As much as possible, you want your garage door to be free from dirt, debris, and even water. A clean garage means that whatever you store in there – from your vehicles to any kind of appliances – will also remain clean and spotless.

However, there might come a time when you start noticing the presence of unwanted things in your garage. The things mentioned above plus other unwelcome items, like rodent droppings. You might wonder how those got in there when you’ve always maintained your garage well.

The answer will likely point to your garage door. It’s probably the source of the problem. A garage door comes with a seal at the bottom to help keep out everything that’s unnecessary. But the problem is that the seals can wear out after a while.

There are also cases when the driveway or the concrete floor will create significant gaps beneath the garage door. The problem is that standard seals won’t be sufficient to block or cover those gaps. 

So what’s the best option to seal the harsh elements out or insulate the inside of your garage properly? Weatherstripping is probably the best answer to that. What is it and what are its benefits? The following are some of the benefits of weatherstripping your garage door:

What is Weatherstripping?

But first, what is weatherstripping? It’s actually the process of sealing all of the openings around your garage door in order to help keep the weather out. Weatherstripping helps in increasing the level of comfort in homes, reducing noise, and lowering energy costs.

Benefits of Weatherstripping

Let’s now go to the benefits of weatherstripping. It actually serves more than one purpose. While it provides effective insulation to your garage and the rest of your home, it also serves as extra protection against flooding.

During the winter months, weatherstripping is going to help keep the rain and water out. It also serves to stabilize the internal temperature within homes. In the summer season, weatherstripping is instrumental for keeping the temperature inside cool.

When weatherstripping is done properly, it also minimizes the risk of losing energy. This is especially true if it’s done to the exterior part of the garage door. And it will serve as a proper complement to a properly sealed door that connects the garage to a house’s main living area.

An additional benefit of weatherstripping is that it will prevent the scraping of the door on the surface of the concrete. This will delay the effects of wear and tear on both the garage door and the concrete floor. They’re not going to get worn out prematurely and will last for a long time.

One more important addition to the key benefits of weatherstripping your garage door is that it doesn’t cost much to do it. The same is true when the weatherstripping on your garage door already needs to be replaced with a new one. There are certainly plenty of benefits to using weatherstripping on your garage door and every homeowner should take advantage of them.

Garage doors provide additional security and protection to your home. They’re much more than just points of access to the space where you store your vehicle. A garage door also adds a layer of security that can give you some much-needed peace of mind.

In spite of what it brings to the table, garage doors also happen to pose some risks and dangers. Now that’s something that homeowners wouldn’t usually associate with garage doors, but it’s still true nevertheless. 

The dangers manifest themselves and become even worse when the garage door isn’t maintained properly. Still, it’s not too late to familiarize yourself with the potential dangers. It’s important so you can protect not just yourself but your entire family.

So what can you do about aloof those risks? Are there steps that you can take to keep yourself and your family safe while using your garage door on a daily basis? Below we take a look at some of the garage door safety tips you should follow.

Regular Inspections

One of the best and most important safety tips that you can follow is to make sure that your garage door is inspected and tested regularly. You can start by giving it a visual inspection as it will allow you to see if there are obvious signs of wear and tear.

You’ll need to carefully check the springs, cables, pulleys, and rollers of your garage door. But if you see that the springs or cables are damaged, make mo attempt to repair them yourself. It would be quite dangerous for you to attempt it and you need to contact professionals to do it for you instead.

Make Sure Kids Don’t Play With the Remote

Another safety tip that you need to follow is to make sure that kids don’t play with the remote control of your garage door. First of all, the remote control should simply be out of any child’s reach. With the garage door being one of the biggest and heaviest objects in your house, this needs to be a must. 

How do you make sure that it doesn’t happen? One way to do it is by placing the garage door opener control button about five feet above the floor. This will make it beyond the reach of little kids and you can easily view your garage door.

Don’t Leave the Garage Door Opener in the Car

You also shouldn’t leave the garage door opener in your car. It’s important because one of the most common ways for criminals to break into homes is by stealing the remote control of the garage door. 

