Why You Should Put A Zip Tie On Your Garage Door

You likely have a long list of things to worry about when it comes to protecting your home from intruders, and your garage is probably one of them. Of all of the spots in a house, thieves often target garages due to their easy access. You may not have security cameras to capture footage in front of your garage, and it's easy to peek inside garage windows to identify valuables. Surprisingly, you can actually help protect yourself from garage burglaries with a zip tie. Simply attach the zip tie to the metal armature that holds the emergency release cord. This will prevent thieves from being able to trigger the emergency release with a hanger.

If you store your car in your garage, you certainly want to protect that. But even if you park your car in your driveway instead, you might have pricey power tools, extra furniture, or other expensive items in your garage. It could cost thousands to replace these items after a break-in. The zip tie trick is a low-cost way to keep stored valuables safe. According to a 2018 report from the FBI, burglaries occur every 25.7 seconds in the United States alone. Given this data, this simple precaution is well worth it.

TikTok user @jmg8tor shared a video showing exactly how to secure the zip tie. The content creator explained that thieves can easily push a hanger through the top of a garage door and use it to pull the emergency release, which opens the garage. But if you push the zip tie through both holes in the metal armature shown in the video and secure it, a hanger is useless to burglars as it can no longer yank the emergency cord down. If you do not already have zip ties on hand, you can snag a pack from Dollar Tree for only $1.25. 

After using this hack, you might want to take other measures to protect your garage from break-ins. If you have windows, consider covering them with window film so that thieves cannot see what you have stored inside. You can also use motion sensor lights to make it difficult for burglars to conceal themselves at nighttime. Finally, you may want to install a security system and cameras to capture all activity outside of your garage. This will hopefully deter thieves from targeting your home altogether. However, if they do break in, you will have footage to show to law enforcement.