There is no doubt that our home is the place where we spend quite a bit of time. It is the place we would like to be happy, safe and enjoy the best of time with our near and dear ones. It is quite obvious that we take all the trouble to spend the best part of our time, money and effort to ensure that our home is perfect in more ways than one.
There are quite a few things that we would like to take care as far as our home is concerned. To begin with, we would like to decorate our homes as best as we can. This does take some bit of thinking and at times, we also need to think out of the box.
Security Of The Home
Apart from decoration and comfort, you would, as a homeowner, do all that is necessary to secure your home. This is extremely critical and vital because of a number of reasons. There are increasing instances of home theft, burglaries, murders, and other such heinous crimes and activities.
Therefore, many homeowners spend a lot of money on fancy apparatuses and gadgets to secure the safety of the home and also its inmates. However, in this article, we will be spending more time finding out some simple, cost-effective and DIY ways that could increase the overall safety and well-being of homes without having to spend a fortune on the same.
Click the following link to read our article 12 DIY Home Security Hacks for Under $20 or better yet finish reading this article and then come back to it… it’s worth your time. Trust me on that.
We are confident that it will not only enhance the safety of your home but also help you to save quite a bit of money and the complexities surrounded by assigning the job to professionals.
Always Secure Your Doors
Some of the biggest robberies and burglaries happen through the first door. There are enough research studies to prove that almost 34% of thieves find the front door or the main door of the homes, the easiest route to committing robberies and burglaries (click here to read our article on how to secure a front door). Hence, the first and foremost task is to secure your main doors as best as one can.
While installing the front door, there are a few things that you must always keep in mind. Be sure that you thoroughly inspect everything about the exterior doors. The frames of the main doors are extremely critical and it should be very strong.
The hinges must be well protected. Further, it is common for most homes to have a mail slot. The mail slot must be carefully located so that the burglars are not able to find out ways to use it to break or pry open the door.
There are some common DIY reinforcements that are quite good and have stood the test of time and have been proven more often than not. Installing a deadbolt is considered one of the best options to secure your main door. You also could look into the possibility of adding a striking plate.
Spending some money and upgrading from conventional locks to smart locks is also something that you could consider. The instances of burglaries have been reduced significantly whenever homeowners have installed a video doorbell – this is the most popular one at Amazon.com.
Professional home security and safety specialists always recommend reinforcing sliding glass doors. This is because intruders always have a liking for sliding doors. Make sure that the sliding doors are as well protected as you possibly can think of.
The old-school thought of using a dowel or a window bar in the track could prevent the door from being forced open. If you are looking for a high-tech solution, you also could add a door sensor or even a glass break sensor – here is a set of four at Amazon.con. This will help you get an alert when the glass door is tampered with. It should be good enough to drive away thieves.
Keep The Windows Locked
Apart from the main door, back doors and side doors, windows are considered to be the most commonplace from where burglars enter the home. Though all windows do have latches inbuilt, experts believe that they are not of the best quality. In most cases they are flimsy.
A simple look and feel of it would most certainly help you to have an idea whether the window latches need strengthening or not. There are many simple ways that could be used for beefing up security. These include key-operated levers and locks.
While this is the basic that you could do to enhance home security, here are a few more things that you could keep in mind. Using a window security film to reinforce the glass on the windows could be a good option – here is a roll of the type of window film that I’m talking about. You also should install glass break sensors and window break sensors.
Adding window bars, and planting prickly bushes just under the first-floor window could be useful tips. However, be sure that the prickly bushes are trimmed regularly and properly. You also could add backyard light in the night because thieves and burglars love to operate under cover of darkness.
Let The Landscape Be Lighted Well
Criminals, robbers, vandals, burglars, and other such people always would like to be discreet in their operations. They hate to remain in the spotlight. If you spend some money and have generous outdoor lighting you can keep quite a few such bad elements away. It does not cost big money but it is highly effective.
You also could place adequate lights around the back and front yards. The same applies to pathways, and also near the garage and various other outdoor structures. You will certainly make the intruders jittery and unsure.
Further, it could also be useful for you and the members of your home. You could almost rule out the risk of an accidental stumble and fall because of darkness or insufficient lighting.
You could make the outdoor lighting system more effective by following some simple tips. Go in for solar-powered lights (these are best sellers on Amazon.com) because it could help save energy. Motion-activated lights could add to the overall safety of the front yard, backyard and the home in particular.
You could use a timer when installing outdoor lights. This could help save energy and avoid wastage quite a bit. There are other things that also could be effective while planning cost-effective DIY home security. They include wireless spotlights, and also encasing the outdoor lighting systems effectively to prevent damage by natural and also human elements.
