How To Improve Safety In Your Home

In terms of safety, homeowners are not taking any chances. With the threat of burglaries and natural calamities in mind, people must ensure that their homes are all prepared for any contingency.

After all, you can reap a lot of benefits by just improving the safety of your home. One thing’s for sure; you will be paying less for home insurance. Low-risk homes enjoy lower insurance premiums, which means to say making sure your home is safe enables you to save more money on insurance.

But more than the cost-saving benefits of home safety, people are also installing added features to render their homes hazard-free, save lives and properties, and prevent small incidents or accidents from getting any worse.

16 Top Tips To Keep You and Your Home Safe

With that being said, here are PropertyTalk’s top 16 tips that you can apply to protect your home — and your family — from unwanted circumstances.

Store equipment properly

If there’s an emergency, you must ensure you have everything you need to be kept safe where it’s readily available.

You can install emergency boxes in certain areas of your home. Moreover, you need to avoid cluttering up these boxes for faster access to equipment. For example, if you have a fire safety cabinet, it’s a good rule of thumb not to place it near fire exits. Instead, opt to have it near the kitchen, where there’s always a higher fire risk.

Install smoke detectors

Fires are the most common home emergencies many homeowners would want to avoid. That said, it’s always important to know if there’s a fire early on. Install smoke detectors and alarms across high-risk portions of your home. Also, perform regular maintenance on these gadgets to ensure that they are working properly in the event of a fire.

Keep medicines out of reach

Out of reach from children, of course! A medicine box should always contain everything you need for a medical emergency at home. Stack up on antidotes as well as ointments and solutions for wounds. What’s more, store the medicine box away from children. It’s always a good idea to store it in the center of your home so you can easily access medicines and other first-aid essentials wherever you are around the house.

Consider getting a safe

A safe is a good place to store valuables and important documents.

Keep valuables out of sight

Don’t leave valuables in plain sight, especially near windows where they can be seen by passersby.

Secure your doors

Make sure all of your exterior doors are solid and have deadbolt locks.

Secure your windows

Consider installing window locks or security bars on windows that are easy to access.

Trim your bushes

Overgrown bushes can provide cover for burglars, so keep your bushes trimmed.

Use exterior lighting

Motion-sensor lights can help deter burglars and make it easier for you to see outside at night.

Install a security system

A security system with sensors on doors and windows can alert you to potential burglaries or intrusions.

Install CCTV cameras

Sure CCTV cameras are expensive from the get-go, but their value shouldn’t go unnoticed. For sure, the threat of burglary and home invasion can cost you a lot in terms of stolen items and property damage. Although CCTVs can’t stop a robbery in progress, you can still use recorded footage to file insurance claims covering such a case.

Get to know your neighbors

Building a relationship with your neighbors can help create a sense of community and make it more likely that someone will notice if something seems off or out of place.

Trim bushes and trees

Overgrown bushes can provide cover for burglars, so keep your bushes trimmed. Remove trees that are too close to your house.

Declutter on the regular

Finally, practicing regular housekeeping is the best way to lessen risks at home. This ensures that your home is clean and well-maintained. And for sure, an organized home means less clutter, and with less clutter means a quicker response to any emergency. What’s more, by keeping certain items in places where you should stow them, you can reduce the likelihood of a fire.

Keep your home well-maintained

A well-maintained home is less likely to be targeted by burglars.

Stay alert

Pay attention to your surroundings and trust your instincts. If you see something suspicious, don’t hesitate to call the authorities.