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Home Safety Checklist For Stamford

Staying safe in your house should be your largest concern. But are you forgetting one or two key safety items? Look over this home safety checklist for Stamford and see where your house can use some work.

This guide begins with some whole-house safety techniques, and then we whittle it down room-by-room. Then, phone (203) 403-2796 or send in the form below to speak to a security agent.

Whole Home Safety Checklist

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Stamford

While you will want to use a room-to-room method for home safety, there are a few methods that work for the whole-house approach. These items can talk together through a touchscreen hub, and often can react to other things. You can also manage every one of your home safety devices using a mobile app, like ADT Control:

  • Monitored Home Security System: All your windows and doors should use a sensor that notifies you to forced entry. As an alarm triggers, your monitoring agent answers the call and quickly calls emergency personnel.

  • Smart Lighting For Each Room: Sure, you can set your smart lights to become more efficient. But smart lights can also help you stay safe in an emergency. Make your lights flash on when a security alarm trips to scare off robbers or illuminate the way out to a secure area.

  • Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Stamford can save you between 10%-15% in utility costs. But it also can start an exhaust fan during a fire.

  • Monitored Smoke Detectors: At the very least, you need to have a fire alarm on each level. You can increase your fire preparedness by utilizing a monitored fire alarm that detects both heat and smoke, and notifies your 24/7 monitoring experts when it thinks that there’s a fire.

  • Smart Lock For Every Door: Every doorway that uses a deadbolt can use a smart door lock. Now you can set key codes to family and friends and receive notifications to your smartphone when your locks are unlocked. Your doors can even automatically open, letting you quickly leave when you have a fire or dangerous situation.

Family Room Safety Checklist

Family Room Safety Checklist For Stamford

You’ll hang out most in your family room, so it may be the best area to start making your house more secure. Highly sought after items, like a big screen or video games, usually sit in your living room, making it an alluring room for burglars. Begin with placing a motion sensor or indoor security camera by the doorway, then take a look at some of these safety protocols:

  • Motion Sensors: By installing motion detectors, you’ll get a shrieking noise anytime they detect unexpected movement in your family room. You’ll want motion sensors that aren’t set off by pet movements or you’ll have your sirens go off every time your dog passes through for a bite of food.

  • Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera gives you a visual on your family room. Get real-time feeds of the area so you can know what’s happening through the mobile app. Or talk with your family in the family room by using the two-way talk feature.

  • Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Make sure you protect expensive electronics and quit overtaxing your outlets with a surge protector. For extra energy-efficiency, set up a smart plug with anti-surge functionality built-in.

  • Furniture Secured To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll want to secure your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially important if your family room has rugs or carpet that might make heavy objects extra wobbly.

  • Enhanced Locks For Sliding Doors: If your family room uses a sliding door that slides out to a deck, patio, or screened-in porch, you can see that the lock is pretty thin. Install a special lock, like a cross bar or locks that secures the door to the top and bottom of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Stamford

The kitchen has many items that can bring comfort and safety to your house. Most of these things should be a snap to add and can be bought from the grocery store:

  • Fire Extinguisher: Fire can spring up from an overfilled skillet or a faulty burner. Always have a fire extinguisher at the ready for any stove or oven emergencies.

  • Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be installed everywhere they’re close to running water to lessen the chance of a deadly shock. That includes the outlets by your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But if you don’t want your whole kitchen to flip off when one outlet trips, you’ll want to use a separate GFCI per outlet.

  • Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is recommended for the kitchen if you have a gas oven and stove. If your gas lines malfunction, the CO detector will emit a loud siren and ping your monitoring agent.

  • Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety problem in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and contamination from blood from meat and dairy. Always store cleaning wipes or an antibacterial spray to sanitize your counters before and after making a meal.

  • Refrigerator/Freezer Alarm: The items in your fridge should remain at a cold temperature to stay healthy to consume. If you accidently leave the freezer or refrigerator door open too long, then an alarm beep will let you know so you can check the seal. Some refrigerators come with an alarm, older models do not, and you’ll have to buy a refrigerator alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Stamford

Just because you may not have a bunch of square footage in your bathroom, you will still have safety hazards. From flood detectors to electric safety, here are some safety tips for your bathroom:

  • Flood Sensors: A leaking toilet or bathtub can lead to extensive destruction. Discover a leak with a flood detector before they generate hundreds to thousands of dollars in ruined floors, walls, and fixtures.

  • Textured Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, bruises, or sprained ankles. Make sure you avoid these issues with a textured bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

  • Non-slip Bathtub Stickies: Like a tiled floor, a bathtub can be a slippery surface to stand in. It’s a good idea that every bathtub has some textured stickers so your toes have a bumpy patch for stability.

  • Medicine Door Lock: If you have little toddlers or anyone with memory lapses, you should take additional precautions regarding prescription medicine. Safeguard your pills and syrups by getting a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

  • GFCI Circuits: While installing better outlets in the kitchen, you need to also put in a surge protecting GFCI outlet on each bathroom outlet. This will cut the electricity if water splashes on them or they experience an unusual jolt from a curling iron or hair dryer.