Do Not Lose Sight Of The Garage
An analysis of all major and minor robberies and home burglaries point out to one thing. The garage is becoming on the most sought after entry point for criminals. Though some garages might be away from the main house, they could have some costly and valuable items stored inside them.
You should always make sure that all the doors of your garage are locked properly. This is for both the exterior and also the interior. It also would be a good idea to have the garage door opener in the house rather than keeping it in the garage.
This will prevent burglars to make use of the same either from the garage or from your cars. Many instances of car theft have been reported because the garage door opener was not kept inside the main home.
There are a few more things that one should keep in in mind. You could look into the possibility of upgrading to a smart garage door opener that is digitally operated. Keep the garage door window adequately covered.
This could help to keep the valuable things hidden inside. You also perhaps should seriously consider securing garage doors with the help of extra locks and this could include zip ties. Look for smart, cost-effective and DIY ways of home automation that also takes into account the needs and requirements of your garage.
Plan And Put In Place An Integrated Security System
It is important that your home should have some type of integrated security system. While there are many DIY options available out there, if you are serious about securing the safety of your home, you could look for professional home automation and monitoring system.
If you look around you will be able to identify some of the best home security options. There is something for every budget and to cater to each and every level of protection. You must sit with your family members and then evaluate your specific needs and cover each and every level of protection and security.
You could look into the security systems in your neighborhood and perhaps take a cue or two from the same. It also makes good sense to contact your local police department and get some idea about the crime statistics of your neighborhood.
You could decide on a security and safety system of your home, taking into account the threat perceptions that your neighborhood faces based on records and statistics.
Keep Your Wi-Fi Network Locked Down
There is no denying the fact that each and every home today has a wireless network. While this does make life easier for all of us, it also comes with its own share of problems and challenges. In most homes, your wireless network could be the doorway for all your vital financial and personal information.
When you use home automation, instead of making your home safer, it could make it vulnerable to an unwanted break-in. There are many tricks and tips that could help keep hackers away from your home network.
You should find out ways and means to ensure that your wireless router is well secured. Use the best of WPA2 encryption or enable WPA or Wi-Fi protected access. Ensure that all your home network and hidden and renamed regularly.
Spend some money and have a firewall in place. Do not cut corners when it comes to installing anti-malware and antivirus protection. Follow time tested and proven password regimens and protocols. Always remember to change passwords at least once in three months.
If you have kids in your home, use parental control software. Kids these days spend quite a bit of time going inline for fun and also for their education. Your duty as a parent is to ensure that your kids are kept safe from online predators and also cyberbullies. There are special routers, apps and software packages available for this purpose.
Try Eliminating Hiding Places
While there is no doubt that shrubs and trees help in giving a much better curb appeal, quite often they also become a handy tool for burglars to hide and execute their nefarious activities. It would be better to trim down plants and trees near your home that could be used for cover.
Instead, it would be a better idea to go in for smaller sized bushes and flowers. If you have windows that are adjacent to such plants and shrubs, you should either remove them or ensure that the windows are strengthened adequately.
This is a very simple way to secure your home and does not cost anything much. The main objective should be to thoroughly examine your outdoors as well as the indoors and be sure that you have done away with all possible hiding places.
Stools and ladders should be put away from the reach of possible intruders. Sheds, gates and other outdoor buildings should be locked properly. Use of security stickers and signs is also recommended. The role of a simple outdoor camera is vital and it could prevent many burglaries and thefts.
Have Security Cameras In Place
The importance of security cameras cannot be underestimated. We have all come across news articles where some of the most deadly burglaries have been foiled because of security cameras. They act as a big deterrent for the wrongdoers.
Even if burglaries and thefts happen, it is quite possible that these cameras could play a big role in finding out the culprits and have them arrested and punished as per the provisions of law. It also could help in recovering the stolen household belongings that in some cases could run into thousands of dollars.
You must do your research and choose the right home camera and surveillance systems. You must look for cameras having motion detection features, built-in wi-fi capabilities, night vision features, and the cameras should be nestled in a casing that is weatherproof.
The Final Word
In fine, the responsibility for ensuring home security lies clearly on the homeowners. Tenants will not be ready to invest money and time for obvious reasons. While there could be many who could propagate the use of professionals for doing the job, there are many DIY tips and suggestions that could help secure your home.
A few have been discussed above and if you look around, do your research and gather knowledge and information you will be able to identify a few more without much of a difficulty.
Our Top Picks for Best Hookup and Dating Sites in 2020!
- Good Online Dating Profiles to Copy and Paste - July 19, 2020
- 14 Cheap Date Ideas For a Small Town (That Don’t Suck!) - May 5, 2020
- What Attracts a Younger Woman to an Older Man? - December 11, 2019
