Security systems are way more advanced nowadays than before. It took a long time to reach this point. Modern systems also have developed a lot. You will find digital security cameras, remote-controlled locks, automated and controllable security, and many more that will help you to secure your home easily and more efficiently.
Your home is your biggest sanctuary. This is the place where you make memories and spend your days with your dear ones. Thus, your home should be the safe haven, where you feel safe and at ease. But, this could not be possible if your home is under-protected. You might face burglary or even worse if your home is not well protected. That’s why say no to any kind of compromise when it comes to home security. It should be on the top of your priority list.
Well, if you are too worried about how to secure your home, then there is the good news. You will find some amazing tips and tricks in this article that will help you to protect your home and your belongings. Some of these tricks are very affordable. So, hurry up and check it out.
Table of Contents
Don’t Make It Clear that You Are Not at Home
Many of us make this mistake. Most of the time, we make it clear that we are not at home. For instance, when we go on a vacation, we tell our neighbors or post status and my day on Facebook that we are going out for some days, which is a big common mistake. We all know that we live in a society where people love to talk and share.
This is a huge opportunity for thieves to gather information about you. Also, do not post any updates while you are away from your home. Try to save it and wait for the vacation to end, and post all of your pictures and videos when you are back. It will keep your home safe from burglars while you are gone.
Also, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to collect your mails, newspapers, and other fliers during your vacation from your door. Otherwise, thieves can take advantage of it. They will know that you are on an extended leave the second they saw the mails and other things at your door.
Also, get an interior light with a timer. It is so useful, especially when you are gone at night. It will turn on the lights automatically when it gets dark outside, and thieves will think there are people at home.
Don’t Provide Thieves Places to Hide
Don’t let trees and bushes grow much. Trim them oftentimes so that thieves cannot hide around them. These bushes and trees help them to be unnoticeable, and they can easily access your doors or windows. Always trim shrubs, especially the higher ones that block the window.
Dark areas also give thieves a place to hide. That’s why it is important to lightening your property. Look carefully around your house and mark all the dark places where thieves can hide easily. Then, install lights in different places, especially in those dark areas.
Also, do not forget to light up the entrances. You can use motion detection spotlights for lighting up. These lights are one of the best options as it will not disturb your neighbors with the bright light.
Keep Your Yard Clean
This is very normal for thieves to gain access to your house through a window by breaking them. But, we should make sure that we do not give them their desired tool for breaking it. So, always keep your yard clean and make sure there are no tree limbs, especially after a storm. Also, tell your children to put away their playing items and toys after playing.
Also, do not leave any ladder outside of your home or in the yard. It is a great tool for thieves that helps to gain access to higher places such as wind, which usually remain unlocked. Take the same precautions for other tools also. It does not matter if they are for gardening or barbecue; always lock them up after using.
Set an Alarm
There are many people who are serious about their home security and want to get the highest protection available around them. If you are one of them, then you should think about installing an alarm system. It not only provides another strong layer of security to your house but also helps you to decrease your home insurance premiums. But, keep in mind that it must remain active after installing to be effective.
So, try to make a habit of putting on an alarm before leaving the house and sleeping at night. Well, many people often forget to set the alarm. In that case, you can leave a note for yourself at the door so that you do not forget. You can set up reminders also on your phone.
Update Your Locks
Installing certain approved locks can ensure you the best security and decrease the insurance premium of your home. These types of locks are the safest, and it prevents burglars and thieves from entering into your house. Using any random lock is unsafe for your house. Because many burglars are familiar with them, and they know how to defeat them. So, always try to use modern and professionally fitted locks.
Hide Valuables in Safe Place
We all have more or fewer valuables such as tablets, laptops, jewelry, important papers, and other gadgets in our homes. These valuables attract opportunist thieves, and we all know that they are not well known for resisting their temptation. So, it is important to keep them in a safe place where they cannot attract thieves. Thus, you can invest in a safe for your own protection. For instance, MLA-approved locksmiths can give the desired safety that you always want.
