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Home Safety Checklist For Springfield

Keeping safe and secure in your home should be your largest concern. But are you forgetting some useful safety items? Use this home safety checklist for Springfield and find out where your living space can use greater attention.

This guide starts with five whole-house safety items, and then we delve down room-by-room. Then, you can call (417) 233-4368 or fill out the form below to talk to a security expert.

Whole Home Safety Checklist

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Springfield

While you will want to employ a room-to-room process for home safety, there are a few items that work for all of your rooms. These components can sync to each other through a touchscreen hub, and often can respond to other components. You might also manage all your home safety components with a smartphone app, such as ADT Control:

  • Monitored Home Security System: Each one of your entryways should employ a sensor that warns you to intrusion. When the alarm triggers, your monitoring expert responds to the alert and sends the police or fire department.

  • Smart Lighting For Each Room: Sure, you can program your smart lights to become more eco-conscience. But smart lights can also help you keep safe during an emergency. Make your lights flash on when a security alarm triggers to shoo off robbers or illuminate the way out to a secure place.

  • Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Springfield can save you 10%-15% in utility costs. It also can start your exhaust fan if you have a fire.

  • Monitored Smoke Detectors: It’s code that you will have a smoke detector on each level of your house. You can increase your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire detector that detects excessive smoke and heat, and alerts your 24/7 monitoring agents when it senses a fire.

  • Smart Locks: Every entryway that needs a deadbolt can upgrade to a smart door lock. Now you may preset key codes to friends and family and receive texts to your mobile device when they are used. Your smart lock can even automatically unlock, helping you to quickly leave if you have an emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist

Family Room Safety Checklist For Springfield

You’ll spend a lot of time in your family room, so it’s the most reasonable place to begin your home safety renovation. Highly sought after items, like a big screen or video game console, typically sit in your family room, making it a tempting area for thieves. Start with placing a motion detector or indoor security camera in your room, then take a look at some of these suggestions:

  • Motion Detectors: By hanging motion detectors, you’ll get a loud siren if they sense suspicious movement in your living room. Look for motion detectors that ignore pets or you’ll get your sirens go off every time your cat roams by for a midnight stroll.

  • Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera offers an eye on your living room. Get real-time feeds of everything so you can see what’s going on without leaving your bed. Or talk with your kids when they come home from school by using the two-way talk feature.

  • Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Make sure you protect all your electronics and stop overtaxing your electric system with a surge protector. For extra energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality included.

  • Entertainment Center Attached To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll need to secure your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially important if your family room uses rugs or carpet that could make objects extra unbalanced.

  • Enhanced Locks For Glass Doors: If your family room has a glass door that slides out to a patio, deck, or outside porch, you know that the door lock is pretty flimsy. Install a special lock, like a metal bar or locks that are located on the top and bottom of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Springfield

Your kitchen has plenty of items that should add safety and security to your home. Many of these things are also simple to add and can be bought from the a retail store:

  • Fire Extinguisher: A fire can happen from an overfilled skillet or an errant grease splatter. Always keep a fire extinguisher at the ready for any stove or oven mishaps.

  • Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be installed anywhere they’re by running water to ward off an electric shock. That includes the plugs close to your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been required to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But if you don’t want your whole kitchen to go dead when one outlet surges, try to install a single GFCI for every outlet.

  • Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is handy in spaces that use gas for the oven and stove. If your gas appliances leak, the carbon monoxide detector will cause a loud, buzzing noise and ping your monitoring expert.

  • Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety issue in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and protein from uncooked meat and other foods. Always have disinfectant wipes or a bleach spray to sanitize your surfaces when making a meal.

  • Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The items in the fridge have to remain at a constant temperature to stay healthy to eat. If you accidently leave the fridge or freezer door ajar, then a small beep will tell you to check the seal. Some fridges come with a pre-installed alarm, older models won’t, and you’ll have to buy a refrigerator alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Springfield

Just because you may not have a lot of space in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From water problems to medicine care, here are a few safety ideas for your bathroom:

  • Flood Sensors: A leaking sink or shower can create an expensive amount of destruction. Get alerted early about leaks with a flood detector and save hundreds to thousands of dollars from damage.

  • No-slip Bath Mats: A slip and fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, sore joints, or broken bones. Or prevent these hazards with a no-slip bath mat for after your bath or shower.

  • No-slip Bathtub Strips: Likewise, a tub can be a slippery area to be on. It’s a good idea that each has some no-slip stickers so your feet have a bumpy patch to grip.

  • Medicine Door Latch: If you have young children or a family member with memory difficulties, you need to take extra care regarding medicine. Safeguard your pills and syrups by using a medicine cabinet with a child-proof lock.

