How to Make Your Home More Secure

Home security is something that most of us took for granted, or doesn’t regularly check on.  Indeed, we do not consider securing our homes or going about it meticulously until it is too late and something untoward has already happened.  Here are some common-sense tips to protect and secure your home.

1. Put up a fence.

You might want to consider putting up a fence with a locking gate.  This will hinder anybody from easily walking into your property and stealing the things you have left outside (believe it or not, even ugly garden gnomes are not safe!).  Having a fence make thieves hesitate about entering your house because they know that it won’t be easy to get in and, escape.

If you already have a fence, make sure that you fix broken sections.

2. Protect your yard.

Regularly mow the loan and trim hedges and bushes.  Overgrown greeneries can only provide hiding places for would-be thieves.  It also makes them think your place is abandoned. On the other hand, you might want to plant cacti and other thorny plants near and around your fence to deter anybody from jumping over the fence and into your property.

If you have expensive equipment, bicycles and tools stored outside, you might as well secure them in a shed or garage that can be locked.

3. Install outdoor lighting.

Having a well-lit surrounding is one good deterrent for crime.  Bright lights can discourage would-be thieves because they do not have enough places to hide into.  Also, lights can help you see just who is outside your door, or in your front yard.

4. Get a watchdog.

A watchdog can scare away would-be thieves and can serve as an advance alarm system for you.  If you do not have one, or if you deem caring for a watchdog too tiresome, you can fool people into thinking you own a watchdog by putting up “Beware of Dog” signs.

5. Shred all documents before throwing them out.

You may not know it, but somebody could easily pose as you or as somebody you are supposedly expecting by rummaging through your garbage and finding personal stuff and information in it.  This includes your credit card bills and other documents that bear details about your identity, your lifestyle, or certain of your activities. Thieves might use this information to enter your property. For instance, you are expecting an insurance agent but unknowingly welcomed a thief into your home.

6. Get a home security system.

Investing in a good home security system can give you peace of mind.  Install an alarm or sensors to alert you of intruders on your property or inside your house.  You could also install a home security camera system that allows you to monitor your home even while you are away or at the office.  Having this security camera footage recorded offsite could also help you contact police and catch the thieves in the event of a break-in.

7. Put all your valuables in a safe.

Get a safe and hide it behind paintings or in holes in your walls.  If ever thieves gets into your place successfully when you are not at home, they will not be able to find or get your jewellery, cash and other valuables.

8. Fortify your doors and windows.

Fix broken doors and windows.  Check if the locks are working.  If you have not done so, install double locks where necessary.  This goes for every outbuilding you have like your garage, garden shed and others, not just for the main house.  Be sure to lock doors and keep windows closed when you leave the house or retire to bed for the night.

To be extra sure, you might want to add a metal or wooden bar across the door or window to make sure that they cannot be forced open.

9. Beware of the delivery guy.

Most intruders get into your house because you let them in yourself.  They pretend to be someone else like a police officer or a pizza delivery guy.  Before you let any stranger into your house, ask for identification.  If they are delivering something, ask for the full address (if they are impostors, they would not know your full address, or memorize it!).

10. More common-sense tips:

* Leave your radio on, preferably switch the dial over to talk radio, when you are leaving the house for a short time.  This creates an illusion that somebody is inside the house.

* Make sure that all the rooms in the house where you spend a lot of time in have a working telephone line.

* Make sure light switches are easily accessible.

* Do not leave keys under pots or on windowsills!  It is better to entrust spare keys to neighbours you trust.

* Install smoke detectors in every room.

Home Safety Tips for Several Areas within your House

Are you planning to improve some parts of your house for safety reasons? Then you are probably on the right track. Keep reading for you to learn different home safety tips for your kitchen, living room, bedrooms, comfort rooms, stairs, and hallways. Electric security system will also be discussed briefly. There are plenty of reasons why you should learn some home safety tips. First is that we all know the fact that robbers are everywhere and their acts are unpredictable. None of us would like to see our belongings stolen. Second, most of us had already experienced minor injuries inside our own house because of wet floors, protrusion of the sharp objects, broken stair case, and many more.

To start solving your problem let us begin with the safety tips for your kitchen. The first thing you need to do is to assess the status of the area. This will include the gas stoves, gas tanks or pipes, water pipes, ventilation, and storage areas for your sharps. As our kitchen gets older there are times that gas stove will leak gases under the unit. If you experience this situation you need to replace your burner set with new ones. If it can be repaired make sure that it is properly fixed because this can trigger a very big problem. If you have a gas leakage from the kitchen’s gas pipes report this immediately to your supplier. The best thing you can do is to turn off any open fire and the electricity inside the house. Try to search the leakage and cover it with a tape temporarily. Evacuation of household members is a must. This is to put them away from the fire in case the gas will be ignited.

Always remember that an active bulb can ignite the gas and can blow your entire house. If you have a water pipe leakage, try to assess if it can be fixed by applying a rubber strap. If it is too big for this solution contact your water supplier. The first thing you will do is to turn off the main water gait for your house. This will avoid spillage of water into the floor that can possibly lead to injuries. Are you having problems regarding your sharp’s storage? The first thing you need to do is to separate them according to their size. Try to look for any wooden or metal container for inner storage. Avoid using plastic wares since some of them can easily break through the plastic. Sharps should only be placed in a stable storage. There are several types of storage that is capable of sharp objects. You can store it on a large drawer or in a wooden cabinet. Avoid placing the sharp objects above the head level since this can lead to head injuries in some unpredicted situations. Just like, for example, you are reaching a knife from a top drawer and the knife suddenly slipped out from the storage hitting your head.

Now let us hop on to the living room. The first things you need to prioritize in this area regarding safety issues are the electric equipments and broken furniture. If you suspect a malfunctioning television or audio set, try to fix it. Replacing it would be the last option since those equipments really cost a lot. If you have a broken sofa, try to assess if it can be fixed by using a nail and a hammer. If there are any family members who had any health problems regarding asthma or any other respiratory problems try to limit or avoid the use of floor mats and carpets. Your sofa should be made of leather to avoid dust accumulation. For your bedrooms if you have any problems with sleeping positions try to make side rails on your bed. Putting your bed at the side of the wall rather than the center will also help. In case of fire, you need to make sure that your bedrooms have two or more windows. The room’s windows must be large enough for a human to pass through. For the safety inside the comfort room, you need to make sure that it has a single or double window big enough like a man whole. This will serve as a fire exit in case of fire. Avoid or limit the use of electronic devices inside the comfort room. If you have an electronic security system make sure that it functions well. Alarm volume should be set high so that it can be heard all over the place including the neighbors. You must check every security device each week to make sure it works.