How safe is your home? A home safety checklist is key to the safety and security of your household. You should be at peace leaving and coming back home. Besides, you go home to rest from the cares of life outside your private space. You cannot allow it to be another unsafe place on earth. That’s why you should implement this nine-step checklist for home safety.
To keep your home safe, follow these 9 activities and tasks in your home safety checklist:
1. Befriend Your Neighbours
Your neighbours play an important part in your home safety checklist. Create a safer, friendlier and strong community environment by looking out for each other. Your neighbours are your eyes and ears when you are not around. They could even collect your mail and make it look like you are around even if you are miles away on holiday.
Encourage your family to be friendly and get to know people around you. A friendly neighbourhood can easily monitor and flag miscreants that threaten safety and security.
2. Don’t Keep Your Valuables in the Open
Your valuables can attract criminal elements to your home. Make sure they cannot be seen from the street. Where necessary, rearrange your belongings and keep them out of front door and windows view.
For example, park your car in the garage instead of parking it in the driveway. Close doors and drop all curtains to curtail visibility from spying eyes. Create a room or a structure to keep all equipment that cannot be safely kept in the house.
3. Install a Home Security Camera System
Enhance surveillance by installing a camera system to keep track of every activity around and within your home. This will deter burglars. Any suspicious business can easily be noticed and reported to authorities.
Today, home surveillance systems are very advanced and affordable. You can have a mobile wireless system with Wi-Fi connection so you can live stream activities at your home through a web browser or smartphone. Get professional installation services to avoid inconsistent and unreliable camera surveillance.
4. Install and Maintain Security Alarms
A security alarm is an important part of any home security checklist. Your alarm system should be simple yet multipurpose. Distress call alarms should be strategically installed for ease of access in the event of an emergency. Smoke alarms save lives in case fire breaks out.
The beauty of having an alarm system in your home is it alerts you when there is imminent danger. It’s connected to your phone; and you can even issue commands on safety measures through your phone.
Some alarm systems are programmed to speak to you on your phone and inform you of the exact situation at home. You need to keep a regular maintenance schedule to be sure your alarms are functioning properly.
5. Keep Your Windows Locked
This may sound like a no-brainer but intrusion through windows is one of the main ways burglars gain access to homes. Keep your windows always closed when not in use. Broken or loose locks should be replaced or repaired immediately.
Before you leave the house, check all entries to ascertain they are locked. Make it a routine for all family members.
6. Maintain Your Gas Heater
During winter, gas heaters keep your family warm. However, if your heater is faulty, it can endanger the lives of your family, especially since any leak of the carbon monoxide gas can cause poisoning or death. Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and tasteless, so it’s not easily detected.
You need to invest in a carbon monoxide alarm system to detect a build-up of this harmful household poison. A qualified professional should inspect and service your gas heaters every two years.
7. Have a Home Fire Kit
Always have a fire kit on hand to protect your family and belongings from household fire. Your basic kit will consist of a fire blanket and a fire extinguisher. The kitchen is the best place to keep your fire kit since household fires are likely to start there.
Teach every family member how to use both the fire blanket and the fire extinguisher. In large homes, fire extinguishers are installed in strategic positions for quick access.
8. Remove Clutter
Objects strew everywhere can cause injuries at your home. Remove all clutter and dispose of it safely to maintain a clean, clear, minimalist house and compound. You may want to hire a commercial cleaner for a professional job.
9. Insure Your Home
For your ultimate peace of mind, insure your home against fire, theft and other potential calamities that could affect your home. Having the right home and property insurance protects you in case the unthinkable happens.
Your home security is not only your responsibility, but everyone else’s living with you. Investing in it should be informed by practical and tested systems. You don’t want to gamble with your safety and that of your family.
Technology can make it easy for you to manage and monitor your home’s safety at the click of a button. Get a professional to give you the helping hand to create your home safety checklist.
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