There was a time when homes were safe, and doors were left unlocked; children could play outside without the fear of being abducted because the neighborhood collectively would look out for each other. Today the world has changed.
A changing world means increased safety and security as well. Why? Because gone are the simple times. Today, we need to protect our children not only from external threats but from dangers within the home as well.
We need to be careful about any possible burglary happening, any fire incident or kidnapping, etc. We don’t know, but the world has become increasingly weirder with time with molesters and serial killers on the loose, and God knows what!
So, in this article, we will tell you about 8 essential home safety and security features that will keep your family/home safe and secure.
8 Essential Home Safety and Security Features
1. Upgrade Your Lock System
Time has changed, and so has our lock system technology. Remember those old-style locks with keys? Yes, those. They wouldn’t work anymore because anyone can use a home or some pin to open that lock. It is probably the first thing that the burglars learn, which is how to pick different kinds of locks that work with keys or combinations.
This is why today, in 2021, we suggest you get a smart lock system. Nest has many safe and secure product you can use in your home that can automatically lock and unlock your house when your away or when you forget to lock the house manually when leaving the house.
Many smart lock home systems work with applications that you have installed on your phones and help you operate it with the wifi connection alone. A lot of these lock systems come with surveillance cameras that can give you a view of who is lurking outside your house as well. So with a smart lock system, you can kill two birds with one stone: safety and security.
2. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
A lot of homeowners will give you the gas certificate or CP12 certificate when you rent or lease a house. But as a homeowner, you need to keep continuing to manage home safety by installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your house.
Why? Because while these gases are not harmful, but a huge amount of leakage can explode your house, and I am not kidding. A lot of fire accidents have happened all around the world due to these leakages. And this is why a lot of states have made it compulsory for all the homeowners or buildings to have smoke and gas detectors! And if you don’t, you will be fined!
How do these detectors work? If these detectors detect a certain amount of unhealthy around the house, they will automatically send a signal to the fire department that will come as soon as it can to evacuate the house and make sure you are safe.
3. Child Safety Tools
If you have children, there are a couple of home safety and security features we will recommend. Why? Because you just cannot take a risk when you have kids around. You need to take care of the following things around the house:
- Cabinets
- Drawers
- Stoves
- Oven
- Power Outlets etc
You need to make sure nothing can harm your child, so get a knob cover, power outlet covers, cabinet locks, etc. Make sure the kids don’t know how to open the door locks; if they know how we recommend you get a bit complicated or smart locks so children cannot open the door and just go because accidents are bound to happen anyway.
4. Automatic Lights
If you are living in 2021 and do not have automatic lights, you need to upgrade. Because let us be real; we all have tried to tiptoe our way in the dark and just ended up hurting ourselves or breaking something in the house.
Phillips hue lights are automatic are can be operated through your fingertips on the phone. So we recommend you get that or from any other company, as long as they give you the automatic feature. This feature also helps when the burglars think there is no one in the house, but they are then showered with a flooding light (Auto sensor lights), which you probably did from your phone. So yes, get these lights!
5. Bathroom Safety
A lot of accidents can happen in the bathroom, be it you are an adult, or you are a kid. The accident usually involves accidental turning on the piping hot water in the shower or a slip. So, we recommend you install handrails, antislip grips, etc. If you have older people in the house, you should install a shower seat as well.
You only need to go to the Homestore to get bathroom safety tools and gadgets. I’m sure today, whatever the need is, you might have a solution in that home store.
6. Food Safety
Food safety is also a part of a home safety feature. You need to make sure your house is clean at all times. You can use kitchen wipes to make sure no harmful bacteria are lying on your kitchen counter.
You can also get thermometers to make sure you are cooking your food at the right temperature, and this will help you from any fire hazard or any burning of food, etc.
7. Main Gate or Fence Around the House
Yes, there was a time when the doors were always unlocked for your friends, neighbors, and family. But today, you cannot do that. Today a person doesn’t even know who their neighbors are, so you can’t trust anyone. Build a boundary around the house so no intruders can lurk in.
8. Home Checklist when you are away
When you leave the house for work or a long weekend, vacation, etc., keep the following checklist in mind:
- Set your thermostat to a lower temperature of 15 degrees lower than your normal house temperature.
- Keep your valuables in a locker at your house or bank.
- Don’t forget to lock the house. If you do, and you have a smart lock system, you can just lock your house from your phone.
- Use your automatic light features an automatic sensor in case of an intruder.
- Unplug all your electrical appliances.
- Turn on your house security system.
