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Home Safety Checklist For San Antonio

Staying safe and secure in your house should be your largest priority. But are you overlooking a few useful safety items? Use this home safety checklist for San Antonio and discover where your home needs some work.

This guide begins with a few whole-home safety ideas, and then we whittle it down to specific room ideas. Then, phone (210) 794-6382 or fill out the form below to speak to a security agent.

Whole Home Safety Checklist

Essential Home Safety Checklist for San Antonio

While you should take a room-to-room method for home safety, there are a few methods that work for the entire house approach. These components can link together through a touchscreen hub, and often can respond to other components. You might also manage all your home safety equipment using a mobile app, like ADT Control:

  • Monitored Security System: All your entryways should use a sensor that alerts you to a break-in. After an alarm triggers, your monitoring expert answers the alert and quickly contacts a first responder.

  • Smart Lights For Most Rooms: Of course, you can set your smart bulbs so your house is more efficient. But smart lights can also help you remain safe during an emergency. Make your downstairs lights come on when a security alarm trips to frighten off burglars or brighten the way out to a safe place.

  • Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in San Antonio could save you up to 15% in utility spending. It also can turn on your exhaust fan if you have a fire.

  • Monitored Fire Detectors: It’s code that you should have a fire alarm on every level. You can increase your fire preparedness by hanging a monitored fire detector that looks for both heat and smoke, and alerts your round-the-clock monitoring agents when it detects a fire.

  • Smart Door Locks: Every door that utilizes a keyed lock can be made safer with a smart door lock. Now you can set codes to family and friends and receive alerts to your mobile device when your locks are activated. Your smart lock can even automatically unlock, letting you quickly get out if you have a fire or dangerous situation.

Family Room Safety Checklist

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For San Antonio

You’ll hang out most in the family room, so it can be the best area to improve your home safety. Electronics, like a big screen or video game console, probably are located in your living room, making it a tempting area for thieves. Start with installing a motion detector or security camera by the doorway, then continue on with some of these ideas:

  • Motion Detectors: By putting in motion sensors, you’ll get a shrieking noise if they sense unexpected movement in your living room. You’ll want motion detectors that filter out a dog or cat or you’ll have an alert every time your dog passes through for a drink of water.

  • Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera gives you an eye on your family room. Get real-time feeds of everything so you can know what’s downstairs through the mobile app. Or talk with your kids in the room with the two-way talk feature.

  • Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Protect those electronics and quit overtaxing your electric system with a surge protector. For additional energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with surge protection built-in.

  • Entertainment Center Attached To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll need to bolt your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to a wall. This is especially crucial if your living room has rugs or carpet that can make furniture extra wobbly.

  • Special Locks For Glass Doors: If your living room has a sliding door that leads to a deck, patio, or porch, you already get that the lock is fairly worthless. Use an enhanced lock, like a cross bar or locks that secures the door to the bottom and top of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Kitchen Safety Checklist For San Antonio

Your kitchen has many items that should bring safety and security to your house. Many of these objects should be a snap to add and can be purchased from the grocery store:

  • Fire Extinguisher: Fire can happen from an overfilled skillet or a towel that’s too close to a burner. Always store a fire extinguisher in close reach for any kitchen mishaps.

  • GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be standard on outlets where there’s nearby water to ward off a deadly shock. That includes the outlets around your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But all your plugs will flip off if one outlet senses a surge, so you’re going to want to have a single GFCI for every outlet.

  • Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is advised for spaces that employ gas for the stove and oven. If your gas lines spring a leak, the carbon monoxide detector will emit a high-decibel siren and contact your monitoring agent.

  • Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The largest safety hazard in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and cross-contamination from uncooked meat and other foods. Always have disinfectant wipes or an antibacterial spray to clean your counters after cooking.

  • Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The items in the refrigerator need to remain at a constant temperature to be safe to consume. If you accidently leave the freezer or refrigerator door ajar, then a constant beep will remind you to close the door. Some appliances come with this installed, older models do not, and you’ll have to get an external alarm from the store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Bathroom Safety Checklist For San Antonio

Just because you don’t a bunch of space in your bathroom doesn’t mean that there aren’t safety concerns. From flood prevention to medicine care, here are some safety tips for your bathroom:

  • Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or bathtub can cause an expensive amount of damage. Find water problems early with a flood detector before they cause hundreds of dollars in renovations.

  • No-slip Shower Mats: A slip in the bathroom can be painful, causing pulled muscles, sore joints, or sprained ankles. Or prevent these hazards with a no-slip bath mat for your wet feet.

  • Non-slip Bathtub Strips: Likewise, a bathtub can be a slippery place to move in. It’s a good idea that each bathtub has some non-slip stickers so your feet have a textured patch for stability.