In order to prevent this from happening, you only need to take your remote control with you any time you leave your car. It’s not hard anyway since it’s small and doesn’t weigh much. You can place it in your pocket, purse, or small bag.

Use Smart Garage Door Technology

Next in this list of garage door safety tips you should follow is to make use of smart garage door technology. Invest in technologies that will allow you to monitor whether your garage door is being opened by someone who’s not supposed to. Those technologies can be used through your phone or another device that will help prevent any similar security problems from happening.

An energy-efficient home is what you consider to be the ideal home for today. Being energy efficient isn’t just some trend for you as you take it very seriously. There are just a ton of benefits to energy efficiency and it would be great if you could make it happen for your home.

One of the best ways to make your home energy-efficient is through a well-insulated garage door. By having a garage door that’s properly insulated, you can stabilize the temperature within your home. You’ll effectively reduce your energy bills and also help the environment through reduced energy waste at the same time.

The important thing is to realize that your garage door impacts the overall thermal efficiency of your home in a significant way. It’s usually the largest opening in a home so it can’t help but play an important role in its energy or thermal efficiency. Below you’ll learn how to choose the most thermal efficient garage door for your home.

About the R-Value

Enter the R-Value. This is what garage door manufacturers use to measure the insulation capability of a garage door. The higher the R-Value, the better the garage door is at insulation. Garage doors that are connected to homes need to have an R-Value that is no less than 10. So if you’re a homeowner, that’s what you need to look for.

You also might have to consider the U-Value of a door when you’re looking for a garage door that’s energy-efficient. The U-Value is the exact opposite of the R-Value. While the R-Value is for measuring the insulation capabilities of the garage door, the U-Value is the measure of the heat flow through the building material. You’ll be able to find out the measure of energy loss as well as heat flow with the help of the U-Value.

The Right Garage Door Material

Part of choosing the most thermal efficient garage door is selecting the door with the right material. This is crucial since the type of material plays an important part in the overall energy efficiency of any home. The following are some of the types of garage door materials that are considered to be among the most thermal efficient options.

• Steel – Steel is one of the most popular choices for garage door materials. There are plenty of good reasons why it’s the choice for many. For one it’s very durable and you can count on it to last for a long time. Another is that it looks great so you can count on it to add to your property’s aesthetic value. One thing about steel garage doors is that they offer much thermal efficiency on their own. However, there are options that have the sandwich construction featuring steel-polyurethane-steel, which offers better thermal efficiency.
• Vinyl – Vinyl is known for its great looks and also for being very low maintenance. It’s also very durable and resistant to dents while also being capable of reducing exterior noise. A vinyl garage door offers tremendous thermal efficiency for homes.
• Wood – For those who are looking for a certain kind of texture, wood is the garage door material for them. It also offers a certain classy look and feels that few other materials can match. As far as thermal efficiency is concerned, it offers little in that regard. However, the insulation is excellent as the R-Value is usually way beyond the minimum requirement of 10.

In the winter season, a homeowner’s top priority is to ensure that the home is comfortable for every member of the family. It’s a very real necessity, given how harsh the cold season can sometimes be. Every home, particularly its interior, should be as comfortable as possible.

One way to guarantee comfort inside homes is to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. That includes the garage, of course. There are a number of ways to do it, like using space heaters and also by insulating the walls of the house. 

But you need to keep in mind that for that to work, you also need to insulate your garage door. Otherwise, it would be a futile attempt at keeping the warmth inside. What you’ll get instead is a lot of wasted energy and it will eventually result in a major loss of money on 

So getting your garage door insulated is absolutely essential. But what exactly are the advantages and benefits that you could get from it? Read on then to find out about the top benefits of using an insulated garage door.

You Can Save More Energy

Saving energy is probably the number one benefit of using an insulated garage door. It’s important that there is an effective barrier between the interior of your home and the cold weather on the outside. 

