36 Easy Ways to Protect Your Home from Break-Ins
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about 36 Easy Ways to Protect Your Home from Break-Ins and hope the blog can help you.
How can air conditioners and car keys protect you from being burglarized? Read on for clever tips and tricks to improve your home’s security.
Step Up Your Home Security
More than 3.5 million burglaries occur each year in the United States, and in more than 1 million of those, a household member was present at the time. Statistics like these can make homeowners feel vulnerable—maybe their home will be next! Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to beef up your home’s security and prevent break-ins. Click through for 36 of the easiest ways to protect your property from break-ins.
Shine a Light
Install motion-sensing outdoor lights around the perimeter of your house to stop prowlers in their tracks. No burglar wants to break into your house when he’s in the spotlight.
Keep Big-Ticket Purchases a Secret
Did you recently buy a new flat-screen TV or fancy computer? If you just drop the empty cartons by the curb, thieves will know that you have expensive electronics for the taking. Instead, break down the cardboard boxes and bag them up until trash or recycling pickup, or cart them off to the dump so your pricier purchases remain a secret to passersby.
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Close the Garage Door
An open garage door is more than just an open invitation to thieves who may want your bicycles, tools, and lawn-care equipment. If you have an attached garage, that open door can also grant them access to your house. Make it a point to close the garage door each time you enter or exit the house. If you frequently forget to do this, consider getting an automatic garage door opener, or opt for a smart garage door that can be controlled from your smartphone and can even remind you when the door is open.
Don’t Let Things Lie
According to statistics from the Burglary Prevention Council, 34 percent of burglars gain entry through the front door, and if that front door is standing ajar, with keys, phones, and other valuables in plain view, you’re only giving them more reasons to head inside and grab the goodies. Whether you’re checking the mail or carrying in the groceries, keep small valuables in your hand or on your person while the front door is open, even if the storm door is closed.
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Install Security Cameras
Thieves will stop at nothing to nab your valuables—except, perhaps, a security camera that’s staring them in the face. Install outdoor security cameras near entry points to your house. If prowlers approach, you’ll be able to watch them in real time on your connected monitor, or even review the recorded footage and send it to local law enforcement, if needed.
Update Doors and Locks
Believe it or not, one of the most common ways burglars break into a home is to kick open the door. Make it harder for burglars by replacing hollow-core exterior doors with solid wood or metal doors and installing a deadbolt with a bolt length (also known as a throw) of at least one inch.
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Use Interior Hinges
If your door hinges are on the exterior, picklocks could in theory remove the hinge pins and gain entrance to your home. For peace of mind, have your door rehung so the hinges are positioned inside the house where thieves can’t tinker with them.
Use Multiple Locks
Make it harder for savvy burglars to intrude by installing multiple locks on your entry doors. You should have a minimum of two door locks at main entryways, but this could mean either two locks on a single door or a single lock on one door coupled with a locking storm door.
Take Advantage of Smart Products
Home automation can be expensive and comes with the risk of hacking, but it’s still a good idea to install a few affordable, security-enhancing smart-home features. For example, you can install smart light bulbs in porch lights and set them to automatically light up at certain times of night. You may also want to install smart door locks that let you remotely open and close the door and grant access to a guest or a housekeeper.
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Put in Window Air Conditioners
Give intruders the cold shoulder while you maintain comfortably cool indoor temperatures by installing window air-conditioning units in the front or back of your house. The AC units will help block entry into the home through first-floor windows, a popular intruder entry point that accounts for 23 percent of home burglaries, according to the Burglary Prevention Council.
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Protect the Windows
Prevent burglars from coming in through the windows by installing window stops on your double-hung windows. These mechanisms prevent intruders from sliding your window open to gain entrance, and they also let you keep the window slightly up for ventilation without fear of break-ins.
Install a Security System
A home without a security system is three times more likely to be broken into than a home with one, according to the National Council for Home Safety and Security. So, installing a home security system—and displaying the associated home security sign—is an effective deterrent. If a burglar does break in, the alarm may scare him off, the security company will typically call you to make sure you’re safe, and the police can be dispatched if necessary.
Keep Security Signs Generic
Even fake security system signs and stickers will make the average intruder think twice about trespassing, but canny cat burglars may try to look up the names and service regions of the companies listed on those decoy displays. If you have a fake “Protected by ADT” or other brand-name sign or sticker, replace it with a generic equivalent to keep burglars guessing about who’s protecting your property.
Keep the Wires Covered
If a burglar is undeterred by the security sign on your lawn, he may attempt to disable your home security system by cutting the wires. Concealing exterior wires in electrical conduits can make it harder for prowlers to find and snip them.
Keep Car Keys at Your Fingertips
Are you still parking your car keys on a wall-mounted key holder in the foyer? You may want to relocate those keys to your bedroom, preferably within arm’s reach of your bed. This way, if you hear someone in your garage, you can quickly hit the panic button on the key fob to sound the car alarm and scare off the intruder.
Get a Fake Dog
Want the security benefits of a guard dog without the barking, walking, training, and cleanup? Display a “Beware of Dog” sign or dog food bowls near your front or back door or along the front fence to signal to passersby that Fido is home and ready to fend off crooks.
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Check the Mail
Nothing tells trespassers “I’m not home” like a mountain of uncollected mail in your mailbox. If you’re going on vacation or an extended business trip, have the post office hold your mail or have a trustworthy neighbor collect it while you’re away to ward off both mail poachers and burglars.
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Maintain the Lawn
An overgrown lawn and shaggy shrubs are the landscaping equivalents of uncollected mail. They signal to burglars that your home is unoccupied, and they also provide them with a place to hide out on your property. Before you go away, mow your lawn and trim tree branches and shrubs, or hire a professional to do so, to give the impression that you’re home.
Safely Store Your Spare
If you’ve been living under a rock, you may still think it’s safe to stow the spare key to your house under a convenient rock, beneath a flowerpot on the front porch, or inside the mailbox. But thieves have long since caught on to these not-so-hidden hiding spots, so you’re better off leaving your key with a neighbor or stashing it in an outdoor lockbox for safekeeping.
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Don't Advertise Your Name
etsy.com via OldBarnRescueCompany
While putting your name on your house or mailbox may feel like a folksy or stylish touch, burglars can use your name to look up your phone number and call the house to see if you’re home. If they have your name, they can also convince neighbors that they know you, solicit information about you, or even gain entry into your home if your neighbor has your spare key. It’s safer to keep your name, and the names of others in your household, off your mailbox.
Don't Overshare
Sharing your vacation plans on social media announces to everyone in your network of hundreds of virtual acquaintances that your home is unoccupied—a major security mistake. So, keep mum about that upcoming trip to Maui until you’ve returned home, then post away!
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Take Out the Trash
