27 essential home safety tips you need to know, according to experts
These advice from the security sector experts will help keep your home safely.
According toFBIMore than 1.2 million burglaries took place in the United States in 2018 alone. And while attracting your blinds at night and keep good places to start, there are many ways, even the most conscientious individuals leave their homes vulnerable to NE'ER-DO-WELLS wells. With the help of the experts in the security industry, we compiled a list of all ways to keep your home safety and your family security. You will want to implement these home safety tips when you come home today!
1 Change all locks when you spend a new home.
Even if the previous owners of your home insist on which they have given each set of keys, it is always important to change these locks before moving. Security expertLouis Wood, Owner ofDefend it yourself And Vice President of Law Security Corp., said it's one of the easiest ways to protect your home. After all, you never know if the members of the previous family's family,dog walker, or baby-sitter has a reservation they can use to let go.
2 Keep your doors locked during the day.
Of course, your city may look like the skinny, but it does not mean that there are no criminals that do not expect prey as soon as you go for work in the morning. According to a 2010 report of theUnited States of the Ministry of Justice, burglaries that took place when no one had the house had 17% more likely to take place between 6 hours and 6 m. what they were 6 m. At age 6, giving you a lot of incentive to keep these doors locked during the day - frankly, whether you are at home or not.
3 Install motion lighting.
Although most burglaries take place during the day, a small movement lighting can put all criminals that prefer the blanket of darkness.
Suggestion of wood? Stick to the perimeter of your property. Seeing these flash lights on when they walk by "could prevent impulsive intruders from breaking at night," says the wood.
4 Invest in a smart home system.
If you want to keep your home to become a target for burglars, "your home should be busy at any time," says the wood. Short to use a daycare each time you go for work or vacation, aSmart home system Can help you turn on and off the lights while you're missing for it to look like you're here. Wood also suggests using the same technology to transform your TV and stereos on and extinguish periodically for the house also seems inhabited.
5 Ask for identifiers of all those who are trying to enter your home.
This landscapeist that says that the tree of your front yard is dangerous, the person of the gas company that says it says you need to inspect your house for a leak or even police who say they had to come Inside should always show you the proof of the piece of identification before you open the door.
"The burglars often strike on the doors before breaking if anyone at home," says the wood. If you have any doubts that someone who they say they are, "Check with the person's office before letting him enter," he suggests.
6 Add security system signs to your yard.
Something as simple as a home security panel in your front yard could keep your home safer, even if you do not really have the security system to save it.
According to a 2012 report of theDepartment of Criminal Justice and Criminology At the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, 60% of the burglars studied reported having indicated that there was an alarm presented would bring them to choose another property.
7 Do you seem to have a dog.
According to UNC's burglary survey, most criminals indicated that dogs were dissuasive - and you do not even need a real pet to do the job.
"Drag great leash on your outdoor furniture, place a large food bowl with water outdoors and even dog toys in the yard» To give the impression that you have a pet protector , suggests a security expertRobert Sicilianoprivate investigator forPorch.com and CEO of the personal security companySaffle.
7 Cut your greenery.
Since the burglars want to make their salary prying eyes, the wood says it is imperative that the owners "cut trees and bushes located near windows or doors that could clog a burglar of the view."
9 And have you maintained your landscaping when you left.
You have your packaged suitcases, your passports ready, and a beach reads in your bag. The only thing to do before leaving on these two weeks vacation? Call your landscapeist.
Whenever you are far from your home for a long time, "Arrange tohave your mowed lawn So your court does not look like a vacant lot, "says Specialist SecurityRick Musson, 18 years oldVeteran of the application of the law and consultant pursuant to peace forComparison of auto insurance. Leaving these plants are towards the vegetation is a sign that no one is at home.
10 Turn off your ringtone from your phone.
If you still have a fixed line at home, turn off the ring before leaving the house. Siciliano says that if a browser that passes can hear a phone ring inside your unanswered home, it's a clear sign that your home is unoccupied and an easy target. Similarly, "Do not say," We are not at home right now "" on your voicemail, or leave all outgoing emails that indicate that you are on vacation.
11 Do not leave notes for people at your door.
If you need to let the dog walker know when your puppy has eaten or if you wantGive your information about your carrier About a packet pickup, do not let him leaving a note on your front door, "said the wood. This makes screams, "nobody makes the house", then in case of doubt, provide this information in person or phone.
12 Only share holiday pictures once you have returned home.
Of course, you may be looking forward to hang up these photos on Facebook or Instagram with your holiday pictures, but delaying this gratification until you come home can keep you safer in the long run.
Personal security expertPete Canavanpodcast hostSafety speech,Suggests that holidaymakers are just pictures of their trip once they returned home, as well as "abstain" to post information about future travel on social media "so as not to alert Anyone that their home will be unoccupied.