  • GFCI Circuits: Similarly to the kitchen, you will have to also install a surge protecting GFCI outlet on every bathroom circuit. This will cut the electricity if they ever get wet or they experience a sudden jolt from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Child's Bedroom Safety Checklist

Child’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Springfield

A child’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with accessibility. If their window shades or other things are safe but hard to operate, then your kids may try dangerous activities -- like shimmying up a bookshelf -- to touch them. Try these straightforward, and safe, ideas:

  • No Cord Window Coverings: Safety agencies have designated cords from shades and blinds a hidden hazard for children and animals. Put in motorized shades that kids can easily control via remote control. Or better yet, link your motorized treatments to your security system so they can raise without anyone’s help at dawn, and go down in the evening for added darkness.

  • Indoor Security Camera: A security camera placed on your kid’s dresser can act just like a high tech baby monitor that you can view from a mobile device. And if they want you, they can push the intercom talk button included on the camera.

  • Outlet Plug Covers: While each outlet should have outlet safety caps on them when you have young children, this is especially urgent in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your home where your toddler will most likely be solo without consistent additional supervision.

  • Window Safety Ladder: If you have bedrooms on the second level, then you need to have a window fire ladder. These will help your children escape even if the stairs or lower levels are engulfed in smoke and fire. Remember to rehearse how to use them at least twice a year.

  • Toy Box Or Low Bookshelves: It’s strange to look at a toy chest as a safety component, but you’ll get it if you’ve ever stepped on a Lego in your socked feet. A clean floor gives your child a quick retreat when there’s a fire or break-in.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Springfield

The master bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety devices make you more responsive if you have an emergency. After all, being jerked awake by a high-decibel alarm can be disorienting.

  • Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your bedside table lets you see what’s what that noise was without jumping out of bed. You could also turn on your ADT phone app but, the HD touchscreen may be better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and confused.

  • Personal Charging Area: We depend on our cell phones for so many things now GPS, news readers, game machines, and --legend has it-- even phones. However, a depleted phone will cut us off from reaching help if there’s a problem. To make sure your phone always works, a an easy-to-use charging station becomes an essential.

  • Nightlight/Smart Lights: A small light helps ground you when you’re jolted awake from a siren or other loud noises. If you can’t fall asleep with an outlet light, use smart lights in your fixtures. Then you can have light simply with a push of a button or vocal command.

  • Fireproof Safe: Stash your important papers like social security cards, medical information, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof lockbox. This can be a big one that is located in your closet or a smaller handheld lockbox that you can snatch as you escape during an emergency event.

  • Heat Sensor: The drawback with a master bedroom is that they tend to be too stuffy or be frigid because they are located far from the thermostat. A temperature sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a comfortable, relaxing sleep at just the right climate.

Garage Safety Checklist

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Springfield

Most safety issues in the basement or garage deal with your water or heating system. Discovering problems at the source can stave away more devastating disasters in the future. So, as you walk around your garage or basement, take note of these crucial items:

  • Water Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor in back of your water heater and sump pump drain can save you from discovering a mess when you go into your basement or garage. The last you need is to lose the weekend drying your floor and salvaging all those storage boxes.

  • Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s smart to have a CO alarm in areas where a CO leak can spring up. If you use gas heating, try to hang a detector in the same room as your inbound pipes.

  • Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector detects a hot water heater leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to shut off the primary water pipe at once. With a WiFi shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from your phone. That’s nice when you’re out of town and get a water leak alert on your phone.

  • Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up brings about all types of problems. You can waste HVAC energy through that open door, and critters or thieves can just wander in. A remote sensor will text you about a neglected garage door and allow you to close it through the app.

  • Temperature Sensor: A temperature alarm in your garage or basement is essential if you fret about your pipes freezing. The heat in these rooms can be wildly different than your main rooms of the home, so you will need to maintain a constant look on the temp with your security mobile app.

Outside perimeter checklist

Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for Springfield

Your front yard, driveway, and front walk are just as imperative to make safe as the inside of your home. Use this checklist to defend your perimeter:

  • Outdoor Security Camera: You can install outdoor security cameras to guard against unusual lurkers in your yard. These cameras are nice in places where you may not have a view -- like around a cellar or by the garage.

  • Window Height Bushes: Overgrown shrubs can give you some privacy, but they also obscure you seeing into the yard and curb. Don’t give potential thieves a place to hide. Plus, tall shrubs or foliage around your home can jam up gutters and invite ants and termites.

  • ADT Signage: One of the largest disincentives for a thief is advertising to potential intruders that you have an updated ADT security system. An ADT yard stick by the main walk and a window sticker will tell ne'er-do-wells that they ought to move on to an less prepared target.

  • Motion Controlled Porch Lighting: Light is the largest obstacle to people who sneak around in the unlit places. Motion-activated lights on your deck, patio, or garage can frighten possible intruders away. Flood lights also help you get inside when you get back home on those dark, winter nights.

Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You With Your Home Safety Checklist for Springfield

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with every item on your Springfield home safety checklist, we can discuss a state-of-the-art home security. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can personalize the best system for your house’s needs. Simply phone (417) 233-4368 for more information or fill out the form below. Or personalize your own ADT system with our Security System Designer.