
Keeping Flammable Liquids
Flammable liquids create several different types of hazards in your garage and home. The smell and fumes alone can give you a headache, and some chemicals can be a fire hazard if they are simply being stored but not used.
Read the safety instructions for each chemical you’re storing and follow the recommendations for storage. Be sure your garage is well-ventilated, so the fumes don’t become a problem, and always clean up spills appropriately and quickly.
Risk of Tripping or Slipping
Throwing things here and there can eventually pile up and become a tripping or slipping hazard that can really leave a member of your family hurt, and the insufficient lighting that exists in most garages doesn’t help.
Tripping or slipping doesn’t have to be about items strewn about. An unleveled ground surface can be a huge problem. One way to help is to add a floor coating to smooth out surfaces and make an uneven garage floor nice and flat again.
Gasoline or oil leaks and spills from your car, lawn mower, snowblower, or more are often slippery and can be a big flammable hazard too. If you do have a spill, do what it takes to get it cleaned up immediately.
Rat Poisons, Chemicals, and Other Hazardous Materials
Keeping rat poison or other hazardous materials can be done safely if stored properly. Again, read the labels carefully and follow safety instructions always.
Unsafe Storage of Power Tools
Dangerous tools of any kind need to be stored safely. Unplug power tools when not using them, and keep parts like blades and saws in a locked cabinet.
Even some of your landscaping tools can be sharp and unsafe if they aren’t properly stored or used by someone experienced.
Debris Blocking or Damaging Garage Doors
If your junk is getting so out of control that it is blocking or damaging your garage doors, you need a garage cleanout pronto! When you are not able to close your garage doors properly, you could be risking the safety of your attached home and garage items. Don’t let your clutter get to this point.
Junk-A-Haulics Is Your Garage Clutter Solution!
Junk-A-Haulics is a leader in garage clutter solutions. We help our clients rid their garages, basements, attics, and other parts of their homes of unwanted junk. We’ll donate items to charity, recycle what we can, and then dispose of the rest.
A garage cleanout in NJ may be just what you need to get organized and find those missing tools or other items you’ve been looking for. Give Junk-A-Haulics a call to learn how we can help with your junk removal goals.
