Parenting is never a walk in the park, especially when the child attains an age where they are curious and playful at the same time. They want to put their hands on nearly everything they see. On that note, you must be keen preventing any possible accidents if you have installed bi-fold door in any section of your house. They can serve a range of purpose as room dividers, balcony and patio entrances or ordinary windows. Here is a discussion that will help you understand childproofing of bi-fold doors for optimal safety in your home:

Take Your Count

The first step to childproofing your bi-fold doors is counting them to know how many doors you have. This will help you determine the number of childproofing locks that you need. Most of these locks are made in a way that one size fits any type of bi-fold door that you have. However, each folding of the door must be protected by a lock.  You need two locks for every closet.  

Buying the Locks

Once you have determine the number of child proofing locks that you need, you need quality locks that can stand up to the rigours of the job. Ideally, you should go for plastic slider locks because of their versatility and ease of maintenance. Plastic slider locks comprise of interlocking grooves housed in a spacer and a plastic cap to cover and protect all the other components. A top benefit of this design is the fact that you can flip the spacer, adjusting it to fit various bi-fold door widths.

Engaging a plastic slider lock is very simple. It involves closing the door and moving the slider to the centre of the door joint. In this way, the joint cannot bend and you cannot open the door unless you get rid of the slider. When buying the slider, get one with a plastic wand. The extension makes it easy for short people to pull down the slider, remove it and open the bi-fold door.

Loop and Hook Alternative

Some bi-fold doors do not work well with sliders. Thankfully, loop hooks can come to your rescue and ensure that your bi-fold doors are reliably childproof. Loop hooks have the same design as an ordinary latch used on small gates and doors. Set up the latch directly on the door's joint such that the joint doesn't bend when you pull the lock's knob. Make sure that the loop hook is on the higher sections of the door so that children cannot get there.

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