9 Easy Ways to Keep You (and Your Home) Safe

Home is the place where we tend to feel safest—a place where you can relax and not worry about what’s going on in the outside world. That’s why it’s important to take certain measures to beef up your home’s security. These steps range from quick DIY home security projects to setting up a full security system.

Here are nine easy ways to keep your home secure.

1. Install Outside Lights

Put out solar lights throughout your front lawn and backyard to ensure you can always see what’s going on. If you find the lights too bright, or maybe adding a little too much to the energy bill, consider using solar-powered or motion sensor lights. However, any friendly raccoon that wanders into your yard might be in for a spook when the lights suddenly turn on.

2. Add Security Cameras

Security cameras no longer need to be obvious and in your face. There are plenty of subtle security cameras you can place around the house that are just enough for someone to notice but not take away from curb appeal.

Alternatively, you can also install a doorbell security camera. This keeps your front door safe, and you also don’t have to worry about where the delivery person put your package.

3. Automate Your Home

It’s all too common that you leave for work for the day and return home only to find out that you totally forgot to lock the front door or close the garage. With home automation, you can simply click a button from your smartphone to close the garage or lock the front door.

Do note that this often requires replacing the front door lock and the garage door opener. So you might want to write down all the items you want to switch out first and get them all taken care of at one time.

4. Make Sure Windows and Doors Lock

Regularly check your home’s doors and windows to ensure they lock correctly. If you notice a faulty lock, replace it ASAP. Common areas you want to check to include:

• Front door

• Back door

• Windows

• Garage door

• Sliding glass door

5. Close Your Wi-Fi Network

While once convenient to simply leave the Wi-Fi without a password, it’s time to put one in there. Wi-Fi passwords help protect your data while scrolling through the internet, and leaving it unprotected means anyone can pull up and connect to your internet. This can leave your home vulnerable to digital attacks.

6. Consider a Security System

To really keep your home safe, it’s best to ensure it’s monitored 24/7. Security systems are in place to alert you if a door or window opens unexpectedly—often when you’re away.

Security systems also take control of the situation; they alert authorities if the alarm isn’t shut off on time. So, if you’re on vacation and the alarm goes off, you don’t need to worry about figuring out how to contact the authorities near your home.

7. Move the Spare Key Often

If home automation isn’t your thing, consider moving the spare key often. Rather than leaving it under the mat or a rock nearby, move it around the house to a location that you might not even think to look. Be sure to write down where you moved it, too, so that you don’t end up losing it.

8. Buy a Safe for Valuables

Inside the home, buying a safe for valuables is a smart idea. Fireproof safes can help keep important documents secure in the event of a fire or burglary. Other priceless items may find their way into this safe, and they’re often heavy enough that no one in their right mind would try and lift them away.

9. Don’t Let Your Window Be a Showcase

While window shopping is a wonderful pastime, don’t let your home be one. Set up your home so that items like your TV or computer are not in the view of anyone who walks by.

Now, not everyone has this opportunity, and you may face limited space. But, if needed, consider planting bushes in front of the window to make it harder to see into your home. You can also opt for a one-way window film that goes over the existing window.

Who Do You Hire to Elevate Your Home’s Security?

For most items on this list, you can hire a local handyperson to tackle the job. This includes changing locks, installing lights, and helping install security cameras and home automation.

As for security systems, you’ll want to get in touch with local security system companies to see which one is right for you. They also typically handle the installation.