Believe it or not, your home’s safety is hugely impacted by how updated your hardware is throughout. Think about the last time you’ve replaced any hardware throughout your home or yard. It's a generally easy upkeep, but just requires some attention. Here’s three of the places you should start in order to provide better security to your home:
Hardware on the door
One of the most accessible ways for burglars to enter your home is busting down the door. Start with the dead bolt. If your home does not have a deadbolt in all doors, install them immediately. For burglars, knocking down doors is much easier to do when the screws are not the proper length to uphold the dead bolt. Replace short screws with 2.5”-3” threaded screws in order to reinforce your door.
The Locks on the Windows
The next most common entry place into your home is through unlocked or open windows. Make sure your windows are locked at all times. Sounds self explanatory, but double check after each maintenance person or service provider leaves your home that windows are locked and secured. If your windows do not have any locks, install them!
Other Small Upkeeps
There are some other small hardware upkeeps that you can do to increase your safety in your home. You should put passwords on all electronic devices in your home, so if a burglar does enter, all of your private information will not be easily accessible or unlocked. In addition, you could paint the handles of all of your valuable tools and weapons a bright color. Burglars do not like to carry around anything that can be easily identified, so they likely won’t. Another small thing is to not put any name on your mailbox, so burglars will not be able to easily identify you.
Updating these three areas of your home will provide better security, helping to keep you, your home, and your belongings safe.
