It’s a scary thought to imagine a burglar breaking into your house. The fear of someone possibly hurting your family or stealing your treasured belongings is enough to send anyone into panic mode.
It’s an eye-opening statistic, but about 2.5 million homes are burglarized in the U.S. every year. And two-thirds of those are home invasions, a terrifying thought!
But you don’t need to live in fear. And protecting your home doesn’t take an expensive licensed contractor.
You can actually burglar-proof your own home with some simple home upgrades. And they aren’t that expensive either!
Some simple things to keep in mind when it comes to home security include not posting on social media about the dates you’ll be out of town, not hiding a spare key under your doormat, and not leaving your blinds and curtains open if you’re away from home.
Here are 10 more hacks you can easily do today to protect your home and family from unwanted invaders.
1. The front door
In most cases, a burglar gains entry into your home through an exterior door, usually with a well-placed kick. To make kicking your door open harder, reinforce your door’s strike plate or door jamb.
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For the strike plate, install a tougher, more reinforced strike plate using at least 3-inch screws. For the door jamb, place high-gauge steel over the jamb and secure it with long screws that penetrate the wall studs on each side of the door.
2. Deadbolts
Deadbolts are great for protection, but even a deadbolt is vulnerable to a professional thief with a set of lock picks.
To prevent your deadbolt from being picked, buy a device called a flip guard. The flip guard slips over the deadbolt and locks it into place, keeping the deadbolt from being turned.
3. Security yard signs
Here’s a nifty little trick. Put up a few security yard signs and stickers that indicate your home is protected by a security system … even if you don’t really have one.
This way, if anyone spots your house as a potential target, they will most likely move on when they see your security signs.
4. The tool trap
Leaving ladders, hammers, and other tools around the front or back yard is an invitation to a passing burglar.
An intruder can use all types of tools to break open a window or door for quick entry. So make sure to store all ladders and tools away in a closed garage or locked shed.
5. Secure mail
Identity theft is a major issue in the U.S., and your mail is a primary target for thieves. To protect your mail and your identity, install a security mailbox, which requires a key to open. This should keep would-be thieves from accessing your mail.
Security mailboxes come in two basic types, the wall-mounted version that attaches to your home and the more common curbside mailbox.
6. Patio doors
Patio door locks are not the best in the world. The latch that holds them in place can be easily broken.
A simple way to secure a patio door is to place a length of wood or metal rod in the slot at the bottom that fits in the track and holds the door in place. You can even find devices specifically designed for this purpose online.
7. A wider peephole
Peepholes that only give you a tiny view of who is outside, might not reveal everything, such as an accomplice hiding just out of sight.
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For the best view to see who’s knocking on your door, invest in a wide-angle peephole. This way you can open up your front door with confidence.
8. Home security cameras
Another option is to install security cameras around the outside of your home. Placing security cameras in the right locations will help you detect would-be burglars so that you can alert the police.
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Usually triggered by motion, security cameras provide footage that you can use to determine the cause of an incident around your home, and whether an attempted break-in was by an animal or a human.
9. Door and window alarms
Doors and window alarms provide the best security at the points of entry in your home. Triggered when a connection is broken, the alarm emits a tone letting you know that something is going on.
One thing that a door or window alarm will not do is detect when someone breaks glass. For that, you need easy-to-attach wireless alarms, which attach to the window frame.
10. Motion-sensing lighting
In many cases, poor lightning helps to encourage thieves because darkness gives them cover for their lawbreaking.
Motion-sensing lights are a great way to illuminate an area outside your house without having to constantly monitor it. With these types of lights, as soon as something moves, the lights come on, helping to scare away any would-be thieves.
Check out the video below for more hacks that you can use to secure your home.
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H/T: Family Handyman, Safewise, PolicyAdvice
