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Health & Fitness

Home Security – How to protect your home

Tips on Home Security and How to Protect Your Home

Protecting your home can take time and effort, but if you are concerned about burglaries, it can provide a feeling of security.

The first step to safeguarding your home is setting up automatic timers. Choose light timers that provide more than just the on-off feature. Set up the lights to turn on and off to appear like your normal pattern. Timers can also be used on radios or TVs.  Special timers are available for opening curtains and drapes as well. If your drapes never open or shut, it could potentially be a sign to a burglar that “no one is home.”

If you have a home landline phone, turn the volume down or off when you are away. This prevents anyone outside the house from hearing your phone constantly ringing or going to voicemail. You may even consider having your calls forwarded to another number.

Another important burglar deterrent is good lighting. Install outside lighting and motion detectors to illuminate the area. Don’t forget the back and side doors. Protect your house; don’t make it easy for a burglar to sneak in. In fact, while you are outside, cut back any branches and high bushes that are near the house. High shrubbery can make great hiding places and branches near the house can make for easy access for burglars to climb to higher windows. In fact, be certain not to leave any ladders out in the open.

Garages can also provide a hiding place or an entry point for burglars. If you have a garage, always park your car in it and keep the doors shut. This makes it more difficult for a burglar to tell if you are home or away based on your car. Plus if the door is locked with a solid lock device, a burglar can’t just simply walk in.

To add extra burglary deterrents, you can coat your garage windows with a frosting specifically designed for windows or cover them completely. This way a burglar can’t look through the windows to see if a car is there. Keep your garage locked. However, if your garage does not have a lock you can use C-clamps. Tighten them to the garage tracks to keep the garage secure. Burglary resistant doors are also an effective tool to protecting an unwanted entry into the garage.

If your garage is attached to your house, then have a peep hole installed in the door that connects the two. If you hear any noises, you can easily look out the peep hole to see what the commotion is. 

Get to know your neighbors and find someone you trust. Neighbors can look out for one another and let you know if anything seems “fishy.” If you are going to be away for a period of time, ask your neighbor to pick up your mail. To a burglar, having your mail stopped could be like putting an “open house” sign in your yard. You may also want to ask your neighbor to use your trash can and move it to the curb on trash pickup day. Don’t leave any notes on your door. If you need to relay information to someone who will be coming to your house, you may want to have this person visit your neighbor for the message so it’s not out in the open on your door.

Always lock your doors and windows. You may even want to invest in reinforcement options such as window film and dead bolts. Window film can be used to strengthen your windows. They make the glass almost impossible to break.

If you buy a home security system, make sure to put a sticker and/ or sign up, and never place the home security code next to the system. Some people put a sign up even if they don’t have a security system and others don’t use the company’s sign because they are concerned the burglar can hack into the home security company’s website and find your code.

If you need more security reassurance, get a dog. Dogs can make great burglar deterrents.

Burglaries can’t always be prevented; however there are many techniques that increase the odds that your home will be well protected. That is why investing in quality locks and a home security system is a smart idea. It’s better to be safe than sorry.


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