You take responsibility for keeping your family safe. When was the last time you evaluated your overall home security?
A home invasion can leave you shaken — after all, it’s the one place on earth you should feel safe. However, far too many people assume they can’t afford to take the necessary steps to safeguard themselves.
You can toss and turn with worry every night or get proactive. You can increase your security at every price point and DIY skill level. How? Here are nine different things you can do to keep your home safe.
1. Secure Your Biggest Entryway
You can invest in the fanciest alarm system, and a thief can still walk into your home. How? All they have to do is grab that clicker that you left in your car parked outside and stroll on in through the garage. What’s even scarier is that many people don’t bother locking the door leading from there to their home’s interior.
Ensure your overhead garage door opener functions properly by paying attention to strange noises or slow performance, and keep the clicker on your keychain. Use an extra brace to prevent thieves from lifting it — a simple screwdriver through one of the track’s aligners does the trick.
2. Your Other Ingress/Egress Points
Your other doors pose vulnerabilities, especially sliding glass patio doors. Even novices can lift them off the tracks. Here’s where you need a touch of DIY skill: use a drill to make a hole through the top corner of the door where the two panels overlap. Then, insert an ordinance pin that you can’t slide out from the outside to secure it. Finish with a block of wood or specially-made steel bar to brace the bottom, and thieves won’t get in without a sledgehammer.
What about your front door? Please install a deadbolt if you don’t have one — most locksmiths will do the job for around $50, though it’s easy enough to DIY. Better yet, reinforce it with an anti-bump lock guard so that a savvy pick can’t turn it open even with the best tools.
Want an extra layer without investing in monthly security system costs? Find inexpensive screechers that emit a deafening sound if someone opens a door. It’s perfect for when you’re home alone, although it can be a hassle to remember to turn them off and on manually.
3. Let There Be Light
Criminals need secrecy to do their deeds. Deny them the privilege. Motion detector lights vary in price, but you can find inexpensive bulbs that screw into your existing front porch lamp for less than $20. If you have a bigger budget, install them around every ingress and egress point so that hapless thieves get a bright, shiny welcome.
Furthermore, keep walkways lit if you don’t pull right into the garage. Otherwise, an intruder could lurk in the shadows and pounce when you use your key.
4. Never Be “Home Alone”
Little Kevin McAllister from “Home Alone” was pretty clever. He knew that thieves would pass by an occupied home.
You don’t need cardboard cutouts rocking around the Christmas tree. However, you can pickup inexpensive timers to turn on lights and televisions when you aren’t home if you can’t afford a smart home system.
5. Host a Family Meeting
You always lock the front door, even when home alone — but your husband or teenage son doesn’t. The best home security system in the world won’t protect you if your other household members aren’t on the same page about using it.
Host a family meeting and talk about safety. For example, did you know that most break-ins occur between 10am and 3 pm — a frightening prospect for parents of home-schooled children who occasionally work alone? Decide on a set of ground rules, such as the following:
- Keep all doors locked, even when at home.
- Children 12 and under should never answer the door — older children should refrain when home alone.
- Talk to your neighbors and find a safe place to go if something occurs.
6. But Keep It Off Social Media
Thanks to technology, thieves can enter your home electronically. Please use a secure password on your modem and avoid giving it to others. Furthermore, keep your family vacation off social media until after you return. Did you know 76% of burglars use this medium to decide which homes to target?
7. Trim the Bushes
Remember, criminals need cover, and your overgrown bushes let them pick open your first-floor window unseen. Keep those puppies trimmed to three feet or lower for an unobscured view of the outdoors and less risk of burglary.
8. If There Be Thorns
Another technique? Plant some thorny roses, hawthorn or cacti — if in the desert southwest — along your home’s perimeter. Thieves dislike bleeding as much as anyone else, and a close encounter with a cholla is enough to give anyone pause.
9. Raise the Alarm
Finally, consider a home security system if you have the means. These have the advantage of summoning authorities to your home in your absence and can keep you safer in the case of fire, too.
Smart home devices can also add peace of mind. Did you forget to lock the front door? You can check from your cellphone and slide the deadbolt shut while sitting at your kiddo’s ballet recital.
Keep Your Home Safe
Why toss and turn every night, worrying about a break-in? There’s something everyone can do to make their home more secure.
Use the tips above to keep your home safe regardless of your budget. You’ll sleep more soundly and feel assured that you’ve done your duty to protect those you love.