Garages used to be a structure to protect your car. Now garages contain multiple cars as well as your tool shop, collector of paint cans, and other chemicals. The average family loads and unloads children, pets, and groceries every day making it one of the most trafficked rooms in the home. The garage is home to our fuel-burning cars and storage space for a host of hazardous products. To make your garage safe, follow these steps:
Install an Exhaust Fan
Your garage is a place to keep your cars. But cars exhaust pollutants, fumes and gasoline odors that can easily find their way into the home if the garage is attached to your home.
Car exhaust contains many kinds of gases and chemicals, including carbon monoxides, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates – dust, dirt, soot, and smoke.
To keep these harmful gases and chemicals from entering the house, garages need to be well ventilated. Think about installing an adequate sized mechanical exhaust fan. Make sure it can move enough CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air from the entire garage. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends two options: continuous mechanical ventilation of 50 CFM or intermittent ventilation for a minimum of 20 minutes at a capacity of 100 CFM per car (200 for two-bay garage), activated whenever the garage door is operated.
For intermittent fan operation, you can use a spring-wound crank timer that you manually crank to run for a set period of time. This will air out the garage as the vehicle cools down. The timer will shut off automatically, but you need to remember to crank it.
To bring in fresh air to replace the vented air, you cold keep a window slightly open, but this could entice a burglar. It's better to install louvered vents in a gable end.
Reduce Hazardous Products
Most garages become the catchall for storage. Take an inventory of the products in your garage and read the labels. Many of those items will have warnings, danger, caution and flammable. These items are household hazardous waste. By storing them in your garage, you have no guarantee of safety or protection of your family's health.
Never dispose of household hazardous waste. Take these items to the local household hazardous waste facility. When handling the items, use precaution. Use heavy-duty gloves to protect your hands while cleaning.
Look for nontoxic pest and garden products when you make future purchases.
Seal Off The Garage
To prevent the passage of contaminated air into living spaces, make sure your garage is well sealed. Using caulk or expandable foam products carefully seal the entire common wall between the home and the garage. Include points where the drywall meets the floor or framing members do not meet properly. Include electrical outlets, lighting fixtures, air vents, plumbing and ductwork.
Weather-Strip Doors
The door that connects the garage to your living space must be airtight, because it's the primary pathway through which pollutants can enter your home. Use weather stripping around the door; a sealed threshold should be installed. Look at your options at the local hardware store.
The EPA notes that homeowners should not weather-strip or seal off garage doors that open to the outside, which would hinder ventilation. The air exchange around the doors helps to ventilate the garage.
Take Precautions For Rooms Above Garages
If you have a room above the garage, such as a bedroom or office, keep in mind that garage pollution will easily find its way inside. Usually it's through the ceiling. Make sure to properly seal the garage ceiling with a painted surface.
Source: Smart Homeowner Magazine March/April 2005 Local Source: Susan Taylor, 708-720-7520
