Home Safety Checklist For St. George
Keeping safe in your home should be your number one responsibility. But are you forgetting some big safety components? Use this home safety checklist for St. George and see where your home can use some work.
We give you five whole-house safety techniques, and then we whittle it down on a room level. Then, call (435) 393-6111 or send in the form below for additional information.
Basic Home Safety Checklist for St. George
While you may want to employ a room-to-room method for home safety, there are a few methods that are useful for each part of your house. These items can link to each other through a smart hub, and often can respond to one another. You might also control each of your home safety components using a mobile app, such as ADT Control:
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Monitored Home Security System: Each one of your entryways should use a sensor that alerts you to intrusion. After the alarm goes off, your monitoring agent picks up the call and calls emergency personnel.
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Smart Bulbs For Most Rooms: Sure, you can schedule your smart lights to become more efficient. But they can also help you remain safe throughout an emergency. Make your lights flip on when an alarm triggers to scare off intruders or light a path to a secure location.
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Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in St. George can save you 10%-15% in utility spending. But it also can start an exhaust fan if you have a fire.
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Monitored Fire Detectors: It’s code that you will have a fire detector on each level of your house. You can improve your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire alarm that looks for unusual heat and smoke, and pings your 24/7 monitoring agents when it senses a fire.
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Smart Door Locks: Every door that needs a deadbolt can be made safer with a smart door lock. Now you can assign codes to each family member and receive notifications to your phone when they are activated. Your smart lock can even automatically unlock, letting you quickly flee the house if you have a fire or other emergency.
Family Room Safety Checklist For St. George
You’ll hang out most in your family room, so it’s the perfect area to improve your home safety. Highly sought after items, like your TV or video games, usually are located in your living room, making it a popular area for robbers. Start with hanging a motion sensor or security camera in your room, then take a look at some of these ideas:
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Motion Detectors: By installing motion detectors, you’ll have a high-decibel noise whenever they sense unexpected motion in your family room. The best devices are motion sensors that ignore a dog or cat or you’ll have a tripped alarm each time your pet comes in for a bite of food.
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Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera puts a constant watch on your family room. Watch constant feeds of the area so you can see what’s going on from the mobile app. Or chat with family members in the room using the two-way talk feature.
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Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Make sure you protect expensive electronics and quit overloading your outlets with a surge protector. For additional energy-efficiency, set up a smart plug with surge protection in the unit.
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Entertainment Center Secured To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll want to attach your heavy furniture and entertainment center to the wall. This is extra important if your family room has carpeting that can make furniture extra wobbly.
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Enhanced Locks For Glass Doors: If your family room has a sliding door that leads to a deck, patio, or screened-in porch, you already can see that the lock is usually thin. Install a custom lock, like a metal bar or small locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the door frame.
Kitchen Safety Checklist For St. George
The kitchen has plenty of items that can provide safety and security to your house. Most of these things are also easy to add and should be found in the Target or Walmart:
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Fire Extinguisher: Fire can spring up from an overfilled frying pan or an errant grease splatter. Always have a fire extinguisher in close reach for any cooking emergencies.
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Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be used anywhere they’re by running water to prevent an electric shock. That means the outlets around your kitchen counter and sink. Since the late ‘80s, it’s been code to have one circuit interrupter outlet per dedicated circuit. But each one of your outlets will go dead if any outlet sees a surge, so try to have an unchained GFCI per outlet.
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Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is handy in the kitchen if you use gas for the stove and oven. If your gas appliances malfunction, the CO detector will cause a loud, buzzing sound and contact your monitoring agent.
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Cleaning Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety problem in the kitchen is actually bacteria and protein from blood from meat and other foods. Always have antiviral wipes or a bleach spray to scrub off your surfaces after making a meal.
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Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the refrigerator should remain at a constant temperature to be healthy to consume. If you leave the freezer or refrigerator door open too long, then an alarm beep will remind you to check the seal. Some appliances already have this installed, some don’t, and you’ll have to pick up an external alarm from online.
Bathroom Safety Checklist For St. George
Just because you may not have a bunch of space in your bathroom, you will still have safety issues. From flood detectors to electric safety, here are a few safety improvements for your bathroom:
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Flood Detectors: A leaking toilet or shower can lead to an expensive amount of damage. Deal with leaks early with a flood detector and save yourself from renovating the entire bathroom.
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No-slip Bathroom Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be devastating, causing cuts, bruises, or broken bones. You can avoid these issues with a non-slip bath mat for while you towel off.
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Non-slip Bathtub Stickers: Another water hazard, a bathtub can be a slippery area to stand in. Make sure each bathtub has some non-slip strips so your feet and toes have a bumpy patch to gain traction.
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Medicine Door Latch: If you have little toddlers or someone with memory difficulties, you should take extra attention regarding prescribed medicine. Hide away your bottles by installing a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.
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Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Similarly to the kitchen, you need to also install a surge protecting GFCI outlet on every bathroom receptacle. These will stop the flow of the current if water splashes on them or there’s a harmful jolt from a curling iron or hair dryer.
