While the garage may seem like the safest place for your vehicle, it’s one of the areas where your car is most likely to get dented, dinged or damaged.
Whether the culprit is clutter or an excessively quick entry, garage dings can be expensive and unsightly, and it’s better to avoid them entirely than try to repair them later.
Why Garage Accidents Happen
While there are dozens of causes of garage accidents, including pulling in too close to the door or wall, and not paying enough attention while backing up, the most common culprit is clutter.
When a garage is cluttered or crammed with unneeded items, the likelihood of door dings skyrockets. Because of this, homeowners who want to avoid a garage door ding are wise to declutter their garage for safer entry and exit.
How to Declutter a Garage
To declutter your garage and prevent a door ding, start by ensuring that the space around where you park your car is clear. Ideally, you should be able to open all of the doors of the car without bumping into clutter or having to move things out of the way.
If you have things like recreational equipment, out-of-season clothing or children’s toys cluttering your garage, organize them in bins and arrange them on stacking shelves pushed against the far walls of the garage. Anything that doesn’t find a natural home in these bins should be donated or thrown away.
How Avoid Dinging Your Car in the Garage
Once you’ve decluttered your garage, you’ll still need to be careful to avoid dinging your car as you enter and exit the space. This is especially true if you have a small garage.
For best results, use extreme caution when pulling into and out of your garage. Pay careful attention to your mirrors (collapse them if the entrance is narrow), and ensure that the car is pulled all the way into the garage before you shut the garage door.
While these steps can’t guarantee that you won’t ever suffer a garage door ding, they do dramatically decrease the likelihood of this unfortunate event.
