The easiest points of entry to any home are its doors and windows, so protect your home from break-ins by following these few helpful tips:
§ Choose a solid wood or steel door. (hollow wooden doors can be kicked in easily) § Repair any damaged weather striping around doors, to prevent an excess of space in which the door could be pried open. § To prevent doors from being removed by the hinges, have them installed with the hinges on the inside only. § To reduce the risk of prying a door open, reduce or eliminate all gaps around door frames. § Sliding doors can easily be lifted off the track, so use vertical bolts to secure them. A wooden rod or metal stick may be placed on the inside track to reinforce security and ward off an intruder. § Always check to make sure that your electric garage door has fully closed before walking away, and that an intruder has not entered under the closing door. § Back doors and doors that connect your garage with the house should be a solid material and secured with a high security dead-bolt. § Don't forget about the smallest door in the house "the pet door". When away always secure your pet door with a lock. Intruders can easily entice children with a dare to see if they could fit through such a little door, and convince them to open the back door for them.
§ Periodically check to ensure your window locks are in good working condition, and get in the habit of keeping them locked while you are away. § Repair any damaged window frames, or areas that could make it possible to pry a window open without having it unlocked. § Double-hung windows (the type that slide up and down) can be very secure when locks are mounted on the sides or corners. § Safety screws may be installed on window frames to allow the window to be opened only enough to let in air, and not an intruder. This type of safety feature can also be helpful in a child's room, so they can't crawl out and possibly get into a pool. This will also not allow intruders in their room during the night. § You can use an alternative to safety screws which are drilled into the window track, such as a small window lock which can be hand screwed on the track to only allow the window to be opened a certain distance. This type of window lock allows you to be the judge and decide how far you want the window to be opened. § Screws can be installed on the top track of a side-sliding window, to prevent the window from being lifted out like a sliding-patio door (the window doesn't have to be unlocked for this to occur). These screws don't prevent the use of the window, only the removal of it. |
