Home Safety Checklist For South Bend

Being safe in your residence should be your largest concern. But are you forgetting a few useful safety components? Use this home safety checklist for South Bend and see where your home needs greater attention.

This guide begins with some whole-house safety items, and then we break it down to specific room ideas. Then, you can call (574) 241-6763 or fill out the form below to speak to a security expert.

Essential Home Safety Checklist for South Bend

While you may want to employ a room-by-room method for home safety in South Bend, there are a few things that work for the entire house approach. These items can talk together through a touchscreen hub, and oftentimes react to other things. You might also manage every one of your home safety equipment with a smartphone app, such as ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your entryways should use a sensor that alerts you to forced entry. After an alarm triggers, your monitoring team picks up the call and immediately sends the police or fire department.

Smart Lights For Most Rooms: Of course, you can schedule your smart lighting to become more efficient. But smart lights can also allow you to stay safe during an emergency. Have your downstairs lights flip on when a security alarm goes off to shoo off burglars or brighten your way to a secure area.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in South Bend could save you between 10%-15% in energy spending. It also can start your exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.

Monitored Smoke Detectors: At the very least, you need to have a fire detector on every floor. You can improve your fire game by installing a monitored fire detector that looks for both smoke and heat, and pings your 24-hour monitoring agents when it thinks that there’s a fire.

Smart Lock For Every Door: Every door that needs a deadbolt can use a smart lock. Now you may program numbered codes to friends and family and get alerts to your smartphone when the locks are unlocked. Your doors can even automatically open, allowing you to quickly get out during an emergency.

Family Room/Living Room Safety Checklist For South Bend

You’ll hang out most in your living room, so it’s the best area to start making your house safer. Electronics, like your TV or video game console, usually reside in your family room, making it a tempting area for thieves. Begin with hanging a motion detector or indoor security camera by the doorway, then take a look at some of these safety protocols:

Motion Detectors: By putting in motion detectors, you’ll hear a loud noise whenever they sense unusual movement within your family room. The best devices are motion detectors that filter out pet movements or you’ll have an alert each time your dog roams by for a drink of water.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera puts an eye on your living room. Watch live streams of everything so you can find out what’s downstairs without leaving your bed. Or chat with your family when they arrive home from school using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Protect those electronics and stop overburdening your circuits with a surge protector. For added energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality in the unit.
Heavy Furniture Bolted To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll want to bolt your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to a wall. This is especially crucial if your living room has carpeting that might make heavy objects extra unbalanced.
Special Locks For Sliding Doors: If your family room has a glass door that leads to a backyard, deck, or porch, you get that the latch is usually flimsy. Put in an enhanced lock, like a cross bar or small locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For South Bend

Your kitchen has plenty of items that should add safety and security to your home. Most of these things should be easy to add and can be found in the Target or Walmart:

Fire Extinguisher: Fire can spring up from an overfilled skillet or a towel that’s too close to a burner. Always keep a fire extinguisher at the ready for any stove or oven emergencies.
GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be used on outlets where they’re by water to lessen the chance of an electric shock. That includes the plugs close to your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been code to have one GFCI per circuit. But if you don’t want all your outlets to flip off when one outlet surges, you’re going to want to use a separate GFCI per outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is recommended for kitchens that use gas for the stove and oven. If your gas appliances leak, the carbon monoxide detector will play a loud, buzzing siren and ping your monitoring expert.
Cleaning Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety issue in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and protein from uncooked meat and vegetables. Always store antiviral wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your surfaces after preparing food.
Refrigerator Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the refrigerator need to remain at a constant temperature to be safe to eat. If you accidently leave the refrigerator door ajar, then an alarm beep will let you know so you can close the door. Some fridges already have this installed, older models don’t, and you’ll have to get a fridge alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For South Bend

Just because you may not have a lot of square footage in your bathroom doesn’t mean that there aren’t safety issues. From water problems to anti-surge outlets, here are some safety improvements for your bathroom:

Flood Sensors: A leaking toilet or bathtub can lead to an expensive amount of destruction. Discover a leaking pipe with a flood detector and save the time and money from damage.
Non-slip Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing pulled muscles, gashed heads, or trips to the hospital. Make sure you prevent these issues with a non-slip bath mat for after your bath or shower.

