Home Safety Checklist For Greensboro
Staying safe and secure in your residence should be your largest concern. But are you missing one or two useful safety items? Use this home safety checklist for Greensboro and see where your house can use some work.
This guide begins with a few whole-house safety techniques, and then we whittle it down to specific room ideas. Then, call (336) 306-5608 or fill out the form below to get your home set up.
General Home Safety Checklist for Greensboro
While you may want to take a individual room approach to home safety, there are some things that work for the entire house approach. These items can talk together through a wireless hub, and can even respond to other things. You can also control all your home safety devices using a mobile security app, such as ADT Control:
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Monitored Home Security System: All your doors and windows should have a sensor that warns you to a break-in. When the alarm triggers, your monitoring center responds to the call and quickly contacts emergency personnel.
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Smart Bulbs For Every Major Room: Of course, you can schedule your smart bulbs so your house is more eco-conscience. But they can also allow you to stay safe during an emergency. Have your downstairs lights flash on when a security alarm trips to frighten off intruders or brighten your way to a outside area.
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Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Greensboro should save you up to 15% in energy spending. But it also can turn on an exhaust fan during a fire.
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Monitored Fire Detectors: At the very least, you should have a fire detector on every level of your house. You can increase your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire detector that detects excessive smoke and heat, and pings your round-the-clock monitoring team when it thinks that there’s a fire.
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Smart Locks: Every entryway that uses a deadbolt can use a smart door lock. Now you may preset numbered codes to each family member and get notifications to your smartphone when the locks are unlocked. Your locks can even automatically unlock, allowing you to quickly get out when you have a fire or other emergency.
Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Greensboro
You’ll spend most of your time in the family room, so it’s the perfect place to start making your house a safer place. Highly sought after items, like your TV or stereo system, typically are located in your family room, making it a popular space for thieves. Begin with installing a motion sensor or indoor camera in there, then try some of these suggestions:
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Motion Detectors: By putting in motion sensors, you’ll have a shrieking noise whenever they sense suspicious movement in your family room. The best devices are motion detectors that ignore pet movements or you’ll see your sirens go off each time your cat comes in for a drink of water.
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Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera puts a visual on your family room. View constant feeds of your room so you can see what’s going on through the mobile app. Or speak with your family in the room by using the two-way talk feature.
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Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard all your electronics and stop overloading your circuits with a surge protector. For extra energy-efficiency, set up a smart plug with a surge protector in the unit.
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Entertainment Center Secured To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll need to bolt your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to the wall. This is especially important if your family room uses carpet that might make heavy objects extra unbalanced.
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Special Locks For Glass Doors: If your living room uses a sliding door that opens to a backyard, deck, or screened-in porch, you can see that the latch is fairly thin. Put in a custom lock, like a bottom bar or locks that are located on the top and bottom of the opening.
Kitchen Safety Checklist For Greensboro
The kitchen has many items that can add safety and security to your home. Some of these objects should be simple to add and can be purchased from the grocery store:
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Fire Extinguisher: Fire can happen from an unwatched frying pan or an errant grease splatter. Always have a fire extinguisher at the ready for any cooking mishaps.
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GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be standard anywhere they’re close to running water to lessen the chance of a deadly shock. That means the plug outlets close to your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one GFCI per circuit. But if you don’t want every outlet to turn off when one outlet trips, you’re going to want to use a single GFCI for every outlet.
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Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is needed in spaces that use a gas oven and range. If your gas lines spring a leak, the carbon monoxide detector will play a loud, buzzing sound and call your monitoring professional.
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Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety issue in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and contamination from raw meat and vegetables. Always store disinfectant wipes or an antibacterial spray to clean your counters before and after making a meal.
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Refrigerator/Freezer Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in your fridge have to stay at a chilly temperature to be safe to eat. If you leave the freezer or refrigerator door open, then a constant beep will remind you to check the seal. Some fridges already have an alarm, others do not, and you’ll have to pick up a refrigerator alarm from online.
Bathroom Safety Checklist For Greensboro
Just because there’s not a lot of room in your bathroom there’s still safety concerns. From water problems to medicine care, here are a few safety tips for your bathroom:
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Flood Sensors: A leaking toilet or tub can create a whole lot of water damage. Get alerted early about pooling water with a flood detector before they bring about hundreds to thousands of dollars in damage.
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No-slip Shower Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing cuts, gashed heads, or sprained ankles. Make sure you steer clear from these issues with a no-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.
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No-slip Bathtub Stickers: Another water hazard, a tub basin can be a slippery place to stand in. Make sure every bathtub has some textured strips so your toes have a bumpy patch for stability.
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Medicine Door Lock: If you have young kids or a family member with memory complications, you need to take additional precautions regarding prescription medicine. Hide away your bottles by using a medicine cabinet with a child-proof lock.
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GFCI Circuits: Just like the kitchen, you need to also install a safer GFCI outlet on every bathroom receptacle. This will shut off the electric current if they ever get wet or you have a harmful surge from a curling iron or hair dryer.
Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Greensboro
Your child’s bedroom should pair safety with manageability. If their window treatments or other things are safe but tricky to manage, then your children may get around the device with risky activities -- like scale a dresser -- to use them. Try these simple, yet safe, ideas:
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Cordless Window Treatments: Safety experts have long called cords from shades and blinds a hidden danger for both children and pets. Install motorized treatments that kids can easily manage via remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and pair your shades to your ADT security system so they can raise automatically when the sun comes up, and close in the evening for extra privacy.
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Tableside Security Camera: A camera perched on your toddler’s desk can double as a baby monitor that you can watch with your phone. And if they want your help, they can hit the intercom talk feature on the camera.
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Plug Covers: While each outlet should have protective covers on them when you have small children, this is especially needed in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one place in your home where your children will most likely play alone without consistent parental supervision.
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Window Safety Ladder: If you use bedrooms on an upper story, then you need to put in a window safety ladder. These will help your children escape in case the stairway or ground floor are engulfed in smoke and fire. Make sure to rehearse how to use them a few times a year.
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Toy Chest Or Low Bookshelves: It’s strange to look at a toy box as a safety device, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever stepped on an action figure in your stocking feet. A uncluttered floor let your child have a quick escape if there’s a safety or security event.
Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Greensboro
Your main bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety components give you peace of mind when there's an emergency. After all, being startled awake by a wailing siren can be quite a shock.
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Home Security Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your dresser lets you see what’s happening without getting out of bed. You could alternatively use your ADT smartphone app but, the large touchscreen can be easier to control to use when you’re coming out of sleep and finding your bearings.
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Personal Charging Station: We use our phones for almost everything now alarm clocks, news readers, games, and sometimes even phones. However, a depleted device will cut us off from reaching help if there’s a problem. So, a charging cord or station becomes should be used nightly.
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Nightlights Or Voice Activated Smart Lights: A tiny light can be a beacon when you’re bolted awake from an alarm or other loud sounds. If you have trouble falling asleep with a nightlight, use smart bulbs in your fixtures. Then you can get light simply with a mobile device or vocal command.
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Fireproof Safe: Keep your important papers like social security cards, passports, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a bigger one that camps out in a corner or a smaller portable safe that you can grab when you leave during a fire or break-in.
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Heat Sensor: The problem with a master bedroom is that they might run too stuffy or be cold since they are located far away from the thermostat. A heat sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a pleasant, restful sleep at just the right climate.
Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Greensboro
Most safety problems in the basement or garage are with your pipes or furnace. Finding hazards before they start can prevent more devastating problems in the future. So, as you take a look around your basement or garage, take note of these crucial items:
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Flood Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood alarm in back of your water heater and sump pump drain can save you from discovering a mess when you go into your basement or garage. It’s sure better than rummaging through a heap of soiled storage boxes.
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Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s beneficial to have a CO alarm in an area where a natural gas leak can occur. If you use gas heating, you’ll want to install an alarm in the same place as your HVAC unit.
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WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector detects a hot water heater leak or a burst pipe, then you will have to cap the primary water valve at once. With a remote shutoff valve, you can block water flow from your phone. That’s helpful when you’re visiting relatives and get a water leak text on your phone.
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Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door open leads to all types of headaches. You can lose HVAC energy through that gaping hole, and rodents or thieves can just wander in. A remote sensor will text you about a neglected garage door and lets you lower it with your phone.
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Temperature Sensor: A heat sensor in your garage or basement is essential if you fret about frozen pipes. The heat in these areas can be wildly different than the rest of the home, so you will need to keep a constant look on them with the ADT mobile app.
Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for Greensboro
Your foliage, driveway, and front walk are just as important to make safe as the interior of your home. Try this checklist to create a safe outside:
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Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s arrived at the the front step before you answer it and chat with visitors. See package deliveries and review video clips if they are stolen.
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Outdoor Security Camera: You can place outdoor security cameras to notify you about late night movement in your back yard. These devices are especially useful in places where you might not have a view -- like a side yard or by the driveway.
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Low Shrubbery: High shrubs can offer some solitude, but they also obscure your view of the outside. Don’t give potential burglars a place to hide. Plus, tall shrubs or greenery around your home can clog gutters and bring in ants and termites.
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ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest deterrents for a break-in is advertising to aspiring burglars that you own a state-of-the-art home security system. An ADT yard sign by the main walk and a window cling will alert people that they should shove off to an less prepared score.
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Motion Triggered Porch Lighting: Light is the best deterrent to those who lurk in the dark. Motion-activated flood lights on your deck, patio, or garage can help scare lurkers away. They also help you get inside when you come home late at night.
Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Greensboro
While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver every item on your Greensboro home safety checklist, we can discuss a state-of-the-art home security system. With alarms, security cameras, and home automation, we can install the best system for your home’s needs. Just contact (336) 306-5608 and talk to a professional or send in the form below. Or customize your own system with our Security System Designer.