Home Safety Checklist For Charlotte
Being safe in your residence should be your number one concern. But are you overlooking one or two big safety components? Look over this home safety checklist for Charlotte and see where your house can use an update.
We give you some whole-home safety items, and then we whittle it down on a room level. Then, phone (704) 980-0988 or send in the form below for more information.
Whole Home Safety Checklist for Charlotte
While you will want to use a individual room approach to home safety in Charlotte, there are some methods that work for a lot of your rooms. These devices can talk together through a wireless hub, and can even react to other components. You can also manage each of your home safety devices using a mobile app, like ADT Control:
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Monitored Home Security System: Each one of your windows and doors should have a sensor that warns you to forced entry. When an alarm goes off, your monitoring center answers the alert and immediately contacts emergency personnel.
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Smart Bulbs For Each Room: Of course, you can program your smart lights to become more eco-conscience. But smart lights can also allow you to remain safe in an emergency. Have your smart bulbs flash on when a security alarm trips to scare off burglars or brighten your way to a secure area.
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Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Charlotte could save you up to 15% in utility spending. But it also can flip on the exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.
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Monitored Fire Alarms: It’s code that you should have a fire detector on each floor. You can improve your fire preparedness by utilizing a monitored fire detector that looks for excessive smoke and heat, and pings your 24/7 monitoring team when it senses a fire.
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Smart Locks: Every entryway that utilizes a keyed lock can use a smart door lock. Now you may preset codes to family and friends and receive texts to your smartphone when they are used. Your smart lock can even automatically turn off, helping you to quickly leave during an emergency.
Family Room Safety Checklist For Charlotte
You’ll spend most of your time in your family room, so it may be the best place to start making your home more secure. Popular items, like a TV or video game console, probably reside in your family room, making it a tempting area for thieves. Start with installing a motion sensor or indoor camera in there, then try all these safety protocols:
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Motion Detectors: By installing motion detectors, you’ll hear a loud alarm whenever they detect unusual motion within your family room. You’ll want motion sensors that ignore a dog or cat or you’ll see a tripped alarm every time your dog comes in for a midnight stroll.
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Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera puts a visual on your family room. Watch live feeds of the area so you can see what’s downstairs through the mobile app. Or chat with your family in the room with the two-way talk feature.
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Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard expensive electronics and stop overtaxing your electric system with a surge protector. For added comfort, use a smart plug with anti-surge functionality in the unit.
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Entertainment Center Attached To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll need to attach your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially crucial if your family room uses carpeting that could make heavy objects extra unbalanced.
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Enhanced Locks For Sliding Doors: If your living room uses a sliding door that slides out to a patio, deck, or porch, you get that the door lock is usually worthless. Put in a custom lock, like a cross bar or small locks that are located on the bottom and top of the frame.
Kitchen Safety Checklist For Charlotte
The kitchen has room for items that can add comfort and safety to your home. Many of these items are also simple to add and can be found in the a retail store:
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Fire Extinguisher: A fire can happen from an overfilled pot or a towel that’s too close to a burner. Always store a fire extinguisher in close reach for any kitchen mishaps.
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GFCI Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be standard anywhere they’re close to water to ward off a deadly shock. That includes the plugs close to your kitchen counter and sink. Since the late ‘80s, it’s been code to have one GFCI per dedicated circuit. But each one of your plugs will go dead if any outlet sees a surge, so you’ll want to install a single GFCI for every outlet.
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Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is advised for the kitchen if you use natural gas for the oven and range. If your gas burners spring a leak, the CO detector will emit a loud, buzzing siren and ping your monitoring center.
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Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety problem in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and contamination that comes with blood from meat and other foods. Always store disinfectant wipes or an antibacterial spray to sanitize your area before and after making a meal.
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Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in the fridge need to remain at a chilly temperature to be healthy to use. If you leave the refrigerator door open, then a small beep will let you know so you can shut it securely. Some fridges come with an alarm, others do not, and you’ll have to get a fridge alarm from the store.
Bathroom Safety Checklist For Charlotte
Just because you don’t a bunch of room in your bathroom, you will still have safety issues. From flood detectors to medicine care, here are five safety tips for your bathroom:
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Flood Sensors: A leaking sink or tub can cause an expensive amount of damage. Get alerted early about leaks with a flood detector and save the time and money from damage.
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Textured Shower Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be a painful occurrence, causing bumps, gashed heads, or trips to the hospital. Make sure you avoid these problems with a no-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.
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Textured Bathtub Strips: Like a tiled floor, a bathtub can be a slick place to stand in. It’s a good idea that each tub has some textured stickers so your toes have a bumpy patch for stability.
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Medicine Door Latch: If you have little kids or someone with memory difficulties, you need to take extra precautions regarding medicine. Hide away your prescriptions by using a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.
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Circuit Interrupter Outlet: While installing better outlets in the kitchen, you will have to also use a safer GFCI outlet on every bathroom outlet. This will shut off the electric current if they ever get wet or you have a sudden surge from a curling iron or hair dryer.
Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Charlotte
A child’s bedroom should pair safety with accessibility. If their window treatments or other things are safe but difficult to manage, then your child may try dangerous methods -- like scale a chest of drawers -- to touch them. Here are some simple, and safe, ideas:
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Cordless Window Coverings: Safety professionals have long called corded window treatments an unsuspecting problem for kids and pets. Use motorized treatments that kids can easily manage through a remote. Or go state-of-the-art and link your motorized treatments to your ADT security system so they open on a schedule at dawn, and go down at night for extra privacy.
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Tableside Security Camera: A security camera perched on your kid’s dresser can act as a baby monitor that you can see from a smartphone. And when they want something, they can use the intercom talk feature that comes with the camera.
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Plug Covers: While every outlet should have covers on them for your young children, this is doubly urgent in a child’s bedroom. It’s the main place in your home where your child will most likely be solo without consistent additional supervision.
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Window Safety Ladder: If you have bedrooms on an upper story, then you should install a window fire ladder. These will help your children leave the house even if the hallway or lower levels are on fire. Make sure to rehearse how to use them at least twice a year.
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Toy Box Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to view a toy box as a safety item, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever tramped on an action figure in your socked feet. A uncluttered floor let your child have a quick way out if there’s an emergency.
Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Charlotte
The master bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety components give you peace of mind if there's an emergency event. After all, being jerked awake by a high-decibel alarm can be quite a shock.
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Home Security Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your dresser helps you know what’s going on without getting out of bed. You could alternatively use your ADT smartphone app but, the large touchscreen may be faster to use when you’re coming out of sleep and confused.
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Device Charging Station: We use our smartphones for so many things now alarm clocks, web browsers, time wasters, and sometimes even phones. The only problem is that a dead device in the middle of the night cuts us off from communications 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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Smart Lights Or Nightlights: A tiny light can be a beacon when you’re jolted awake from a siren or unexpected sounds. If you have trouble falling asleep with a small nightlight, install a smart bulb in your fixtures. Then you can have light anytime with a mobile device or voice direction.
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Fireproof Lockbox: Store your essential documents like insurance cards, medical information, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a big one that camps out in your closet or a smaller handheld lockbox that you can snatch as you escape during a fire or other emergency.
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Heat Sensor: The problem with a master bedroom is that they can be too stuffy or be cold since they are located across the house from the thermostat. A heat sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a comfortable, restful sleep at a wonderful climate.
Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Charlotte
Most safety needs in the basement or garage have to do with your water heater or HVAC system. Seeing issues at the source can stave away bigger problems in the future. So, as you walk around your storage areas, take note of these safety items:
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Flood Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood sensor in back of your water heater and sump pump can save you from wading into a mess when you walk into your basement or garage. Do you really want to waste your weekend drying the floor?
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CO Alarm: It’s smart to hang a CO alarm in a place where a natural gas leak can happen. If you employ a gas furnace, you should put a detector in the same area as your inbound pipes.
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Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm senses a hot water heater leak or a busted pipe, then you will want to shut off the main water line at once. With a WiFi shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from any mobile device. That’s helpful when you’re out of town and receive a flood sensor alert on your phone.
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Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage open brings about all sorts of problems. You can waste heat through that open door, and critters or thieves can just wander in. A remote sensor will text you about a forgotten garage door and allow you to close it remotely.
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Heat Sensor: A heat sensor in your basement or garage is handy if you worry about freezing pipes. The temperature in these rooms can be wildly different than the rest of the house, so you will want to maintain a close look on the temp by using your mobile app.
Outside Safety Checklist for Charlotte
Your front yard, driveway, and front step are just as important to secure as the rest of your home. Use this checklist to make your outside safe:
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Doorbell Camera: See who’s arrived at the front door before you answer it and chat with guests. View package deliveries and look at video clips if they vanish off the step.
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Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to notify you about unusual lurkers in your back yard. These security cameras are nice in areas where you might not have a view -- like around a cellar or by the garage.
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Window Height Shrubs: Tall foliage can create some privacy, but they also block you seeing into the yard. Don’t give potential thieves a dark shadow to hide. Plus, tall bushes or greenery against your house can obstruct gutters and bring in bugs.
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ADT Signage: One of the biggest discouragements for a thief is alerting aspiring burglars that you use an updated ADT security system. An ADT yard stick by the front door and a window cling will alert lurkers that they should keep walking to an unprotected score.
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Motion Triggered Outside Light Fixtures: Light is the biggest deterrent to those who skulk in the dark. Motion-triggered lighting on your deck, porch, or garage can help scare lurkers away. Flood lights also help you see the walk when you arrive back home late after work.
Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You With Your Home Safety Checklist for Charlotte
While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with each household item on your Charlotte home safety checklist, we can offer a powerful security system. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can install the best system for your house’s needs. Simply phone (704) 980-0988 for more information or send in the form below. Or personalize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.