  • Medicine Door Latch: If you have young kids or someone with memory complications, you have to take additional precautions regarding prescription medicine. Hide away your prescriptions by installing a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

  • GFCI Circuits: Just like the kitchen, you will have to also use a surge protecting GFCI outlet on each bathroom outlet. These will shut off the electricity if they ever get wet or there’s a sudden surge from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Child's Bedroom Safety Checklist

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For San Antonio

A child’s bedroom should pair safety with manageability. If their window coverings or other things are safe but difficult to operate, then your kids may get around the device with unsafe activities -- like shimmying up a chest of drawers -- to touch them. Here are 5 straightforward, and safe, ideas:

  • Cord-Free Window Coverings: Safety professionals have long called cords from shades and blinds a secret danger for kids and pets. Install motorized blinds or shades that kids can easily control through a remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and connect your shades to your ADT security system so they can raise automatically when it’s time to get up, and lower at night for added darkness.

  • Indoor Security Camera: A camera placed on your kid’s desk can double as a high tech baby monitor that you can see with a smartphone. And if they want your help, they can use the intercom talk feature that comes with the camera.

  • Outlet Covers: While each outlet should have covers on them to protect your small children, this is especially important in their bedroom. It’s the one room in your home where your children will most likely play solo without consistent adult supervision.

  • Window Safety Ladder: If you have bedrooms on above the first floor, then you need to put in a window safety ladder. These will let a child escape even if the stairway or downstairs are blocked off with fire. Make sure to rehearse how to unfurl them at least twice a year.

  • Toy Box Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to look at a toy chest as a safety component, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever stepped on a building block in your stocking feet. A clutter-free floor let your child have a quick retreat during a fire or break-in.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For San Antonio

Your main bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety components make life easier when you experience an emergency event. After all, being jerked awake by a wailing alarm can be confusing.

  • Home Security Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your dresser lets you see what’s going on without leaving your bed. You could always turn on your ADT phone app but, the large touchscreen may be easier to manage to use when you’re coming out of sleep and finding your bearings.

  • Personal Charging Stand: We use our phones for almost everything now GPS, web browsers, game machines, and --legend has it-- even phones. But, an uncharged device can cut us off from the outside world if during an emergency. So, a charging station or cord is an important part of your nightstand.

  • Nightlights Or Voice Activated Smart Lights: A plug-in light can be a beacon when you’re jolted awake from a siren or other sounds. If you won’t drift off to sleep with an outlet light, install smart lights in your fixtures. Then you can have light simply with a push of a button or voice direction.

  • Fireproof Safe: Keep your essential paperwork like insurance cards, stock certificates, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a big one that is located in a corner or a slender portable safe that you can grab when you leave during an emergency event.

  • Heat Sensor: The issue with bedrooms is that they might feel too warm or be frigid since they are far from the thermostat. A heat sensor can communicate to your smart thermostat so you should have a nice, peaceful sleep at the perfect temperature.

Garage Safety Checklist

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For San Antonio

Most safety needs in the basement or garage have to do with your water heater or furnace. Finding problems early can stop larger problems later on. So, as you look around your storage areas, pay attention to these critical items:

  • Flood Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor by your water heater or sump pump drain can save you from discovering a pond when you walk into your basement or garage. Do you really want to spend your day getting rid of standing water?

  • CO Alarm: It’s nice to hang a CO alarm in a place where a CO leak can happen. If you employ gas heating, you should hang a detector in the same area as your HVAC unit.

  • Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your water sensor senses a plumbing leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to shut off the primary water pipe at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from any mobile device. That’s helpful when you’re visiting relatives and see a flood sensor text on your smartphone.

  • Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up brings about all types of problems. You can lose heat through that gaping hole, and all sorts of animals or thieves can just wander in. A remote sensor will alert you to an open garage door and allow you to close it remotely.

  • Temperature Sensor: A temperature sensor in your garage or basement is a definite if you worry about your pipes freezing. The heat in these areas can be surprisingly different than the main part of the home, so you will need to maintain a constant look on the temp by using your security mobile app.

Outside perimeter checklist

Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for San Antonio

Your foliage, drive, and front porch are just as crucial to defend as the inside of your house. Use this checklist to make your outside safe:

  • Outdoor Camera: You can install outdoor security cameras to guard against late night activity in your yard. These security cameras come in handy in places where you might not have a view -- like around a cellar or by the garage.

  • Low Shrubs: Tall foliage can give you some privacy, but they also block your view of the outside. Don’t offer potential intruders an area to hide. Plus, high bushes or greenery around your house can clog gutters and invite ants and termites.

  • ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest disincentives for home intrusion is alerting potential intruders that you use a state-of-the-art ADT security system. An ADT yard sign by the stoop and a window sticker will tell ne'er-do-wells that they might want to keep walking to an less prepared house.

  • Motion Triggered Flood Light Fixtures: Light is the best deterrent to people who sneak around in the dark. Motion-activated flood lights on your deck, porch, or garage can frighten lurkers away. Flood lights also help you work the locks when you get to the house late after work.

Call Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You With Your Home Safety Checklist for San Antonio

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with non-security devices on your San Antonio home safety checklist, we can install a powerful home security system. With alarms, security cameras, and home automation, we can install the ideal system for your house’s needs. Just phone (210) 794-6382 and talk to a professional or send in the form below. Or personalize your own system with our Security System Designer.