13 And ask someone to collect your mail when you are away.
Nothing says "unoccupied house" like a pile of parcels on the porch.
"If you are outside the city for a while, ask someone to come and take your mail and newspapers," suggests wood. You can also have your mail held by the postal service up to 30 days, which means that the overflowing mailbox will not put a giant target at your home.
14 Ask the neighbors to park their cars in your driveway.
An empty driveway is a certain sign that your home is vacant, making it a tempting opportunity for burglars. If you will be gone for a significant period of time, Siciliano suggests that your neighbors, family members or friends use your driveway; Just have a visible car can be an incredibly effective deterrence.
15 Check your windows after taking contractors at home.
Whenever you have someone again running on your home, make sure to check your windows after the job is done. "Sometimes they leave open windows so that they can get later," Siciliano warns.
16 Strengthen your first floor windows.
Although these window locks provide a good first line of the intruders, add reinforcements to easily accessible windows is always a good idea, says Canavan.
"The windows and doors of the first floor ... are the most common entrance points in a property," he says. Adding window safety bars or even chimes that warn you when a window is open can be efficient.
17 Invest in diversion security.
Although the burglars can look for a traditional safe at your home, the odds will not take all the books in your library or every soda can get out of the fridge. This is why a diversion of security that "looks like everyday items", according to Canavan - are an easy and inexpensive way to protect your valuables.
18 Create an inventory of your valuables.
If you want to keep your home safe and increase the probability that you will get your possessions if you are a victim, there is no time as the present to create an inventory of your valuables. This includes not only a list of expensive items that you submit to your insurance company, Canavan suggest taking pictures of each expensive article and to note dates and any other identification mark. "
19 Mark your valuables with a UV luminous pen.
All crimes are not engaged by a unknown - in fact, according to this aforementioned 2010 report of the Department of Justice, 65% of violent burglars were committed by a person that victims knew. The good news? Even if your property is stolen by a person you have allowed in your home, there is an easy way to promote his return. Marking your valuables with a UV pen can help you find "all the recovered items that you can prove are to you when you shine a UV light on them, [I like] if you find something in a pawn or A possession of criminal captured after the fact, "says Canavan.
20 Secure your ranking cabinet.
These are not only burglaries of jewelry, silver and electronics are looking for - any information about your bank accounts or your social security number can also be a lucrative race. This is why it is important to maintain hard copies of important documents locked in a deposit cabinet. Better yet, make sure the cabinet is "locked via a cable lock to a big article like a bed or a dresser," says Canavan. The burglars want to be in and out of your home quickly, which means that it is unlikely that they move around heavy furniture if they can avoid it.
21 Tighten your closed garage door from the inside.
For only a few dollars, you can invest in a serious tranquility of mind. Depending on the wood, if you have a garage door raised by track, "a clamp C can provide additional security because the door can not be opened if you tighten the C plus on the track next to the roller."
22 Install safety hinge pins on your front door.
Even if your exterior doors seem solid, there is a way to do them virtually burglars. The wood says that if your door has hinges outside, just "replace] one of the screws of each hinge with a" safety hinge pin "- available in most hardware stores - can make it During exponential way.
23 And replace your existing front door screws with longer.
Similarly, the addition of a little reinforcement to the screws holding on your hinges can make a major difference. To add strength to your hinges of the door and equipment ", replace these screws with 3-inch or more screws that go beyond the frame and in the studs", suggests wood.
24 Invest in the slide for your patio doors.
Something as simple as a pipe could mean the difference between a house that is flying and remains safe. Even if you do not have a security system, "you can crawl your glass patio doors by adjusting a pipe or a metal bar in the lower track of the middle of the door of the door," says the wood. . The pipe or bar should be cut to the exact length of the track it filled, it notes.
25 Replace the frames of the window or rotten door.
This wood rot around your doors and windows is more than low - it's also a security risk. "It's easy for a burglar pray through the rot," says the wood.
Quick replacement of humidity door frames or Terni weakening with solid pieces will help keep your home more secure in the long run.
26 Gele your garage windows.
Leavingyour garage The closed door is a good start, if you really want to protect your home, it is important that you make it difficult for burglars to see if this garage is occupied in the first place.
"If you froze or cover your garage windows, the burglars will not be able to say if your car is gone," says the wood. Fortunately, you can pick up the window icing movie to the near-all hardware and cut it easily to size without having to call a professional.
27 Consider replacing your glass panel doors.
This glass panel door can give your home a charm, but it also presents a serious security risk.
"It's simple for a thief to break glass panels, then reach and open a door handle from the inside," says the wood. Although the safest bet is to use all fully replaced glass doors, you can also use safety sticks that prevent the door from being driven to strengthen or add a security film to the glass that will make it brush. . And for greater ways to stay safe, check out these27 amazing personal security tips that will change your life.
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