by Tom
Being one of the responsible property owners out there, it’s your duty to keep your residence protected as well as safe. However, it is not the fact that you will be able to do so only by investing a considerable amount of cash.
There are many ways to get the job done without breaking the bank and sometimes you can do it free of cost as well. In the following paragraphs, we will be mentioning some surefire DIY home security hacks that will come of use to every homeowner out there.
But, first, we will talk about those things which are actually going on in the minds of the burglars.
Things Going On In the Minds of the Burglars:
- In case alarm systems are installed in your residence, about 90% of the burglars will try to avoid entering your house.
- The favorite time for the intruders to enter your home will be the daytime when none is present inside.
- It will be possible for the burglars to understand whether your abode is vacant or not by looking at the recycling bins, trashcans, and a lawn which is overgrown.
- Nearly 30% of the burglars are in the habit of entering residences without exerting any force by means of an unlocked window, door or any other opening.
- On some occasions, these intruders may also knock the front door and in case someone answers from inside they will come up with some fake stories.
- Instead of going to the bedroom of the kid, the housebreaker will go directly to the master bedroom.
- Most of them will think that someone is within the house in case they hear television or radio going on.
- The thieves dislike a couple of things, in particular, namely curious neighbors and barking canines.
- Next, we are going to mention the top 12 DIY home security hacks below $20.
1. Fortify the door
The first and foremost thing to protect your residence against robbers will be to strengthen your door. For this, you can do several things which will make sure that intruders cannot enter into your house forcibly.
- Make sure to swap the regular lock using long-throw deadbolts
- Prevent entry by using reinforced strike plates
- Make the door more secured by using long wooden screws drilled right into the doorframe
- Use a metal frame to replace the regular wooden frame
- Make use of more than 1 lock at various heights and a couple of them at the identical height
- Make use of a steel core door rather than a regular wooden door
- Make certain that the locking mechanisms are left exposed in the doors and windows
2. Make the sliding glass doors and the windows secure
The most common entry point of the intruders happens to be the front door. After the front door, the windows and the rest of the doors are the most common avenues of entering a house. Sliding doors, in particular, can be lifted from their tracks easily and this makes them vulnerable to the housebreakers. Windows are also targeted by these criminals.
However, it is feasible to keep something in the track of the windows and the sliding doors to prevent them from being forcibly opened. You may use a charlie bar in case of the sliding glass doors for this. Otherwise, using a wooden or metallic rod in the track will also not be a bad idea.
You can also secure the windows in the same manner. Screws can be placed in the tracks or additional locks can also be provided to the windows to make them secure.
3. Contact the post office
In case you are going to some distant place away from your residence, make sure to inform the local post office to place a hold on your mails. The same can be said of the daily newspaper delivery to your house.
In fact, a burglar can easily understand that your house is empty in case they see a pile of mails overflowing from your mailbox. A heap of newspapers at your doorstep will convey the same thing to them.
You might likewise request your friendly neighbors to collect the newspapers each morning while you are out of the station. This way you can avoid informing the burglars about the fact that your house is vacant.
4. False home security sign
Criminals have plenty of targets in front of them and your house might also be one of them. Therefore, you ought to do something that will not encourage them to enter your house by force. You can make use of a false security system sign (here is an ADT sign on Amazon.com) in the front yard. This will serve the purpose of protecting your house at a relatively inexpensive rate.
5. Affordable door and window alarms
As mentioned earlier, robbers prefer to enter through the windows, and in case you do not remember to lock them you will be inviting your own danger. Try to get hold of several door as well as window alarms and install those on every window and door in your house. The alarm is going to sound once a window is opened by anyone within your residence. Check out these ones on Amazon.com.
6. Ensure that your house is taken care of while you away
Suppose you are going to spend your vacation on foreign soil for a couple of months. In that case, make sure to request your helpful neighbors to mow the lawn at regular intervals during your absence. If the lawn isn’t mowed for a couple of months, the burglars can easily comprehend the fact that none is there in the house to take care of the lawn.
The same rule applies in case of snow piles up in your backyard during the winter months. The absence of any footprint and snow shoveling will inform the thieves that your house is empty.
Consequently, always request or appoint someone to look after your home while you are away. This will aid you to protect your house from the burglars and you will also be able to avoid paying fines to the authorities that they can impose against your property.