Child’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For St. George
A child’s bedroom should pair safety with simplicity. If their window treatments or other things are safe but hard to operate, then your children may get around the device with dangerous activities -- like shimmying up a bookshelf -- to touch them. Try these straightforward, yet safe, ideas:
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No Cord Window Coverings: Safety agencies have designated cords from shades and blinds a hidden problem for children and animals. Use motorized treatments that your child can easily open and close with a remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and connect your shades to your ADT smart hub so they can raise on a schedule when it’s time to get up, and go down at night for extra privacy.
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Indoor Security Camera: A camera sitting on your toddler’s desk can double as a baby monitor that you can watch from a mobile device. And when they want something, they can push the two-way talk button that comes with the camera.
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Plug Covers: While every outlet should use protective covers on them to protect your little children, this is especially needed in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your home where your child will most likely play solo without adult supervision.
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Window Fire Ladder: If you have bedrooms on above the first story, then you need to install a window escape ladder. These should help a child get out of their room in case the stairs or lower levels are blocked off with fire. Remember to go over how to unfurl them at least twice a year.
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Toy Box Or Low Bookshelves: It’s strange to view a toy box as a safety component, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever walked on a building block in your bare feet. A uncluttered floor gives your child a quick escape when there’s an emergency.
Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For St. George
The main bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety components make life easier when there's an emergency. After all, being wrenched awake by a wailing buzzer can be confusing.
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Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your dresser lets you see what’s what that noise was without leaving your bed. You could also turn on your ADT phone app but, the large touchscreen is often better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and confused.
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Device Charging Stand: We rely on our phones for so many things now alarm clocks, web browsers, games, and --legend has it-- even phones. But, a depleted device in the middle of the night cuts us off from the outside world if there’s a problem. To make sure your phone always works, a an easy-to-use charging station is an important part of your nightstand.
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Nightlight/Smart Lights: A plug-in light can be a beacon when you’re jolted awake from a fire alarm or other noises. If you can’t fall asleep with a small nightlight, use a smart bulb in your bedroom and hall. Then you can get light simply with a push of a button or voice command.
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Fireproof Lockbox: Stash your important papers like insurance cards, stock certificates, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof safe. This can be a big one that camps out in a corner or a slender handheld safe that you can snatch as you escape during an emergency event.
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Temperature Sensor: The problem with bedrooms is that they can feel too hot or be cold because they sit far from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you should have a comfortable, relaxing sleep at a wonderful climate.
Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For St. George
Most safety problems in the garage or basement are with your water or heating system. Seeing hazards at the source can stop bigger disasters in the future. So, as you walk around your basement or garage, take note of these critical items:
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Flood Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor by your water heater or sump pump can stop you from wading into a mess when you step into your garage or basement. Do you really want to lose your day bailing out water?
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Carbon Monoxide Alarm: It’s smart to have a CO alarm in a place where a natural gas leak can spring up. If you have a gas furnace, you should install an alarm in the same place as your HVAC unit.
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Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your water detector senses a plumbing leak or a broken pipe, then you will want to cap the primary water valve at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from any mobile device. That’s perfect when you’re visiting relatives and get a flood sensor text on your phone.
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Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up brings about all sorts of problems. You can lose a bunch of HVAC energy through that open door, and rodents or thieves can just saunder in. A remote sensor will text you about an open garage door and lets you close it with your phone.
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Temperature Sensor: A heat alarm in your basement or garage is essential if you fret about freezing pipes. The heat in these areas can be surprisingly different than the main part of the house, so you may need to have a close look on them by using the ADT mobile app.
Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for St. George
Your yard, drive, and front walk are just as imperative to defend as the interior of your home. Use this checklist to make your outside safe:
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Doorbell Camera: See who’s arrived at the door before you answer it and talk to guests. Get a visual on deliveries and look at video clips if they disappear.
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Outdoor Camera: You can place outdoor security cameras to notify you about late night lurkers in your back yard. These security cameras are nice in places where you might not have a window -- like around a cellar or by the garage.
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Window Height Shrubbery: Overgrown shrubs can create some privacy, but they also block your line of sight of the yard. Don’t offer potential thieves a place to hide. Plus, high bushes, shrubs or foliage around your home can jam up gutters and invite bugs.
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ADT Yard Signs: One of the most popular deterrents for home intrusion is telling potential rogues that you own a state-of-the-art security system. An ADT yard sign by the main walk and a window decal will show lurkers that they ought to shove off to an unprotected target.
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Motion Controlled Flood Light Fixtures: Light is the greatest deterrent to those who skulk in the shadows. Motion-controlled flood lights on your porch, garage, or deck can shoo possible intruders away. They also help you get inside when you come home on those dark, winter nights.
Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for St. George
While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install non-security devices on your St. George home safety checklist, we can bring you a customized security system. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can personalize the best system for your family’s needs. Simply call (435) 393-6111 to get started or fill out the form below. Or customize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.