Staying safe in your residence should be your largest priority. But are you overlooking one or two key safety items? Take this home safety checklist for Waco and discover where your living space needs greater attention.
This guide begins with some whole-home safety items, and then we break it down on a room level. Then, call (254) 236-5604 or fill out the form below to talk to a security professional.
Basic Home Safety Checklist for Waco
While you should take a room-by-room method for home safety in Waco, there are some methods that work for all of your rooms. These items can link with one another through a smart hub, and can even react to other things. You can also control each of your home safety components through a smartphone app, like ADT Control:
-
Smart Lighting For Every Major Room: Of course, you can set your smart lighting to make your house more energy-efficient. But smart lights can also allow you to stay safe throughout an emergency. Have your lights flip on when a security alarm triggers to frighten off intruders or brighten the way out to a safe place.
-
Monitored Fire Alarms: At the very least, you will have a fire detector on every level of your house. You can increase your fire readiness by utilizing a monitored fire detector that senses both smoke and heat, and alerts your 24/7 monitoring experts when it thinks that there’s a fire.
-
Smart Door Locks: Every door that uses a keyed lock can be made safer with a smart lock. Now you can assign codes to each family member and receive notifications to your mobile device when the locks are activated. Your smart lock can even automatically unlock, letting you quickly leave if you have a fire or other emergency.
Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Waco
You’ll hang out most in your family room, so it can be the perfect place to begin your home safety optimization. Popular items, like a big screen or stereo system, probably reside in your living room, making it a tempting room for burglars. Begin with hanging a motion detector or security camera in there, then continue on with the following safety protocols:
-
Motion Sensors: By putting in motion sensors, you’ll get a high-decibel siren whenever they sense suspicious movement within your living room. The best devices are motion detectors that filter out a dog or cat or you’ll get an alert every time your dog roams by for a drink of water.
-
Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera gives you a visual on your family room. Get real-time streams of your room so you can find out what’s going on through the mobile app. Or chat with your family in the room with the two-way talk feature.
-
Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Protect all your electronics and stop overburdening your outlets with a surge protector. For extra comfort, use a smart plug with a surge protector built-in.
-
Heavy Furniture Attached To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll want to secure your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to a wall. This is especially crucial if your living room has carpet that might make furniture extra unstable.
-
Enhanced Locks For Sliding Glass Doors: If your family room uses a sliding glass door that leads to a deck, patio, or porch, you probably know that the door lock is pretty worthless. Use a special lock, like a cross bar or locks that secures the door to the bottom and top of the frame.
Kitchen Safety Checklist For Waco
The kitchen has room for items that can add safety and security to your house. Many of these objects should be a snap to add and should be bought from the Target or Walmart:
-
Fire Extinguisher: A fire can come from from a neglected pot or a faulty burner. Always store a fire extinguisher in close reach for any cooking mishaps.
-
GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be installed on outlets where they’re close to running water to ward off an electric shock. That includes the plugs by your kitchen counter and sink. Since 1987, it’s been required to have one circuit interrupter outlet per dedicated circuit. But all your plugs will flip off if any outlet sees a surge, so try to use a separate GFCI per outlet.
-
Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is needed in the kitchen if you employ gas for the stove and oven. If your gas lines spring a leak, the carbon monoxide detector will emit a loud noise and contact your monitoring agent.
-
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The largest safety hazard in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and contamination from blood from meat and vegetables. Always store cleaning wipes or spray to scrub off your counters after cooking.
-
Refrigerator Alarm: The items in the fridge have to stay at a constant temperature to be safe to consume. If you accidently leave the fridge or freezer door ajar, then a constant beep will tell you to shut it securely. Some fridges already have an alarm, some won’t, and you’ll have to get a refrigerator alarm from the store.
Bathroom Safety Checklist For Waco
Just because you don’t a lot of space in your bathroom, you will still have safety hazards. From flood prevention to anti-surge outlets, here are some safety ideas for your bathroom:
-
Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or bathtub can cause an expensive amount of water damage. Find out early about leaks with a flood detector and save yourself from renovating the entire bathroom.
-
No-slip Shower Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be a painful occurrence, causing pulled muscles, gashed heads, or sprained ankles. Make sure you avoid these hazards with a no-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.
Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Waco
Your kid’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with simplicity. If their window coverings or other items are safe but hard to manage, then your kids may try risky methods -- like climb a dresser -- to open them. Here are some simple, and safe, ideas:
-
No Cord Window Coverings: Safety agencies have designated window treatment cords a hidden danger for children and animals. Put in motorized shades that you can easily open and close with a remote. Or go state-of-the-art and link your motorized coverings to your ADT security system so they open without anyone’s help when the sun comes up, and close at night for added darkness.
Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Waco
The main bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety components make you more responsive when you have an emergency event. After all, being wrenched awake by a wailing siren can be disorienting.
-
Phone Charging Station: We depend on our cell phones for so many things now alarms, internet searches, games, and sometimes even phones. But, a dead device will cut us off from communications if during an emergency. So, a charging station or cord is should be used nightly.
-
Nightlights Or Voice Activated Smart Lights: A plug-in light helps ground you when you’re startled awake from a siren or other loud sounds. If you can’t fall asleep with an outlet light, use smart lights in your fixtures. Then you can control light on-demand with a button push or voice command.
-
Fireproof Lockbox: Store your vital paperwork like social security cards, stock certificates, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a big one that camps out out of the way or a slender handheld lockbox that you can grab as you escape during an emergency event.
Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Waco
Most safety needs in the garage or basement deal with your water heater or HVAC system. Seeing problems early can prevent more devastating emergencies later on. So, as you look around your storage areas, pay attention to these safety items:
-
CO Alarm: It’s beneficial to hang a CO alarm in a place where a natural gas leak can occur. If you have a gas furnace, try to hang a detector in the same room as your HVAC unit.
-
Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your water sensor detects a hot water heater leak or a burst pipe, then you need to cap the main water valve at once. With a remote shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from any mobile device. That’s nice when you’re visiting relatives and receive a flood sensor notification on your mobile device.
-
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door open leads to all sorts of issues. You can waste HVAC energy through that open door, and all sorts of animals or thieves can just saunder in. A sensor will notify you about an open garage door and allow you to close it with your phone.
-
Heat Sensor: A heat sensor in your basement or garage is a definite if you fret about freezing pipes. The heat in these areas can be surprisingly different than the main part of the home, so you may want to maintain a close look on them with your mobile app.
Outside Safety Checklist for Waco
Your landscaping, driveway, and front step are just as imperative to make safe as the interior of your home. Use this checklist to defend your perimeter:
-
Window Height Bushes: Tall bushes can offer some solitude, but they also block your view of the yard. Don’t give potential intruders an area to hide. Plus, tall bushes, shrubs or trees around your house can jam up gutters and bring in pests.
-
ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest discouragements for home intrusion is advertising to potential burglars that you own a monitored ADT security system. An ADT yard stick by the stoop and a window sticker will alert ne'er-do-wells that they should shove off to an easier house.
-
Motion Activated Flood Lights: Light is the largest enemy to those who skulk in the unlit places. Motion-controlled lighting on your deck, porch, or garage can shoo lurkers away. They also help you work the locks when you arrive to the house on those dark, winter nights.
Use Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Waco
While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install every item on your Waco home safety checklist, we can offer a state-of-the-art home security. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can personalize the perfect system for your family’s needs. Just phone (254) 236-5604 and talk to a professional or send in the form below. Or customize your own solution with our Security System Designer.