Home Safety Checklist For Evanston

Keeping safe and secure in your home should be your number one concern. But are you forgetting a few key safety components? Look over this home safety checklist for Evanston and see where your house can use greater attention.

This guide starts with a few whole-house safety ideas, and then we whittle it down room-by-room. Then, phone (847) 268-7321 or fill out the form below to get your house safe and secure.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Evanston

While you should take a room-to-room method for home safety, there are some things that are useful for each part of your house. These components can link together through a smart hub, and often can respond to one another. You might also control every one of your home safety components using a mobile security app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Home Security System: All your windows and doors should have a sensor that warns you to forced entry. After an alarm triggers, your monitoring expert answers the call and contacts the police or fire department.

Smart Bulbs For Most Rooms: Sure, you can set your smart lights to make your home more eco-conscience. But smart lights can also help you remain safe during an emergency. Have your smart bulbs come on when an alarm trips to frighten off intruders or brighten the way out to a safe location.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Evanston could save you up to 15% in utility spending. Also, it can start the exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.

Monitored Fire Detectors: At the very least, you have a fire detector on each level of your house. You can improve your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire alarm that detects unusual smoke and heat, and alerts your 24/7 monitoring agents when it senses a fire.

Smart Locks: Every door that utilizes a deadbolt can be made safer with a smart lock. Now you may preset numbered codes to friends and family and receive alerts to your mobile device when your locks are unlocked. Your smart lock can even automatically open, helping you to quickly leave if you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room/Living Room Safety Checklist For Evanston

You’ll hang out most in the living room, so it may be the best room to kick off your home safety renovation. Highly sought after items, like a big screen or stereo system, typically reside in your living room, making it a tempting room for thieves. Start with hanging a motion detector or indoor camera in your room, then try some of these ideas:

Motion Sensors: By installing motion detectors, you’ll hear a shrieking noise whenever they detect unexpected movement in your living room. The best devices are motion sensors that ignore a dog or cat or you’ll see your sirens go off each time your pet roams by for a drink of water.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera puts a visual on your family room. Get live streams of the area so you can find out what’s happening from the mobile app. Or speak with family members when they come back from playing using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Protect those electronics and quit overburdening your outlets with a surge protector. For additional convenience, use a smart plug with a surge protector included.
Furniture Attached To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll need to secure your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially crucial if your family room uses rugs or carpet that could make furniture extra unstable.
Special Locks For Sliding Glass Doors: If your living room has a sliding glass door that leads to a backyard, deck, or porch, you already can see that the latch is pretty thin. Use an enhanced lock, like a metal bar or small locks that secures the door to the top and bottom of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Evanston

The kitchen has plenty of items that should provide safety to your house. Most of these things should be easy to add and can be purchased from the grocery store:

Fire Extinguisher: Fire can happen from an overfilled skillet or a faulty burner. Always store a fire extinguisher at hand for any kitchen emergencies.
Circuit Interrupter Box On Every Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be installed on outlets where there’s nearby running water to lessen the chance of electrocution. That includes the plugs around your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one GFCI per dedicated circuit. But for simplicity’s sake, you’ll want to install a separate GFCI per outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is needed in kitchens that employ natural gas for the stove and oven. If your gas appliances malfunction, the carbon monoxide detector will play a loud noise and ping your monitoring agent.
Cleaning Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety hazard in the kitchen is actually bacteria and protein from uncooked meat and other foods. Always store disinfectant wipes or an antibacterial spray to sanitize your counters when preparing food.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the refrigerator have to remain at a cold temperature to be ready to consume. If you accidently leave the refrigerator door ajar, then a small beep will tell you to close the door. Some refrigerators come with an alarm, older models won’t, and you’ll have to pick up a refrigerator alarm from the store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Evanston

Just because there’s not a lot of room in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From flood prevention to medicine care, here are a few safety ideas for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking toilet or bathtub can create extensive destruction. Deal with a water problem with a flood detector and save yourself from redoing the whole bathroom.
No-slip Bathroom Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, sore joints, or broken bones. You can avoid these hazards with a textured bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

Non-slip Bathtub Strips: Like a tiled floor, a tub can be a slippery surface to stand in. It’s a good idea that each bathtub has some textured stickers so your feet and toes have a bumpy patch to gain traction.