7. Get a dog
It is a fact that dog is man’s best friend, and this has been aptly demonstrated by the way in which the pooches protect their masters in times of need. Try to get hold of a dog for safeguarding your property while you are not there.
The sound made by these animals will be adequate to drive any burglar away from your house. Even though your dog belongs to a small breed like a Chihuahua, the sound made by them will be enough to wake you up from your sleep in the middle of the night.
If there is ample time, you might likewise train your pet on how to safeguard your home. You will come across lots of dog-training classes out there, and one of them can impart the necessary training to your pooch.
8. Let everything be illuminated
Robbers hate lights, particularly while they are about to enter your house in the wee hours. Lights will help to expose the hiding spots of these offenders and they will be in all sorts of trouble.
When it comes to outdoor lighting, it will be a smart idea to install motion-sensor or automatic lighting on the outskirts of the garage, the back patio, or any other entrance to your home. You will find different types of affordable options on the market to choose from. These are nice… check them out at Amazon.com.
For indoor lighting, you may make use of the outdated Christmas lights for lighting up your abode while you are away, and connect them to a lamp inside your house. You can switch on the lamp using a timer and switch it off as well from a remote distance. In this way, you will be able to make it appear that you are present in your abode.
9. Conceal the precious items
It is the natural propensity of the offenders to enter your house stealthily and also leave it as soon as possible after stealing your valuable items as well as jewelry. Being a responsible property owner it is your duty to secure your home, and therefore, you should make every effort to protect these items in the best possible way.
For this, it will be a prudent step to purchase a safe which will help you to get the job done impeccably. You can hide the precious items within the safe in your abode. A safe that resembles an electrical outlet or a wall clock safe will serve you just fine.
Check out this awesome Fire-resistant safe at Amazon…
10. Make the garage secure
It is not known to many folks out there that they ought to safeguard the garage from the intruders given that they are likely to store costly equipment right there, not to mention their cars as well. The garage can be secured in the following ways:
•Locking the door which leads to your room from the garage
•Closing the garage door such that it is impossible for any passerby to understand what’s going on inside
•Purchasing a motion sensor light and installing it above the garage… see the link above to motion sensor light…
•Trying not to leave the garage door opener in your vehicle particularly while the automobile is parked in the parking lot.
11. Reconsider the “Hide-a-key”
It is a fact that most of the individuals are aware of the “hide-a-key” trick. On some occasions, you would like to hide your key somewhere else apart from your residence which might include your porch, under a plant or a rock, the welcome mat, or any location similar to that.
However, the unfortunate thing is that the intruders are aware of this fact too, and it is rather simple for them to locate your hide-a-key and enter your house while you are outside. It is similar to leaving the keys on top of your vehicle’s sun visor. Burglars are experienced enough to detect them without much problem at all.
In case you plan to use a hide-a-key make it a point to find out a spot which is not in the close vicinity of the door which the key unlocks. Try to conceal the key somewhere which is at least 30 feet away from your residence. However, the most sensible thing will be to avoid using this option at all.
The reason for this is that in case you are being observed by any criminal that you are in the habit of checking a particular spot prior to unlocking the front door, they will be able to comprehend that it is the hiding place of your key. Thus, they won’t have any problem to force into your home.
This hide-a-key solution looks just like a rock… place it where rocks would normally be in a location away from your house and you’ll be golden and never be locked out again. Check it out on Amazon.com…
12. Set up a video doorbell
It will be possible to control who is permissible to enter your home with the aid of a smart lock while a video doorbell (this is the top of the line video doorbell on Amazon.com) will enable you to observe who has arrived at your door. In case you own both of these helpful items, you won’t find it difficult to see who has come to your doorsteps and then it can be unlocked remotely in case you have no problems in letting them in.
The video doorbell will likewise allow you to monitor the porch in case you have any package delivered to you in your absence. You will come across lots of different types of doorbells on the market at present and you will never run out of choice till you find the one within your budget.
Conclusion:
All these DIY home security hacks are not only meant to provide your home with total security against any intruder, but these will also likewise aid in minimizing any possibility of your home to become the target of the criminals.
Apart from these above-mentioned home security tips and tricks, there are several more out there as well. Feel free to look out for these DIY home security solutions on the web where you will come across lots of video tutorials that will be available to you for free. Experiment with several of these hacks till you find some that are according to your preference.
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