Also, give extra attention to your car keys as many burglars or thieves will break into your house just to take the car keys. That’s why keep your car keys well hidden and make sure that they are away from the front door because burglars can ‘letterbox fishing” your car keys through the mailbox.
Keep Your Keys Safe
Many of us keep our spare key under the plant pot or doormat and think that it will be safe. Well, it might be safe, but you cannot be sure as nowadays, burglars know about all the common hiding places. So, try something new.
Also, never keep your house keys close to the main door. Burglars can use the common ‘fishing technique’ and reach your keys through the mailbox and enter your house. And the worst part is, many insurers demand a sign of forced entry. If they do not see any, they are not going to pay out a claim. So, it is very important to keep your key away from your door.
Protect Your Window
If you are thinking of purchasing new windows for your house, then it is better to try out something new and safer. You can purchase shatterproof glass. Trust me; it is worth every penny. It will prevent thieves from breaking the window.
So, they will be unable to enter your house, and it will be safe. But, if the shatterproof glasses are out of your league, then you can add a secure film to the windows. It will prevent the window from shattering and will resist burglars from continuing their exertion to break in.
Protect Sliding Glass Door
Nowadays, many of us use sliding glass door in our house as it looks beautiful. But, the problem with this door is they are weak as the lock. Burglars can easily break them and enter your home. In this case, install a security bar. A security bar will make it difficult for burglars to enter your house. Thus, this is must-have protection for all sliding windows and doors.
Always Lock Windows and Doors
Most of us often make this terrible mistake of keeping the windows and doors open when you are not around. This is a terrible mistake, and trust me; you might regret it later for your whole life. A little safety can protect your house from robbery. That’s why always keep your windows locked when you are not at home and when you go to sleep.
The case of doors is different. Always keep the door closed. It does not matter if you are at home or not. Never forget to close it. But, the problem is many of us are habituated to sleep with an open window at night, which is very risky. But, do not worry. There is a solution as well. You can simply install a window lock that allows you to open the window only for a few inches.
You should also lock your garage door during both the day and night. Having an open garage door lets the thieves sneak into your house. Even if they do not find any valuables at that time, but they will mark your house if they trace any of those.
Change the Locks if Needed
When you buy a new home from someone, what should be the first thing that you must do? Well, you should go to the locksmith first. Many of us do not follow this because we do not know how important it is. Also, they surely do not know about the danger of not following this step. Or else, they would never do that.
Well, the thing is, you do not actually know who has a key to your new house out there. They might use that anytime if you do not change it. They could be a criminal or worse, you have no idea. So, always change the lock after buying or shifting to a new house. Also, change the locks for other purposes, too, if needed.
For instance, if you had a break-up, do not wait and change the lock. Even if they return the keys, do not wait to change them as you will never know if they have already made a copy of your keys or not. It is always better to be on the safe side.
Avoid Glass Doors near the Handle
Having a glass door near the handle is a bad idea if you want to protect your home. This could be an easy pass for burglars. They can easily break the glass enter into your home. So, do not use glass doors around the handle if you do not want to make it easy for them, which I am sure you do not want.
Keep Your Second Floor Safe
Most of the time, we care about the first floor most and almost forget about the second floor, which gives thieves the perfect opportunity to steal your things. Your first-floor windows and doors might be armed, but if the second floor is not secure enough, there is no point in having a secured first floor as the thief will enter your house from there.
So, make sure that the entry points of the second-floor areas are secured as the first one. There are some vital things that are needed for securing the second floor such as, glass-break detectors, window sensors, and locks. This will prevent the burglars from stepping into your house through the second floor.
Also, close the windows and doors carefully before sleeping or going outside of your home. And use smart plugs so to turn on the lights automatically when you are not at home.
Let the Police Inspect Your House
If you feel unsure about your home’s security, then you can take the help of the police. There are many police departments out there that will happily provide a home inspection. They can help you with your knowledge. Also, they will let you know about the potential risk factors and areas or places through which thieves might enter easily. So, involving the police is not a bad idea at all.
