How to Keep Your Home Safe

Any homeowner will tell you that we all love to unlock doors when we are going out in the garden or open windows so that we can catch a breeze. However, when we do these things will all the good intentions, we live all our purses, wallets and other valuables in plain sight; all the factors combine to make summer one of the worst seasons as far as home burglaries are concerned. Having a home security lock is one thing but knowing what to do in order to safeguard your home during summer and at any other time of the year is a completely different ball game; there are a few tips you can follow to ensure maximum safety at home.

Kick proof your doors: Unless you have a hollow door; this isn’t what allows burglars to gain access to your home; doors that are made of steel, fiberglass and solid wood will take hard blows and knock with different levels of endurance. However, they easily fail because of a doorjamb split that is located next to the strike plate of your home security lock. You may want to strengthen your exterior door using a 1 inch long deadbolt lock with a reinforced metal box strike. You especially want to have a close look at the door leading to your house from the garage because this is usually where most burglars will access our homes from.

Choose the right locks: The choice of your home security lock will make a difference on whether your door can withstand a kick-in test; depending on what you got, there are many locks that need a reinforced strike plate. You want to make sure that you invest in a high security customized lock that will easily resist picking and locking. It is also important to use a pull-apart key chain that ensures your home keys are with you when your car is being serviced or valet-parked.

Window locks: The next item you want to take care of is the windows, make sure that you install a window lock on every window that can be opened and where they already exist, you want to ensure that you have inserted a removable eyebolt in any holes that have been drilled in the sash where they overlap; you may want to add fixed metal grills and locking scissor gates in addition to window locks. You also want to make sure that you have used sturdy screws to secure your window air conditioner by using metal framing elements so that burglars won’t be able to push them in; you only need to check that when you are installing window locks or any other additional barrier that you don’t violate manufacturer warranties or fire-safety codes.