Home Safety Checklist For Greenville
Being safe and secure in your house should be your topmost concern. But are you forgetting a few useful safety items? Use this home safety checklist for Greenville and find out where your living space requires greater attention.
We give you five whole-house safety techniques, and then we delve down room-by-room. Then, you can call (252) 221-5660 or send in the form below for more information.
General Home Safety Checklist for Greenville
While you may want to employ a room-by-room method for home safety in Greenville, there are some items that work for multiple rooms. These items can talk with one another through a smart hub, and can even work off other components. You can also manage every one of your home safety devices through a mobile app, like ADT Control:
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Monitored Security System: All your doors and windows should employ a sensor that notifies you and your family to intrusion. When the alarm goes off, your monitoring center answers the call and calls the police or fire department.
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Smart Bulbs For Most Rooms: Of course, you can schedule your smart lighting so your home is more energy-efficient. But they can also help you keep safe throughout an emergency. Have your lights flip on when a sensor trips to frighten off robbers or brighten the way out to a safe location.
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Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Greenville could save you 10%-15% in utility costs. But it also can turn on the exhaust fan if you have a fire.
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Monitored Fire Detectors: At the very least, you need to have a fire alarm on every level of your house. You can increase your fire readiness by installing a monitored fire alarm that looks for unusual smoke and heat, and alerts your round-the-clock monitoring experts when it senses a fire.
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Smart Lock For Every Door: Every door that utilizes a keyed lock can upgrade to a smart door lock. Now you may assign key codes to each family member and receive notifications to your smartphone when they are activated. Your smart lock can even automatically open, letting you quickly leave during a fire or dangerous situation.
Family Room Safety Checklist For Greenville
You’ll spend most of your time in your family room, so it may be the most reasonable room to start making your home more secure. Popular items, like a TV or video game console, usually are located in your living room, making it an alluring area for burglars. Start with placing a motion detector or security camera by the doorway, then continue on with some of these ideas:
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Motion Sensors: By hanging motion detectors, you’ll hear a loud noise whenever they sense unexpected movement within your living room. The best devices are motion sensors that ignore pets or you’ll have your sirens go off each time your cat comes in for a bite of food.
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Security Camera: An indoor security camera puts an eye on your living room. Watch constant streams of everything so you can find out what’s happening from the mobile app. Or talk with your kids in the living room using the two-way talk feature.
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Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Protect expensive electronics and quit overloading your outlets with a surge protector. For added comfort, set up a smart plug with surge protection in the unit.
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Heavy Furniture Attached To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll want to bolt your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially crucial if your living room has carpeting that could make furniture extra wobbly.
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Special Locks For Glass Doors: If your family room has a sliding glass door that leads to a deck, patio, or porch, you probably can see that the door lock is fairly thin. Use a custom lock, like a bottom bar or locks that secures the door to the bottom and top of the frame.
Kitchen Safety Checklist For Greenville
The kitchen has plenty of items that should provide safety and security to your home. Most of these objects are also a snap to add and should be bought from the grocery store:
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Fire Extinguisher: A fire can come from from an overfilled frying pan or a faulty burner. Always keep a fire extinguisher in close reach for any kitchen mishaps.
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GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be standard everywhere they’re close to running water to prevent a deadly shock. That means the outlets by your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one GFCI per dedicated circuit. But each one of your plugs will flip off if any outlet senses a surge, so try to install a separate GFCI for every outlet.
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Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is needed in the kitchen if you have gas for the stove and oven. If your gas appliances leak, the CO detector will emit a loud siren and contact your monitoring agent.
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Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety issue in the kitchen is actually bacteria and cross-contamination that comes with uncooked meat and other foods. Always have cleaning wipes or spray to sanitize your area when making a meal.
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Refrigerator/Freezer Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the fridge have to stay at a constant temperature to be ready to consume. If you accidently leave the refrigerator door open, then an alarm beep will remind you to close the door. Some fridges already have this installed, some do not, and you’ll have to buy a fridge alarm from the hardware store.
Bathroom Safety Checklist For Greenville
Just because there’s not a lot of space in your bathroom, you will still have safety concerns. From flood prevention to electric safety, here are five safety improvements for your bathroom:
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Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or tub can lead to an expensive amount of damage. Find a water problem with a flood detector and save yourself from reflooring the entire bathroom.
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Non-slip Shower Mats: A slip in the bathroom can be devastating, causing bumps, gashed heads, or trips to the hospital. You can avoid these issues with a no-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.
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No-slip Bathtub Stickers: Likewise, a bathtub can be a slippery area to move in. It’s a good idea that each tub has some no-slip stickies so your toes have a textured patch for stability.
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Medicine Door Latch: If you have young kids or anyone with memory complications, you should take additional care regarding medicine. Secure your prescriptions by using a medicine cabinet with a child-proof lock.
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GFCI Circuits: Just like the kitchen, you will have to also install a safer circuit interrupter outlet on every bathroom receptacle. These will shut off the electricity if water enters the outlet or you have an unusual jolt from a curling iron or hair dryer.
Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Greenville
Your kid’s bedroom should pair safety with manageability. If their window coverings or other items are safe but tricky to use, then your child may try risky methods -- like climb a bookshelf -- to use them. Try these straightforward, and safe, ideas:
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Cord-Free Window Coverings: Safety agencies have designated cords from shades and blinds an unsuspecting hazard for kids and pets. Use motorized treatments that your child can easily open and close via remote control. Or even better, link your shades to your security system so they open automatically when the sun comes up, and close in the evening for an easier sleep.
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Tableside Security Camera: A camera placed on your child’s desk can double as a baby monitor that you can view from a mobile device. And when they need you, they can use the two-way talk feature that comes with the camera.
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Outlet Covers: While every outlet should use protective covers on them for your young children, this is doubly important in their bedroom. It’s the one room in your home where your toddler will most likely play alone without additional supervision.
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Window Safety Ladder: If you use bedrooms on the second floor, then you should have a window escape ladder. These will let a child escape even if the hallway or downstairs are engulfed in smoke and fire. Remember to practice how to use them a few times a year.
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Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to think about a toy box as a safety device, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever stepped on a building block in your socked feet. A clutter-free floor gives your child a quick way out during a fire or break-in.
Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Greenville
Your bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety devices make life easier if you have an emergency. After all, being startled awake by a wailing alarm can be quite a shock.
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Home Security Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your bedside table helps you know what’s happening without leaving your bed. You could always use your ADT phone app. However, the large touchscreen is often better to use when you’re bleary-eyed and finding your bearings.
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Phone Charging Station: We depend on our smartphones for so much now GPS, internet searches, games, and --legend has it-- even phones. But, an uncharged device in the middle of the night cuts us off from communications if during an emergency. To keep it nice and ready, a charging cord or station becomes an important part of your nightstand.
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Smart Lights Or Nightlights: A tiny light helps ground you when you’re jolted awake from a fire alarm or other loud sounds. If you won’t drift off to sleep with a nightlight, use a smart bulb in your bedroom and hall. Then you can have light anytime with a mobile device or vocal command.
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Fireproof Lockbox: Store your important paperwork like insurance cards, stock certificates, or a bankbook in a fireproof safe. Your lockbox can be a bigger one that sits in your closet or a slender handheld safe that you can snatch when you leave during an emergency event.
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Heat Sensor: The drawback with bedrooms is that they can run too warm or be chilly since they are located across the house from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a pleasant, relaxing sleep at just the right temperature.
Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Greenville
Most safety issues in the garage or basement have to do with your water heater or HVAC system. Finding issues at the source can prevent more devastating problems in the future. So, as you look around your storage areas, pay attention to these safety items:
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Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor in back of your water heater and sump pump can stop you from discovering a pond when you step into your garage or basement. It’s sure better than sifting through a bunch of soiled storage boxes.
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Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s nice to have a CO alarm in a place where a natural gas leak can occur. If you employ gas heating, you should put a detector in the same place as your unit.
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Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector detects a hot water leak or a burst pipe, then you will want to cut off the primary water line immediately. With a remote shutoff valve, you can block water flow from your phone. That’s nice when you’re on vacation and receive an emergency leak alert on your mobile device.
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Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage open leads to all types of headaches. You can lose heat through that large opening, and critters or intruders can just wander in. A remote sensor will alert you to a forgotten garage door and lets you lower it remotely.
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Temperature Sensor: A heat alarm in your basement or garage is essential if you fret about frozen pipes. The heat in these areas can be drastically different than the main part of the home, so you will need to keep a close look on them through your mobile app.
Outside Safety Checklist for Greenville
Your foliage, drive, and front walk are just as imperative to make safe as the inside of your home. Try the items on this checklist to make your outside safe:
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Doorbell Camera: See who’s arrived at the door before you open it and talk to visitors. See deliveries and record video clips if they disappear.
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Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor cameras to guard against suspicious lurkers in your back yard. These devices come in handy in areas where you may not have a window installed -- like a side yard or by the garage.
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Low Shrubs: High bushes can give you some privacy, but they also obscure your view of the yard and curb. Don’t provide potential burglars an area to hide. Plus, tall bushes or greenery too close to your home can jam up gutters and bring in pests.
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ADT Signage: One of the largest disincentives for home intrusion is telling would-be rogues that you use an updated ADT security system. An ADT yard sign by the stoop and a window sticker will show people that they ought to shove off to an easier score.
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Motion Activated Porch Lighting: Light is the largest deterrent to those who skulk in the dark. Motion-activated lights on your deck, patio, or garage can help scare lurkers away. Lights also help you get inside when you arrive home late after work.
Use Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Greenville
While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install non-security devices on your Greenville home safety checklist, we can install a customized home security. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can customize the ideal system for your home’s needs. Simply phone (252) 221-5660 for more information or fill out the form below. Or personalize your own system with our Security System Designer.