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There is no foolproof way to protect your home against a break-in, as a determined thief will find a way, but certain steps will help deter it. Consider the following:
- Install motion-sensing lights: These can be a great way to increase security without having to leave your outside lights on all night. Use them in any shadowy area where a possible intruder may linger.
- Or install long-lasting LED lights: Leave them on all night, as modern LEDS are both bright and energy-saving (e.g., a 13-watt LED often puts out as much light as a 100-watt incandescent), and can last for years.
- Maintain your landscaping: Don’t let overgrown shrubs give a possible criminal a place to hide. Keep trees and shrubs near the house neatly trimmed and be on the lookout for footprints near windows or trampled planting beds.
- Keep valuables out of sight: Put away electronics or other valuables whenever practical. Consider mounting large items such as TVs or artwork where there is no direct sightline to a window or keep drapes or blinds drawn.
- Your house never goes on vacation: A vacation can make your home an easy target. Never post on social media sites that you are going away. To deter trouble, invest in inexpensive timers, which can be set up with staggered timing on multiple lamps and in multiple rooms to mimic a realistic lighting pattern. You can also invest in a "fake TV", an LED light array that–left on at night−simulates the changing images and light patterns from a TV set. Also visit the post office or fill out a form online to have your mail held while you’re away. Talk to your neighbors to let them know you’ll be gone, and if your trip overlaps with trash day, ask if they can move your bins out for pickup and take them in afterward.
- Install fake security cameras: these realistic looking cameras mounted outside your home can make your home appear to be under surveillance, and they cost less than $10 each.
- Place security-alarm signs around your yard, and security-alarm stickers in your window as a deterrent.
- Start a Neighborhood Watch program with your neighbors.
- Upgrade door locks: Add dead bolts to any doors that don’t have them. Dead bolts are significantly harder to force open than the more common spring bolts found in many doorknobs.
- Fortify windows: Glass windows are one of the most vulnerable areas of any home and intruders often target windows if doors are locked and secured. Whenever you’re away or asleep, close them and install locks on any windows that don’t have them. You can also get security window film designed to hold broken glass together. The films prevent shattered glass from flying into the house, reducing potential injury. Tests have shown that windows protected with security window film can deter intruders for as long as two minutes-giving police additional response time. Security window films also reject up to 99 percent of harmful UV rays, reducing the effects of fading on your furnishings, and block Infrared (IR) rays, keeping heat out of your house.
Help Protect Your Home Against Burglary: Created on May 17th, 2014. Last Modified on October 11th, 2020
