20 Tips to Make Your Home a Safer Place to Live

In addition to monitoring your home with ADT, there are simple and easy things you can do to take extra precautions when it comes to providing your family with a safe home. Below are some general home safety tips for you and your family.

General Safety Tips

Don't leave notes on the door
Don't leave notes on the door for service people or family members. These alert the burglar that you are not home.

Store Valuables in a Safe
Store cash, jewelry and other valuables in a safe or safety deposit box instead of leaving them lying around the home.

Keep drapes and blinds shut
Keep drapes and blinds shut – especially in rooms where there is expensive equipment. Don't advertise the items in your home.

Do not leave extra keys under doormats
Do not leave extra keys under doormats, potted plants or any other obvious outdoor location. Thieves will generally find them. Find an inconspicuous place to hide the keys, or give a set to a neighbor you can trust.

Keep garage doors shut

Door & Window Safety Tips

Reinforce doorframes
Reinforce doorframes and put multiple locks on all outside doors.

Talk with a locksmith
Find alternatives to normal deadbolts in doors that have windows (or windowed frames) Talk with a locksmith about what is available.

Garage doors
Treat inside garage doors the same as an outside door: multiple locks and bracing.

Plant rosebushes or hedges
Plant rosebushes or hedges in front of all vulnerable windows.

Safety-coating
Look into safety-coating the most vulnerable windows. This will make them more difficult to break.

Fire Safety Tips

Fire resistant
Make sure all your roofing materials are fire resistant when building or renovating your home.

Never leave candles burning
Never leave candles or other open flames burning unattended.

Install smoke alarms
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Test them monthly to make sure they work. Replace the batteries yearly.

Make a fire escape plan
Make a fire escape plan for your family, and have several practice drills a year.

Street address is visible
Make sure your street address is visible so firefighters can easily find your home in the event of an emergency.

Home Safety When on Vacation

Put your TV or radio on a timer
Put your TV or radio on a timer, so it automatically goes on and off at key times during the day and night.

Ask a neighbor to watch your house
Ask a neighbor to watch your house. Better yet, hire a house sitter -- a trusted student or senior, for example -- to stay at your home and earn some extra cash to keep a watch on things.

Lawn Control
In the winter, make sure someone shovels the snow from your walkway. Summers, don't let the lawn grow out of control while you're away.

Don't leave a recorded message
Don't leave a recorded message on your phone at home that you are out of town. Your message at work should simply say you are out of the office.

Stop newspaper and mail delivery
Stop newspaper and mail delivery, so papers and postal items do not pile up on your porch. This is an obvious sign that no one has been home for days.

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