Household Security Tips
Good housekeeping is a very important concept in managing and maintaining the smooth running of a family home. Keeping your home and your belongings safe is imperative. Therefore home security should be near the top of the agenda when it comes to protecting your family. Our friendly hints and tips (below) aim to give your home that added protection it needs in order for you to sleep safe and sound in your bed at night. One of the main theories on home security is that you need to look at your home from the perspective of the burglar. You need to think “how will a burglar see this? How would he get in?”. Therefore with this firmly planted in your mind, please read on. Make it look like there is somebody in
This household security tip is very important. If you are planning to go on holiday it is important that you make your home look like there is somebody still at there. There are a number of ways in which you can do this. Firstly cancel milk and newspaper deliveries, having ten pints of milk on your doorstep is a sure fire sign nobody is home. Secondly, it’s a good idea to inform your close neighbours that you are going away so they can keep an eye on your property. Perhaps, if you know them well enough why not ask them to pop in and out of your house to open and close curtains and generally make sure everything is ok. If you don’t know your neighbours well enough to ask them to enter your home, why not invest in a switch timer? These can be bought from any reputable DIY store and there purpose is to switch lights, radios, TV sets etc on and off at regular times during the day, thus creating the illusion that “somebody is in”. Keep curtains open If you are just going out of your house for the day then make sure you leave your curtains open. Closing your curtains during day light hours may alert would be thieves that the house is empty. Keep valuables out of view This household security tip shouldn’t be ignored. If you leave your computer, TV, or anything else of value where it can be seen from the outside of your home, especially via a window then you are asking for trouble. A very good household security tip to limit the chances of this happening is to adopt good housekeeping practices and keep valuables out of view or perhaps invest in some net curtains. These are very good at letting light in but are difficult to see through, especially by those who are outside. Grow some nice thorn bushes This household security tip may seem a bit bizarre at first glance, but trust me it’ll work. What you need to do is plant thorn bushes under easy to reach windows. If a burglar sees this deterrent he will usually move on and find a more accessible target. Just think, would you want to take on a thorn bush when attempting to climb through a window? No? I didn’t think so.
Replace your old windows If your windows are single glazed and/or haven’t got the sturdiest of frames, then you’ll need to replace them. If a burglar stumbled across this sight he’d be rubbing his hands with glee. A rotting window frame given a little bit of pressure will open pretty easily. To counteract this you can fit your home with double glazed windows, with ultra secure frames and good sturdy locks. If you live in a particularly high risk area it might be an idea to fit your windows with iron grills or bars. Fit mortise locks Leading on from the above household security tip, you should think about following the following good housekeeping measure, fit all easy accessible doors and windows with heavy duty mortise locks. If you follow this tip make sure the frames’ of the windows and doors are sturdy, as there is no point having these heavy duty lock otherwise, the burglar will just remove the windows and doors with little effort otherwise. Phone a few locksmiths and get some quotes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Get an alarm Alarms are one of the biggest deterrents to would be burglars. So to protect your home this is ideal. If you haven’t got one fitted, go ahead and do so. House alarms can be purchased for relatively little money, if you don’t want to splash the cash, why not purchase a fake alarm box for the front of your home? A visual deterrent is all what’s needed in some cases to force the burglar to move on. If you do have an alarm, use it. It is amazing how many people go to bed or leave the house without setting it, good housekeeping is definitely the order of the day in this case. Additionally you should undertake regular checks on your alarm to ensure it’s in full working order, test it once a week to be on the safe side. Remember, implement this good housekeeping methodology and have peace of mind. Keep wheelie bins locked up This household security tip may seem strange, but you should seriously think about implementing it. Wheelie bins can be used two ways by a burglar, firstly, they can use it as a climbing aid, for example, if you have a high gate which leads from the side of the house to the back garden, the burglar could prop the bin next to the gate and make light work of scaling it. This brings me on the second use of a wheelie bin. Let me pose you this question. What are wheelie bins used for? Yeah, that’s right; they are used to hold and store your household waste and are fitted with wheels for easy maneuverability. Which means it’s a perfect acquisition for the burglar. All he has to do is empty the bin all over your garden and use it to carry off his booty. You can secure bins to fences; drain pipes etc using a bicycle lock. Tidy your garden If your garden has bricks or gardening tools lying about then a thief will more than likely take advantage of this situation and use them either as a weapon or as a tool to break into your home. So when you have finished with your gardening equipment adopt good housekeeping practices and make sure you put them away safely in the shed or garage. Put ladders away This household security tip doesn’t really need much explanation. Make sure ladders are secured by chains to a fixed object or put them away in the garage or shed. If the burglar has access to these they won’t hesitate in using them to gain an upper hand. secure perimeter fences If your home has a perimeter fence make sure there are no weak links in it, which can be exploited. Weak links may include loose panels or gaping holes. If your fence or wall is low enough to be scaled ensure you try and make it harder for the burglar to climb over. Get a side gate If you’ve got an entrance that leads around to the back of your house, invest in a nice big wrought iron gate. Nearly all burglars will walk around the side of your house to gain access via the back, as they are a lot less likely to be seen. A big gate will prevent them from gaining this advantage. Put down gravel paths As with the above household security tip if you have a walk way leading around the back of your house lay down gravel. This is a good deterrent because it tends to make quite a lot of noise when it’s walked on. Fit some security lights The last thing burglars want is to have attention drawn to them. If you invest in one of these heat sensory devices. The aim of these is to draw attention to the intruder, which, as you know, is the last thing they want. You can buy these lights for a relatively small amount of money from any reputable DIY or garden centre. Don’t leave keys in locks This is a very good household security tip to take into consideration. From time to time we’ll lock the door and leave the key in the door; this for a burglar is an open invitation to enter your home. In fact don’t leave keys anywhere near your locks. Follow this simple good housekeeping procedure and ensure that you lock your doors and windows, take the keys out and put them away in a draw. Don’t leave any windows open When you are leaving the house make sure you close and lock every window, and I mean every window. It seems that no window, not matter how small or difficult to access, is safe if left open. You’d be surprised what a determined burglar is capable of. So be on the safe side, follow this good housekeeping practice and lock those windows when you are not at home. Join or form a neighbourhood watch scheme If your area or street is involved in a neighbourhood watch scheme, why not sign up? The more people you can get looking out for you the better. You can work together in making your neighbourhood a safer to place to live. You will also get support, hints and tips from fellow members in regards to keeping your home free from intruders. Mark your property Although not really considered a burglary preventative measure this household security tip is very important. If you mark your property with a marker pen which will only show up when ultra violet light is shone on it, then, if the police catch up with the thief, before he sells your belongings on, you should get your property back. You can purchase these kits from DIY or stationary shops. Thanks for checking out our OPH Good Housekeeping & Homemaking household security tips. Why not check out our related links (below)? Fire safety tips
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