Safety doesn’t just include prevention from crime but also safe accessibility to and inside the home. A house needs to be both, safe and secure for people to live in, which means it should not cause any physical or mental discomfort. There are certain things that you can do in and around your home to not only make it a safe place, but also a more secure place to be in.
Here are some small tips that are going to help make your home safer and more secure for you and your family.
1.Hand Railings
If your home has steps, it’s very important that you install railings to help you get up and down the steps safely. Railings come to your rescue when you suddenly find yourself slipping down from the steps. We don’t realise the importance of railings until we are faced with a sudden situation and our reflexes act to grab something and there are no railings to catch on to. Always get hand railings on both sides no matter the number of steps.
2.Fake Security Systems
If you cannot afford real surveillance cameras and security systems, get some fake ones for your outdoors so that anyone with a criminal intention will probably be scared off by a look at your security cameras. This is quite an effective trick, especially when you cannot afford the real surveillance systems. You can get some fake security decals as well, they will work quite well to give an impression that you have a security system in place, when actually you don’t.
3.Install a Gate
A gated home or neighbourhood will express a certain sense of privacy and restriction to passersby and anyone planning to break in. A gate plays the role of an obstacle in the way of someone who is not supposed to be around your home and so, a person will think twice before risking a chance to be seen or sounding an alarm. There are different types of gates that can be installed in a home, a small gate usually does the trick for small homes but if you live in a villa or a bungalow and your neighbourhood is not a gated community, it’s always good to get a gate for your home.
4.Mow Your Lawn
Keep your lawn mowed at all times so that it shows that someone is living inside the house and works around it. A lawn that’s not well maintained or mowed regularly will indicate that no one is home and hence, makes it an easy target for breaking and entering.
5.Don’t Leave Out Tools and Ladders
Some tools and a ladder are all that a burglar or criminal needs to break into your home and commit a crime. Prevent criminals from getting help in their activities by removing all tools and ladders from the outdoors of your home. Once you’re done using your tools and ladder, always store them inside your home.
6.Neat Landscaping
Don’t give burglars and thieves a chance to hide behind overgrown bushes and shrubs. Ensure regular trimming to keep them away from windows and doors. Landscaping also sends out a message that there is someone living inside the house and is careful of his/ her surroundings.
7.Ask Your Neighbours To Check In While You’re Away
If you’re going away for more than 2 days, ask one of your neighbours to check in at your house, collect the mail, and leave some footprints around the house to make it look like someone is home. You can ask them to water your plants and just spend some time around your home so that anyone planning to break into your home knows that there is someone looking out for your home.
8.Metal Bar For Sliding Doors
Since sliding doors and windows can be opened from the outside as well, with little effort, it will help to have a metal bar or a wooden dowel fit into the tracks, so that the sliding doors and windows are tightly secured. It’s important to take measures like these to ensure that all kinds of entryways, whether it’s windows or doors, are inaccessible to anyone attempting to enter your house without your consent.
9.Closed Interiors
When you’re at home alone or going away for a few days, make sure the interior of your home is not visible from the outside. For this you must ensure that the curtains are drawn at all times. Get thick fabric curtains to ensure that there is zero visibility through the curtains.
10.Toughened Glass Windows
Toughened glass windows and even double-glazed windows are difficult to break through, so they make for a good choice of glass to get for your home. Having a tough and secure glass in your windows and doors can make a lot of difference in keeping out potential criminals.
11.Secret Storage Spaces
Keeping a safe in the house is too obvious a place to store all your precious belongings in. Nowadays, interior designers are able to create secret storage spaces, inside homes, that are difficult to identify because they get lost in the interior of the home. For example, a single piece of brick out of the many in your home could be turned into a storage space. Such unique storage ideas are great to keep your jewellery, money and important documents hidden from everyone else. Even if a burglar breaks into your home, he/ she will not be able to find the precious items easily and all your important things will remain safe.
Conclusion
Using these affordable and easy tricks can help protect your home to a large extent from burglary and other crimes. Even if your neighbourhood is safe, these tips will always come in handy in further protecting your home. If you can afford surveillance and security systems then they are definitely a more reliable system of protection against crimes. These tips can help in keeping criminals away from your home when you’re staying inside your home or travelling.