Medicine Door Latch: If you have curious kids or anyone with memory complications, you have to take additional attention regarding prescription medicine. Secure your pills and syrups by getting a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Just like the kitchen, you need to also put in a grounded GFCI outlet on each bathroom receptacle. These will stop the flow of the electric current if water enters the outlet or they experience a harmful jolt from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Evanston

Your kid’s bedroom should pair safety with manageability. If their window shades or other items are safe but tricky to use, then your kids may try risky methods -- like climb a dresser -- to touch them. Here are some simple, yet safe, ideas:

No Cord Window Treatments: Safety professionals have identified window treatment cords a secret hazard for kids and pets. Use motorized treatments that you can easily control through a remote. Or go state-of-the-art and link your motorized coverings to your security system so they open automatically when the sun comes up, and close in the evening for added darkness.

Indoor Security Camera: A camera placed on your child’s desk or dresser can behave just like a baby monitor that you can watch with a smartphone. And if they want you, they can push the two-way talk button on the camera.

Plug Covers: While every outlet should have protective covers on them for your young children, this is especially important in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your home where your child will most likely play solo without constant parental supervision.

Window Fire Ladder: If you use bedrooms on the second story, then you need to install a window safety ladder. These can let a child get out of their room even if the hallway or lower levels are on fire. Just remember to go over how to unfurl the ladder a few times a year.

Toy Box Or Low Bookshelves: It’s interesting to look at a toy box as a safety component, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever stepped on a building block in your stocking feet. A uncluttered floor gives your child a quick way out if there’s a fire or break-in.

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Evanston

The bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety items make you more responsive when you experience an emergency event. After all, being wrenched awake by a high-decibel siren can be disorienting.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your bedside table helps you know what’s going on without getting out of bed. You could always turn on your ADT mobile app but, the large touchscreen can be better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and finding your bearings.

Device Charging Station: We use our cell phones for so many things now alarms, internet searches, social media, and --legend has it-- even phones. But, a depleted phone will cut us off from the outside world if during an emergency. To keep it nice and ready, a charging cord or station becomes an important part of your nightstand.

Nightlight/Smart Lights: A tiny light helps ground you when you’re jolted awake from a siren or unexpected sounds. If you can’t fall asleep with an outlet light, put in smart lights in your bedroom. Then you can get light simply with a mobile device or vocal command.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your important paperwork like social security cards, medical information, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof safe. Your lockbox can be a big one that sits in a corner or a smaller portable lockbox that you can snatch on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

Heat Sensor: The issue with bedrooms is that they might feel too warm or be cold because they are across the house from the thermostat. A heat sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a nice, peaceful sleep at a wonderful temperature.

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Evanston

Most safety issues in the garage or basement have to do with your water heater or heating system. Finding issues early can prevent larger disasters in the future. So, as you take a look around your basement or garage, check over these critical items:

Flood Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Putting a flood alarm in back of your water heater and sump pump drain can stop you from wading into a lake when you go into your garage or basement. It’s much better than rummaging through a bunch of soggy storage boxes.

Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s beneficial to hang a carbon monoxide alarm in areas where a CO leak can occur. If you have gas heating, try to install a detector in the same place as your unit.
Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood sensor detects a hot water heater leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to shut off the main water line immediately. With a remote shutoff valve, you can block water flow from any mobile device. That’s perfect when you’re out of town and get a flood sensor text on your mobile device.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up causes all types of issues. You can waste heat or air through that open door, and rodents or thieves can just saunder in. A remote sensor will notify you about a neglected garage door and lets you lower it with your phone.
Heat Sensor: A temperature sensor in your garage or basement is a definite if you fret about frozen pipes. The heat in these areas can be wildly different than your main rooms of the house, so you may need to keep a closer eye on the temp through your mobile app.

Outside Safety Checklist for Evanston

Your foliage, drive, and front porch are just as important to secure as the inside of your home. Try the items on this checklist to create a safe outside:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s arrived at the front door before you open it and welcome guests. See package deliveries and look at video clips if they are stolen.

Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor cameras to guard against late night lurkers in your back yard. These cameras come in handy in areas where you may not have a view -- like a side yard or by the garage.

Low Bushes: Tall foliage can create some serenity, but they also block your line of sight of the yard. Don’t provide potential burglars a place to hide. Plus, large shrubs or greenery against your home can jam up gutters and bring in bugs.
ADT Signage: One of the largest deterrents for home intrusion is alerting would-be intruders that you have a monitored ADT security system. An ADT sign by the stoop and a window sticker will tell ne'er-do-wells that they ought to shove off to an unprotected house.

Motion Triggered Flood Lights: Light is the largest deterrent to those who skulk in the shadows. Motion-activated flood lights on your porch, garage, or deck can help scare lurkers away. Lights also help you see the walk when you arrive to the house late after work.

Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for Evanston

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with non-security devices on your Evanston home safety checklist, we can install a customized security system. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can install the best system for your family’s needs. Just contact (847) 268-7321 for more information or send in the form below. Or personalize your own system with our Security System Designer.