It is the job of every homeowner to do everything possible to keep their home properly secured. In addition to having an alarm system installed, there are a number of habits you can cultivate for maximum safety. The following article will give you some great ideas to help you secure your home and everything inside of it.
Create the illusion that your home is constantly occupied. Put timers on the TV, lights and radios. This helps to create the illusion that someone is presently at home. This should help you make your home safer and not attract the attention of potential intruders.
Place your spare key securely on your dog’s collar. In order to make this work, your dog either needs to stay outside or have access to a pet door. You could simply put a key onto your dog’s collar, so it is always handy.
It is crucial that you change the locks as soon as you move into a new residence. You’re not aware of any copies that have been made by the previous owners of the house. You want to be sure that you’re the only one with a key. Also, if you ever lose your keys, do the same.
Spare Key
Do you keep your dog outside if you leave the home? Store the spare key with them. Attach your spare key inside the collar of your dog. Especially if your dog is not very friendly, this will help keep your key safe.
Make sure you have a safe to keep valuable items in one place. This will keep your stash of diamonds, gold and other valuable items out of view and inaccessible to burglars. Be sure to put your safe in an out of the way place like the basement, attic or under the floorboards.
Hide your spare key in a place where no one would think to look for it. Avoid cliched hiding places like over the door frame or beneath the doormat. Experienced criminals will check these places immediately. One good place to hide a spare key is in the collar of a dog that does not take kindly to strangers.
Secure your garage. There is a way to stop thieves from entering your home from the garage. You can use a C-clamp to stop the door from being opened.
Find a home security company you can trust. Don’t hire anyone who makes you uncomfortable. Ask for someone else to come out or switch companies. Ultimately, the whole point is for you to have peace of mind.
Walls can serve as a handy hiding place. Jewelry and other small items can be protected very well when placed in hiding places in your walls. Just take advantage of the phone jack, electrical outlet or unused switch plate. A security store will sell fake plates you can install anywhere.
No one should be able to see your valuables from outside. Large windows let in a lot of light, but they also allow outsiders to see inside your living space. Keep your curtains drawn to keep your valuable items safe.
You should always lock up your house, even if you’re only planning to be gone for a short time. Most real-world burglars aren’t master lock-breakers; they simply stroll in through a door left carelessly unlocked. Once a thief is inside, he can steal a lot of valuables in a short amount of time.
If you have any boxes to discard from large, expensive items, wait until the evening before the trash is scheduled for collection. Doing so is like giving a burglar an invitation to target your home; he or she will know there is something good inside.
Consider home security and safety when you are planning your landscaping. Keep your doors and windows clear of any shrubbery. If they are visible, people won’t be able to hide there while trying to break in. Put landscaping farther away from the house for greater safety.
Be sure your home is well lit on the outside. Burglars tend to commit crimes at night. So it’s smart to put a light in typically darker corners around your home. Having these outdoor lights installed can really work as a deterrent to criminals who are considering your house.
A paper shredder can be a good security investment. Unshredded documents can offer up a wealth of valuable personal information to thieves, including enough of your schedule to allow them to pinpoint the best time for a burglary. You can tear your documents up by hand before disposing of them if a shredder is out of your price range.
Since reading this article, there is no excuse for your home to be unsafe. Although it can seem like a hassle, it’s worth protecting your family. Using these tips should help you out a lot.