Simple home security can be easy, but it involves closely examining your house’s entrance points, doing some preparation, and spending a little money.
Change Locks in a New Home
When occupying a new home, replace all locks as soon as possible after moving in. If the locks are more recent and in good condition, calling a locksmith to reset the tumblers and provide new keys is a less expensive way to guarantee that only people the current residents know and trust have access. If the locks are older or less secure than they should be, this is an excellent opportunity to replace them entirely. Spare keys should be stored in a safe place.
Keep Doors and Windows Locked
It’s good practice to keep windows and doors secured at all times when they are not in use. This is one of the least expensive precautions homeowners can take to avoid home invasion. This is particularly crucial for the first floor since unlocked first-floor windows and doors are the most straightforward methods for burglars to enter a house. There are choices available for individuals who want to leave their windows open more often but still want to feel secure. To prevent double-hung windows from being opened more than a few inches, homeowners can buy window wedges. In order to allow for ventilation, there are also more durable devices like pins and bolts that can be attached to the sashes at different intervals. A simple item like a dowel inserted in the gap between the open sash and the window frame can also prevent the window from opening all the way. A low-cost option to significantly increase door security is replacing or installing locks on older windows and doors. Even if it comes at a higher expense, installing safety elements like window bars or grates or replacing outdated doors with solid-core security doors may significantly improve the security of the property.
Light Everything
Keeping the outside of a home brightly illuminated makes a property hostile to intruders since they prefer the cover of darkness. Constant illumination near access points is preferable, but a tiered strategy that includes motion detector lighting also increases home security. A relatively recent addition to the security product lineup is infrared detectors. Because these sensors sense heat rather than motion, they may cause lights to turn on even if a thief is just beyond the range of a motion sensor or is moving very slowly to escape detection.