Non-slip Bathtub Stickers: Like a tiled floor, a tub basin can be a slippery place to be on. It’s a good idea that each bathtub has some textured stickers so your toes have a rough patch to gain traction.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have little children or anyone with memory lapses, you need to take additional attention regarding prescription medicine. Safeguard your bottles by installing a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Just like the kitchen, you should also put in a surge protecting circuit interrupter outlet on each bathroom circuit. These will shut off the current if water enters the outlet or you have an unusual spike from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For South Bend

A child’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with manageability. If their window shades or other things are safe but tricky to operate, then your children may get around the device with risky activities -- like shimmying up a dresser -- to touch them. Here are 5 straightforward, yet safe, ideas:

No Cord Window Coverings: Safety experts have long called cords from shades and blinds a hidden danger for kids and pets. Use motorized blinds or shades that your child can easily manage with a remote. Or go state-of-the-art and connect your motorized coverings to your security system so they open automatically when the sun comes up, and lower in the evening for extra privacy.

Indoor Security Camera: A camera placed on your child’s dresser can act like a high tech baby monitor that you can see with a mobile device. And if they want your help, they can use the intercom talk feature on the camera.

Outlet Plug Covers: While each outlet should use outlet safety caps on them to protect your small children, this is especially needed in a child’s bedroom. It’s the main place in your home where your toddler will most likely be solo without parental supervision.

Window Safety Ladder: If you have bedrooms on the second level, then you will want to install a window fire ladder. These can let your children escape when the stairs or ground floor are on fire. Remember to go over how to unfurl them one or two times a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to view a toy chest as a safety device, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever walked on a building block in your socked feet. A uncluttered floor gives your child a quick way out during an emergency.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For South Bend

Your bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety devices make life easier if there's an emergency event. After all, being jerked awake by a wailing alarm can be confusing.

Home Security Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your nightstand gives you a sense of what’s going on without leaving your bed. You could alternatively turn on your ADT mobile app. However, the HD touchscreen can be better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and disoriented.

Device Charging Area: We rely on our phones for so many things now GPS, internet searches, game machines, and maybe even phones. But, a dead phone will cut us off from the outside world if during an emergency. So, a an easy-to-use charging station is an essential.

Nightlight/Smart Lights: A plug-in light helps ground you when you’re startled awake from an alarm or unexpected sounds. If you have trouble falling asleep with an outlet light, put in smart bulbs in your bedroom. Then you can have light anytime with a push of a button or vocal command.
Fireproof Lockbox: Store your important documents like birth certificates, stock certificates, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a bigger one that is located out of the way or a small handheld safe that you can grab as you escape during a fire or break-in.

Heat Sensor: The issue with a master bedroom is that they can run too stuffy or be chilly since they sit far away from the thermostat. A heat sensor can communicate to your smart thermostat so you can have a comfortable, restful sleep at just the right temperature.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For South Bend

Most safety problems in the garage or basement deal with your water heater or heating system. Seeing hazards at the source can stave away more devastating problems later on. So, as you take a look around your storage areas, pay attention to these critical items:

Flood Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Putting a flood sensor next to your water heater or sump pump can save you from discovering a pond when you step into your garage or basement. It’s much better than sorting through a heap of soggy storage boxes.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm: It’s beneficial to install a CO detector in areas where a CO leak can happen. If you have gas heat, you’ll want to install a detector in the same area as your HVAC unit.
Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector finds a plumbing leak or a broken pipe, then you need to shut off the main water valve at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s nice when you’re visiting relatives and see an emergency leak notification on your smartphone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up brings about all sorts of issues. You can lose heat through that large opening, and rodents or thieves can just saunder in. A remote sensor will alert you to a neglected garage door and allow you to close it with your phone.
Heat Sensor: A heat sensor in your basement or garage is handy if you wonder about freezing pipes. The heat in these areas can be surprisingly different than your main rooms of the house, so you will need to maintain a close look on the temp through your security mobile app.

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for South Bend

Your front yard, drive, and front porch are just as crucial to defend as the interior of your house. Try the items on this checklist to defend your perimeter:

Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s arrived at the the front step before you open it and talk to guests. View deliveries and record video clips if they disappear.

Outdoor Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to guard against suspicious movement in your back yard. These security cameras come in handy in areas where you may not have a window -- like a side yard or by the driveway.

Window Height Shrubs: High foliage can create some solitude, but they also block your view of the outside. Don’t give potential burglars a dark shadow to hide. Plus, high bushes, shrubs or foliage against your home can jam up gutters and summon ants and termites.
ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest deterrents for a thief is advertising to potential rogues that you use an updated home security system. An ADT yard sign by the stoop and a window cling will tell ne'er-do-wells that they ought to keep walking to an unprotected house.

Motion Triggered Flood Lights: Light is the biggest enemy to people who skulk in the unlit places. Motion-triggered lights on your porch, garage, or deck can frighten lurkers away. They also help you work the locks when you arrive back home late after work.

Call Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for South Bend

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with each household item on your South Bend home safety checklist, we can install a customized home security. With alarms, security cameras, and home automation, we can install the best system for your family’s needs. Simply contact (574) 241-6763 and talk to a professional or complete the form below. Or customize your own system with our Security System Designer.