15 Common Sense Security Tips at Home

Your home is a place where you are supposed to feel safe. Unfortunately, there are people with bad intentions who enjoy breaking into other people’s homes. If you don’t want to be a victim of burglary or vandalism, you need to use some common sense security tips at home to protect yourself.

Getting a home security system installed will help you feel more safe. If that is not an option at the moment, or if you simply want to take a few extra steps to protect your home and your belongings, you will need to beef up your security.

Check out these fifteen practical security tips at home:

Tip #1: Reinforce your home’s exterior doors

There are a few things you can do to reinforce your exterior doors so thieves won’t be able to easily kick them open. For example, you can replace the screws of your strike plate with longer ones. You can also install a door edge guard.

Tip #2: Install a secure mailbox

If you want to buy a new mailbox, make sure you buy a secure one that will make it impossible for thieves to steal your mail. A secure mailbox that can only be opened with a key is the best way to protect the checks, credit card offers, and other important documents you could receive through the mail.

Tip #3: Install a security peephole

If your door doesn’t have a peephole, you should consider installing one. A good home security tip is that you should never open a door if you have absolutely no idea who is on the other side of it. Make sure you get a wide-angle peephole that allows you to clearly see who is knocking on your door.

Tip #4: Protect your sliding glass door with a security bar

Sliding glass doors look great, but most of them have weak locks that are easy to break. Install a security bar to prevent thieves from opening your sliding door from the outside. Better yet, get a stronger lock installed on it.

Tip #5: Make sure thieves have no place to hide

You don’t want anyone to be able to hide in dark corners while they lurk around your home. Make sure to trim any bushes or shrubs that are high enough to block a window. Another security tip is to consider adding some lighting to any dark area where someone could hide without being noticed.

Tip #6: Install motion detector lights at home

Motion detector lights could be one of your best security tips at home. They will only light up whenever someone is moving nearby, and this could be enough to scare thieves and make them run away from your home. A solar-powered motion detector light will also help save some energy.

Tip #7: Add some wireless window alarms

It’s no secret that you should keep your doors and windows locked at all times, even when you are home. If you don’t have a home security system with window alarms, you could install cheap wireless alarms instead. If someone opens a window from the outside, the noise produced by the alarm will startle them.

Tip #8: Install some fake surveillance cameras

Home surveillance cameras can be expensive, so if you don’t have enough budget for them at the moment, you can still protect your home with fake surveillance cameras, as long as they look convincing. Thieves will notice them, and will not dare approaching your home.

Tip #9: Keep your most valuable belongings in a safe

If you have expensive jewels and important documents that you want to protect from thieves, consider purchasing a small safe, and fasten it to the wall or to the floor so no one can steal it.

Tip #10: Don’t announce your next vacation on social media

It might be tempting to announce your next vacation to your friends and relatives on Facebook, or to post a selfie of yourself at the beach on Instagram. However, you should avoid posting anything about your vacation on social media until you get back home.

Tip #11: Don’t get a mail slot installed in your door

A mail slot might seem like a good security at home, but it actually isn’t. It can weaken your door, and make it a lot easier to kick in. If your door already has a mail slot, you should consider getting rid of it and installing a mailbox instead.

Tip #12: Ask a neighbour to pick up your mail while you’re away

Even if you don’t warn thieves you will be away for some time on social media, they could still notice you are not home if no one picks up your mail and newspapers. If you will be gone for a week, or even just for a few days, ask a neighbour to pick up your mail for you.

Tip #13: Keep the ringer of your landline phone as low as possible

If you own a landline phone with a loud ringer, it’s another easy way to let anyone passing by know you are not home at the moment. This is a good security tip in case thieves are trying to suss out whether you’re at home or not.

Tip #14: Shred sensitive documents before throwing them away

To protect yourself from identity thieves, purchase a paper shredder and use it to shred any document that contains sensitive information before you get rid of it. This is a good home security tip to protect your confidentiality.

Tip #15: Keep your car keys next to your bed

Finally, you should consider keeping your car keys on your nightstand. In addition to making sure you always know where they are, you could press the panic button of your keychain if ever you hear some suspicious noise during the night.