Family life moves pretty fast. It seems you’re always getting a kid to school, practice or in bed. Securing your home probably isn’t in your top ten list on the average day. Don’t worry, that’s why The Secure Dad is here. We provide advice to help you make decisions that keep your family safe. So look over some common home security mistakes and if you see yourself in any, don’t worry, we’ll show you how you can correct it.
Open Garage Door
An open garage door is the easiest way to let a burglar know you are not home. Also, an open garage is an easy target for a quick grab. Tools are hard to trace and easily pawned, so while you may think there are no valuables in the garage, think again. Also most garages have a door to the inside of your home. Don’t give a burglar access to your tools to break into your door while you’re gone.
Dark Home
The fiercest enemy to any thief is light. A well lit home is not going to be at the top of a thief's list. Most likely they’ll move on to an easier target, a dark house. Make sure that house is not yours. The easiest thing to do is turn your porch light on all night. This keeps your main entrance lit, which can help deter a kick in attack on your door. If you don’t want to remember to turn the light on and off every day then there is a solution. A dusk to dawn light bulb will automatically come on when it gets dark and turn off when the sun comes up. All you have to do is screw it in. Yep, adding security lighting has never been easier.
Over Stuffed Mailbox
Nothing screams you’re on vacation like mail falling out of your mailbox and newspapers littering your yard. To keep up the appearance of being home, have the post office stop your mail. It is easy to do online. It only takes a minute. Or if you have a trusted neighbor, have them collect your mail and hold it for you.
Cheap Locks
Thieves can tell the quality of a lock when they see one. Most can spot one from the street. Don’t try and save a few bucks by getting a cheap door lock set. Spend a few dollars more and deter a thief. Generally speaking, Schlage has a great reputation for having a tough lock that looks a good and can be installed by a homeowner. I’ve had several and never had a problem.
Hide A Key
Oh boy, this one makes me shake my head. I feel the need for a hide a key is greatly outweighed by the potential to let a thief waltz into you home without breaking a sweat. Hidden key lawn ornaments allow observant thieves to have instant access to your home. If your lawn has end to end grass with a few bushes around the porch then a plastic rock under a bush is going to stand out. Yes it will. Especially when you can see the seam where the plastic was molded together. If you need to allow access to your home I recommend a keyless lock. These locks use codes to lock and unlock the deadbolt. You can create as many codes as you need and delete them when you’re done. While these may look intimidating to install, they are very straightforward and only need a 9 volt battery to function. A novice DIY-er can knock this out in 30 minutes.
For more ways to make your home safer, consider my book Home Security: The Secure Dad's Guide available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.
