If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t think of your garage the same way you do the rest of your house. After all, when was the last time you vacuumed your garage floor, or dusted anything in it? Muddy shoes, wet dogs and leaky paint cans would all be tossed out of your living room within seconds. In the garage, however, it’s almost as if anything goes. Most of the time, the garage is the place where we change our car’s oil or hose off a pair of muddy boots — but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pay attention to how well protected our garages are from the elements. Although garages can be a wet and dirty place, it’s still important to make sure that they’re kept as clean and dry as possible.

That’s because even though garages can get grungier than your dining room, they’re still vulnerable to damage from water, cold and other insidious elements from the outside. Water from rain or melting snow can seep into the garage underneath your garage door and cause damage and mold growth. It can get into tiny cracks in your garage floor and expand when it freezes in the winter, creating bigger cracks and serious damage to your foundation. The average cost of cleaning and fixing water damage for homeowners can be as much as $3,000. That means, a little water getting into your garage can become a big problem. Gaps in your garage door also can allow pests and vermin such as mice and insects to sneak in and take residence among your belongings, bringing with them filth and disease. A garage door that does not close completely also allows air heated or cooled by your HVAC system to escape, causing your air conditioner or furnace to work overtime. Ultimately, costing you money in the form of wasted energy.

For these reasons and many more, it’s important that homeowners understand how much a garage door threshold can help them prevent these issues. A properly selected and fitted garage door threshold seal can prevent flooding, infestations and wasted energy. Read the following guide for some tips on choosing the garage door threshold seal that’s right for your garage. The rules may be a little different when it comes to your garage, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be as concerned about protecting it as you are for the rest of your home.

Author Bio:  Ashley W. Smith is Managing Director for Garadry. Smith formed the company in 2009 and launched the Garadry website in 2015 to meet the needs of the growing consumer base in the U.S. Garadry designs its own range of innovative weather seal products for anybody with a garage/commercial door.