Child's Bedroom Safety Checklist

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Stamford

A child’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with simplicity. If their window coverings or other items are safe but hard to manage, then your kids may get around the device with dangerous activities -- like scale a bookshelf -- to use them. Here are 5 straightforward, yet safe, ideas:

  • Cordless Window Treatments: Safety professionals have designated window treatment cords a secret danger for children and animals. Put in motorized treatments that your child can easily manage through a remote. Or even better, connect your motorized treatments to your ADT smart hub so they can raise on a schedule when the sun comes up, and lower at night for extra privacy.

  • Tableside Security Camera: A security camera sitting on your child’s desk or dresser can behave like a high tech baby monitor that you can view with your phone. And when they need something, they can use the two-way talk button that comes with the camera.

  • Outlet Covers: While each outlet should have outlet safety caps on them for your small children, this is doubly urgent in their bedroom. It’s the one place in your home where your toddler will most likely be alone without constant adult supervision.

  • Window Escape Ladder: If you use bedrooms on the second level, then you need to put in a window fire ladder. These can let a child leave the house in case the stairway or downstairs are blocked off with fire. Just remember to practice how to unfurl them a few times a year.

  • Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to view a toy box as a safety device, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever tramped on an action figure in your stocking feet. A clutter-free floor let your child have a quick retreat when there’s a fire or break-in.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Stamford

The main bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety devices make life easier if you have an emergency. After all, being startled awake by a loud siren can be quite a shock.

  • Security System Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your bedside table helps you know what’s happening without getting out of bed. You could also use your ADT mobile app but, the touchscreen can be easier to control to use when you’re coming out of sleep and finding your bearings.

  • Phone Charging Area: We depend on our cell phones for so many things now alarm clocks, news readers, time wasters, and --legend has it-- even phones. The only problem is that a depleted device in the middle of the night cuts us off from communications if there’s a problem. To keep it nice and ready, a charging station or cord becomes should be used nightly.

  • Nightlight/Smart Lights: A plug-in light can be a beacon when you’re jolted awake from a fire alarm or unexpected sounds. If you won’t drift off to sleep with a small nightlight, use a smart bulb in your bedroom. Then you can have light on-demand with a button push or vocal command.

  • Fireproof Lockbox: Keep your vital paperwork like social security cards, passports, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a big one that camps out in a corner or a small portable safe that you can snatch on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

  • Temperature Sensor: The issue with most bedrooms is that they can be too stuffy or be cold because they are far from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can communicate to your smart thermostat so you will have a nice, relaxing sleep at a wonderful climate.

Garage Safety Checklist

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Stamford

Most safety issues in the basement or garage deal with your water or furnace. Finding hazards before they start can prevent bigger disasters later on. So, as you take a look around your storage areas, take note of these critical items:

  • Water Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor next to your water heater or sump pump drain can save you from discovering a lake when you step into your basement or garage. The last you need is to spend the weekend drying your floor and sorting through all those soggy boxes.

  • CO Alarm: It’s beneficial to install a carbon monoxide detector in an area where a gas leak can occur. If you have gas heating, you’ll want to hang an alarm in the same room as your HVAC unit.

  • WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your water detector senses a plumbing leak or a burst pipe, then you need to cap the primary water pipe quickly. With a remote shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from any mobile device. That’s nice when you’re visiting relatives and receive a water leak text on your phone.

  • Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door open brings about all types of issues. You can lose a bunch of heat or air through that gaping hole, and critters or intruders can just walk in. A remote sensor will text you about a neglected garage door and lets you lower it with your phone.

  • Temperature Sensor: A temperature sensor in your basement or garage is handy if you worry about frozen pipes. The heat in these areas can be drastically different than the rest of the house, so you will want to have a closer eye on the temperature with your mobile app.

Outside perimeter checklist

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Stamford

Your foliage, driveway, and front step are just as important to make safe as the inside of your house. Try the items on this checklist to defend your perimeter:

  • Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor cameras to guard against suspicious activity in your yard. These devices are nice in areas where you may not have a view -- like a side yard or by the driveway.

  • Low Shrubbery: High foliage can offer some solitude, but they also hinder you seeing into the outside. Don’t provide potential burglars an area to hide. Plus, tall bushes or greenery too close to your structure can jam up gutters and bring in bugs.

  • ADT Signage: One of the largest deterrents for a break-in is alerting aspiring intruders that you have a monitored home security system. An ADT yard stick by the stoop and a window sticker will tell lurkers that they ought to keep walking to an easier house.

  • Motion Activated Flood Light Fixtures: Light is the largest enemy to those who skulk in the unlit places. Motion-triggered lights on your deck, patio, or garage can help scare lurkers away. They also help you work the locks when you arrive home late after work.

Use Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for Stamford

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install every item on your Stamford home safety checklist, we can install a state-of-the-art security system. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can customize the ideal system for your home’s needs. Simply phone (203) 403-2796 to get started or complete the form below. Or customize your own solution with our Security System Designer.