10 Things NOT To Do To Keep Your Home Safe

Now that it’s officially autumn and fall projects are finishing up as the cooler weather sits in, it’s time for a reality check. Before you know it, winter and the holiday season will be upon us once again, and with that comes a new round of concerns when it comes to your home’s security.
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Thanks to Consumer Reports for reminding us of the top ten things NOT to do with your home if you’d like to deter would-be burglars from making you their next target. We’ve picked out the most important tips for you below:
1) Leaving Garage Doors Open or Unlocked
Of course most of us remember to lock our front and back doors at night or when we leave, but how many of us secure our garage doors? We’re not just talking the outer door either, but the internal one that grants entry to your home. If you don’t lock your outer garage door or accidentally leave it open and don’t secure your inner garage door, all a theif would have to do is walk right in and right back out with all your valuables. Instead, the article suggests getting a garage door code-lock with random code resets.


2)Hide A Spare Set Of Keys
It seems like a smart thing to do if you’re at all scatterbrained or have kids prone to losing things. We’ve all heard of the under-the-doormat or potted plant scenarios, as well as the magnetic boxes inside the mailbox or the bit of tape on top of the door frame. And that’s exactly the problem — we’ve all heard of them, and so have your friendly neighborhood thieves. CS’s suggestion? Give a set to a neighbor or nearby family member.
3)Keeping Your Ladder In Plain Sight
This is an issue we’ve discussed here before on C&H, and it’s pretty simple to understand — a burglar can pose as a repairman, snag your ladder, and use it to gain access to upper story windows which are less likely to be locked than lower story ones. The simple solution here is to keep your ladder locked up in a shed or inside your home.
4)Keeping Your House In The Dark
Another topic we’ve addressed before, it’s one of the simplest rules out there. A dark house equals a playland of opportunity for a burglar, so invest in some landscape lighting and some timers for both indoors and out and make it bright enough that any suspicious activity will raise concerns with your neighbors and police.
5)Leaving “Goody Bags” At The Curb
This one is especially true with the impending holidays — you get yourself a new TV or gaming system, even a laptop or new vacuum, and you hastily discard of the packaging with your weekly garbage. While you should be (a) recycling those boxes, by leaving the often awkward packaging hanging out of bags or trash bins you’re literally advertising what you own of value to anyone who might be casing your neighborhood. Break down boxes and turn them label-side-in before disposing, or take them straight to the recycling center yourself.
If you’re interested in more tips on how to keep your home from being a burglary target, you can peruse the rest of the article here.
Photo: Flickr.com/jimmysmith

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