Did you know that 67.2% of burglaries in 2017 occurred in residential properties, with the victims reaching a total of $3.4 billion in property losses?
Most of us see our home as our safe haven, the mere through that a stranger might be able to break in with the intention of harm, whether monetary or otherwise, is a sobering thought. That’s why it’s always a great idea to brush up on your home security protocols every single year to make sure they’re up-to-date.
If you’re looking for cost-effective ways to answer your burning question: “how can I secure my home?” No worries, we’ve got you covered.
Keep on reading to learn all about the latest tips for home security, spaning the most simple and the rather complex systems you can use to protect your home.
How to Secure My Home 101: Update Your Door Security
We know that it sounds rather obvious to say that you need to ensure that your doors are secured.
The truth of the matter is that your doors are the easiest point of entry for burglars, so making sure that your main security weak points are rock solid is the very first step in establishing a rigid home security protocol.
For instance, if you have hollow doors, then it’s time to replace them with a solid-core door that’s made of wood or metal. These types of doors are much harder to kick in. Also, you’ll want to check whether you can reach your doorknob with your hand or a tool through your mail slot.
Secure Your Front Doors
When it comes to front doors specifically, there are some steps you can take. First, install a peephole. This will give you the ability to check unexpected visitors, and it’s more solid and secure than having a glass window or a smaller opening in your door itself.
Contrary to what pop culture portrays when it comes to burglars, they won’t be using lock picks to open your door. It’s more common for them to just knock your door down using brute force. That’s where having a reinforced door through installing a door reinforcement plate (even a doorjamb reinforcement kit, if you’d like) comes in handy.
Another positive of these kits is their affordability, so if you’re in the mood for some simple DIY, you should take this small project on.
Secure Sliding Doors
If you happen to have sliding doors, we’re sad to tell you that thieves tend to love taking advantage of the weak latches on these kinds of doors. All they need to do is give a strong kick to the bottom of the slider. This will give them enough leverage to break open the door.
In case you’re attached to your sliding door aesthetic, then there’s a minor security mechanism you can use. Simply add a safety bar to your door’s interior floor track, as well as a foot lock or floor bolt for extra oomph.
Reinforce Your Windows
The second weak point that you’ll want to keep in mind is your windows. They are also considered to be an easy entry point for burglars.
Therefore, make sure to lock your windows every night before bed, and make it a habit for you to lock them tight every time you leave your home as well.
Sadly enough, sometimes even a locked window isn’t enough of a challenge to a determined thief. So, you’ll want to install window pin locks and sound-based sensors that can wake the dead, in case your window breaks.
Of course, there are some smart choices you can make when it comes to privacy. Thus, add some curtains over your exposed windows. People don’t need to see your valuables through your windows.
Lock Down Your Garage
The third popular spot for burglars to hit is your garage door.
Most garage doors come only equipped with a small latch that can be easily opened, then thieves can lift or kick in the door. In addition, it’s even more dangerous if your garage is actually attached to your interior, and doesn’t have a separator between the rest of your house and your garage area.
In order to better secure your garage door, make sure to unplug your garage opener, especially when you’re going on vacation. Besides, you can lock the door itself, which can prevent burglars from lifting it out of the way.
If you’re in the mood for a simple DIY, you can drill a hole in the track above the roller. Then, you can use a padlock to lock it up.
Protect Your Wi-Fi
When you’re on a mission to protect your home, you might focus too much on the physical security and not the virtual one.
This is especially crucial to your home security if you have a smart home, as part of your data now lives online. Therefore, it can be stolen online.
You can take your precautions by setting up a firewall, using a complex password for your Wi-Fi, keep your antivirus protection up-to-date, and enable WPA2 protection.
Install a Home Security System
At this point, you’ve covered all the basic home security protocols you can manage. The next step would be installing a security system to further protect your home.
A solid system should include security cameras, with a centralized platform where you can set up and manage the whole system from one place.
Furthermore, you can select security cameras that link to mobile apps. This allows you access to your security footage from your phone at any time. You can also shop around for a wireless security system, if you feel like the hard-line installations are too inconvenient.
Ready to Take Your Home Security to the Next Level?
We know that trying to tackle the whole home security protocol all in one go can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why we recommend starting with the basic tips and making your way to the complex systems.
If you’ve been wondering “how to secure my home?” We hope that our little guide sheds some light on the steps you can take to turn your home into a fortress.
Yet, there’s still so much more to learn. Check out our home improvement section for more tips and tricks that can help you revamp your home.