An insulated garage door is capable of reducing the loss of heat by over 70 percent when compared to a non-insulated garage door. It’s most effective when the walls of the garage are also insulated. When your garage door is insulated, you’re assured that the warm air isn’t going to escape outside and save more energy.

A More Durable Option

An insulated garage door is also more durable. So you get a stronger and more durable option with an insulated door. They’re usually made of steel and are basically a sandwich construction that’s made of steel-polyurethane steel.

Also, a garage door that has a higher R-value, the better it is at insulation. So you should go for one that has a better or higher R-value for better thermal efficiency. The door is also more sturdy and resistant to getting damaged or dented.

Helps Reduce Noise and Vibration

In addition to the durability, an insulated garage door also helps in reducing noise and vibration. The insulation in the garage door is able to reduce at least most of the vibration and the noise from the street is also minimized.

This is a very practical benefit that is an advantage if you have a living space that’s right next to your garage door. Naturally, you wouldn’t want to be disturbed by the sound of the door when it opens and closes.

Protect Your Tools

The cold and freezing temperature can damage the tools and any other object that you’re storing inside your garage if it’s not properly insulated. They are likely to freeze and then crack and that can eventually lead to damage. 

If your garage door is properly insulated, then you don’t have to worry about your tools or appliances getting damaged. They can be safely stored in your garage and there would be no damage whatsoever.

Extend the Battery Life of Your Car

Another of the top benefits of using an insulated garage door is that it helps extend the battery life of your car. Since most batteries are at their best in temperatures that are between 30 and 90 degrees, the added warmth of your garage because of the insulation will do wonders for it. You’ll at least be assured that you won’t end up in a dead battery because of the extreme cold.

Proper cleaning of your garage is one of those regular tasks that you need to do right. It also extends to your garage door. After all, your garage door is used even more often than the rest of the garage itself. So it only makes sense to make sure that it’s all cleaned properly and regularly.

Cleaning your garage is essential, even if only done from time to time. It’s part of ensuring that your garage and garage door are well maintained. So even though they are made well-made and durable, it could still add to their longevity. And for you, it would mean a more comfortable use of both your garage and garage door.

Look at the following and treat it as your guide to a clean garage. These are simple steps that you can follow to guarantee the cleanest version of your garage ever.

Step #1 – The very first step that you need to take is to wipe down all of the flat surfaces using a multipurpose spray. You need to do the same to the shelves in your garage. There might be an urge to start cleaning the floor first. But if you can resist that urge and do it later, then you’ve made the correct first step in ensuring a clean garage and garage door.

Step #2 – The next step is to clean the slatwall panels of your garage. To do this, you’ll need to use a rag. For garage walls that are made from rough materials such as bricks or drywall, you have to use a broom to downward sweep the walls. This will help remove some of the dirt and dust that has accumulated in it over time. And if you happen to see any cobwebs, you can use the broom for removing them as well.

Step #3 – This next step is all about the floor of your garage. Again, you’ll have to use a broom to sweep all of the accumulated dust and dirt on the floor. Just make sure that you’re not going to miss any spots or difficult-to-reach areas and corners. Some garage floors need more significant cleaning. For those floors, you’ll need to use a garden hose and pair it with a gentle cleanser. Any remaining water could be removed with the use of a squeegee.

Step #4 – Up next is your garage door. When it comes to cleaning your garage door, you need to remember one thing and that’s to clean it according to its material. There are materials that only require the door to be rinsed off with a hose and wiped down with a sponge and a mixture of dish detergent and water. This is the recommended cleaning method for garage doors that are made of vinyl, fiberglass, or steel.

Step #5 – You also need to include your door frames in the cleaning process. It might be hiding some caked-on dirt and if they are then you need to remove those too. All it would take is a simple scrubbing and you can simply hose it off afterward. But if the door frame requires something more complicated, such as stripping, staining, or painting, then you might need to call on professionals for help.

Following the above steps and setting them as your guide to a clean garage is sure to yield positive results. At the very least, you’re assured of a well-maintained garage that will be a delight to use for years to come.