A garage door is perhaps the largest, heaviest moving object in your home, and it probably gets a lot of use.

The following tips will help you properly maintain and operate your garage door at all times.

How do I maintain my garage door?

A safe garage door begins with maintenance—clean and oil the hinges, rollers, and tracks every six months.

Conduct a visual inspection monthly for signs of damage or wear and call a trained repair technician to diagnose and service any issues you find.

In the early 1990s, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) asked homeowners to replace non-reversing garage doors for increased safety. Today, most garage door openers include an auto-reversing mechanism.

Test the reversing mechanism once a month by placing a roll of paper towels in the path of the door. If the door touches the roll and does not reverse, disconnect the door opener and call a technician to repair the auto-reverse function.

If your opener system is more than 10 years old, consider a replacement that includes standard safety features like auto-reverse.

How should I safely operate my garage door?

The CPSC and the National Safety Council have guidelines for families with young children. Warn children that garage doors can be dangerous and do not let them play around or under doors.

Adults should ensure all remote controls are kept away from children. Mount wall control buttons too high for kids to reach.

Consult the garage door opener manual for instructions on how to use the emergency release feature in case of an emergency.