Turn off Your Land phone Ringer
Most people have a landline at their homes. If you are one of them too then, this is for you. Always turn off the ringer volume before you go outside of your home. Because if a burglar passes by your home and listen to the ringer of your landline, it will definitely attract him, and he will end up stealing. A ringing telephone is a kind of clear sign that no one is in the house. It helps the thieves to make the right choice. So, do not do that.
Don’t Leave Note on Door
This is a silly mistake that most people make at least once in their life. It is so common to leave a note at the door when we go outside. Most of us do not even think about this twice before doing it. We think that what harm could be done by a simple note.
But, this is not the case. A single note can cause you a lot of trouble. When you leave a note on your door, it usually catches the eye of the thief. And we all know what will happen next. So, do not leave a note on the door. You can send them a text message instead.
Have a Dog or Make It Look Like You Have One
Having a dog as a pet can be very beneficial when it comes to secure your house. We all know what dogs are capable of. For instance, they usually sniff people and let us know when any stranger comes around our home.
So, it is always a good idea to have a dog. But, what if you are not allowed to have one, or you could not have one for another reason? Will, you are not able to get these benefits? Well, not entirely, but you can get some of them without having a real dog.
If you just keep dog things such as their toys, food bowl, or treats here and there outside your home, then thieves will think you have a dog. It will make them scared, and they will probably not target your home.
Share Photos of Vacation after Returning
Everyone wants to upload their photos of vacation as soon as possible. But, waiting some days to upload the vacation photos is better for your own safety. Of course, you do not want to see your house robbed after getting back.
But, if you upload photos as soon as you get them, there will be a chance of getting robbed. We all know we stay in a society where everyone loves to talk about their neighbors or friend. So, there will be the chance of reaching the news to any thieve. So, do not upload photos instantly and wait a few days even if you do not want to for your own good.
Make Sure Your Driveway Is Not Empty
A vacant driveway is an obvious sign that your house is empty, which is the last thing that we want. So, what is the solution? Well, you can ask any of your neighbors, friends, or relatives to park their car for a few days when you are away from your home.
If you can manage someone to park in your driveway then, it will look like there are people in your home, and thieves will not target your house. So, make sure that your driveway will not be empty before going anywhere.
Add a Peephole
It is a wise decision to add a peephole to the main door of your home. It will let you watch who the person that wants to enter your house is. It does not cost much, just only 25 dollars. But, it is kind of a home security gold. So, buy it as soon as possible to have a wide-angle view of your visitor.
Protect Your Filing Cabinet
We usually, it is only cash, electronics, and jewelry that burglars are looking for. So, we try to secure them only and forget about the other valuables. But, this is not the case. Information about your social security or bank account number can also be the one that they are looking for. But, we barely secure them.
So, it is time now to secure the hard copies of any important document. You can lock them away in a filing cabinet so that nobody can gain access. Also, make sure that it is locked by a cable lock and place it behind a furniture item such as a bed or dressing table so that burglars cannot see it. Even if they see, there will be a low chance of removing them as it will take a lot of time. And burglars always want to come and go quickly.
Don’t Post A Picture of Your Key on Social Sites
Thanks to advanced technology, now we can copy any key with just a picture of it. Well, it will be inconvenient and dangerous but not impossible. So, do not put any images of your keys on any social media.
You might be thinking, who even does post a picture of their keys! You do not have to go far; just look at the Instagram influencers. They are praising and posting all the things around them continuously. What if they make a complementary video of their key chain, and it somehow shows the keys too.
They probably will not even think about the danger they might face from a single picture or video. So, it is important to let them know about this so that they do not face any danger.
Securing your home should be the first priority of yours as you and your family or special one’s life could be in danger if you do not pay attention. So, do not be late and follow the tips and tricks to be safe and sound. If you have any other questions, please let us know in the comment section. Enjoy!
