Home Safety Checklist For Hoover

Being safe in your residence should be your largest responsibility. But are you missing one or two key safety items? Take this home safety checklist for Hoover and see where your home requires an update.

This guide starts with some whole-home safety techniques, and then we break it down on a room level. Then, phone (205) 203-0764 or complete the form below to talk to a security professional.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Hoover

While you should employ a room-by-room approach to home safety, there are a few items that are good for your entire home. These items can talk to each other through a touchscreen hub, and often can work off other things. You can also manage every one of your home safety equipment with a mobile security app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your doors and windows should employ a sensor that warns you to a break-in. When your alarm trips, your monitoring agent answers the alert and immediately contacts the police or fire department.

Smart Lights For Every Major Room: Sure, you can set your smart bulbs so your home is more eco-conscience. But smart lights can also help you stay safe during an emergency. Have your downstairs lights come on when a sensor triggers to frighten off burglars or illuminate a path to a secure area.

Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Hoover can save you 10%-15% in utility spending. Also, it can flip on your exhaust fan when your alarms senses a fire.

Monitored Fire Alarms: At the very least, you have a fire detector on every floor. You can increase your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire detector that looks for unusual heat and smoke, and alerts your 24/7 monitoring experts when it detects a fire.

Smart Door Locks: Every entryway that utilizes a keyed lock can upgrade to a smart lock. Now you can preset numbered codes to each family member and receive alerts to your mobile device when the locks are activated. Your smart lock can even automatically turn off, allowing you to quickly leave if you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room/Living Room Safety Checklist For Hoover

You’ll spend most of your time in your living room, so it’s the perfect room to start your home safety renovation. Popular items, like a TV or video games, usually sit in your family room, making it a tempting area for thieves. Start with hanging a motion detector or indoor camera in your room, then try the following safety protocols:

Motion Sensors: By installing motion detectors, you’ll have a shrieking noise anytime they detect unusual movement in your living room. You’ll want motion sensors that aren’t set off by pet movements or you’ll get your sirens go off each time your cat comes in for a midnight stroll.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera offers a constant watch on your living room. View live feeds of the area so you can find out what’s happening through the mobile app. Or talk with family members in the living room using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard expensive electronics and quit overloading your electric system with a surge protector. For additional energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with a surge protector included.
Heavy Furniture Secured To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll want to secure your heavy furniture and entertainment center to a wall. This is especially important if your living room uses carpet that can make heavy objects extra wobbly.
Special Locks For Sliding Doors: If your family room uses a sliding door that leads to a backyard, deck, or outside porch, you already know that the door lock is usually flimsy. Put in a custom lock, like a cross bar or locks that secures the door to the top and bottom of the frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Hoover

Your kitchen has many items that should add comfort and safety to your house. Some of these objects should be simple to add and should be found in the Target or Walmart:

Fire Extinguisher: Fire can happen from an unwatched frying pan or an errant grease splatter. Always store a fire extinguisher at the ready for any cooking mishaps.
GFCI Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be standard on outlets where they’re close to water to lessen the chance of an electric shock. That includes the plugs by your kitchen counter and sink. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But if you don’t want all your outlets to turn off when one outlet surges, you’ll want to install an unchained GFCI per outlet.

Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is handy in spaces that use gas for the oven and range. If your gas burners leak, the CO detector will cause a loud, buzzing sound and ping your monitoring expert.
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety issue in the kitchen is actually bacteria and protein that comes with blood from meat and dairy. Always have cleaning wipes or an antibacterial spray to clean your counters after making a meal.
Refrigerator/Freezer Alarm: The food items in the refrigerator have to remain at a chilly temperature to stay ready to use. If you leave the freezer or refrigerator door open too long, then an alarm beep will tell you to check the seal. Some appliances already have a pre-installed alarm, older models don’t, and you’ll have to buy a fridge alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Hoover

Just because you may not have a bunch of room in your bathroom there’s still safety concerns. From flood detectors to anti-surge outlets, here are a few safety improvements for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking toilet or tub can cause an expensive amount of damage. Find a leak with a flood detector and save a bunch of money from damage.
Non-slip Shower Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be a painful occurrence, causing pulled muscles, bruises, or trips to the hospital. Or steer clear from these issues with a non-slip bathroom mat for your wet feet.

Textured Bathtub Stickies: Likewise, a tub basin can be a slick place to be on. Make sure each bathtub has some non-slip stickers so your feet and toes have a rough patch for stability.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have curious kids or a family member with memory lapses, you need to take extra care regarding medicine. Hide away your prescriptions by installing a medicine cabinet with a child-proof lock.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Just like the kitchen, you should also install a grounded circuit interrupter outlet on every bathroom circuit. This will shut off the current if water enters the outlet or they experience a harmful surge from a curling iron or hair dryer.

Children’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Hoover

A child’s bedroom should balance safety with simplicity. If their window shades or other things are safe but hard to operate, then your child may get around the device with risky methods -- like climb a chest of drawers -- to open them. Here are some straightforward, and safe, ideas:

Cord-Free Window Coverings: Safety experts have identified window treatment cords an unsuspecting problem for both children and pets. Install motorized shades that you can easily open and close with a remote. Or go state-of-the-art and connect your motorized treatments to your ADT security system so they open without anyone’s help at dawn, and lower at night for added darkness.

Indoor Security Camera: A camera perched on your child’s desk or dresser can behave as a baby monitor that you can see with a mobile device. And when they need you, they can push the intercom talk button included on the camera.

Outlet Covers: While each outlet should use covers on them for your young children, this is especially needed in a child’s bedroom. It’s the main place in your house where your child will most likely hang out by themselves without constant additional supervision.

Window Escape Ladder: If you use bedrooms on above the first level, then you need to install a window safety ladder. These can help your children get out of their room when the hallway or downstairs are engulfed in smoke and fire. Remember to rehearse how to unfurl them at least twice a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s weird to view a toy chest as a safety device, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever stepped on a building block in your socked feet. A clutter-free floor means a quick retreat when there’s a fire or break-in.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Hoover

The master bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety items give you peace of mind if you have an emergency event. After all, being wrenched awake by a wailing siren can be quite a shock.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your nightstand gives you a sense of what’s what that noise was without leaving your bed. You could always log into your ADT mobile app. However, the touchscreen can be easier to control to use when you’re coming out of sleep and finding your bearings.

Phone Charging Station: We depend on our cell phones for almost everything now GPS, internet searches, games, and maybe even phones. The only problem is that a depleted phone can cut us off from the outside world if during an emergency. To keep it nice and ready, a charging cord or station is should be used nightly.

Nightlights Or Voice Activated Smart Lights: A small light helps ground you when you’re bolted awake from a siren or other loud noises. If you can’t fall asleep with a nightlight, install a smart bulb in your bedroom. Then you can get light simply with a push of a button or vocal command.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your vital documents like insurance cards, passports, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a big one that sits out of the way or a slender handheld safe that you can grab on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

Temperature Sensor: The issue with a master bedroom is that they can run too hot or be frigid because they sit across the house from the thermostat. A temperature sensor will communicate to your smart thermostat so you should have a nice, peaceful sleep at just the right climate.

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Hoover

Most safety needs in the basement or garage are with your water heater or HVAC system. Discovering problems at the source can prevent larger problems in the future. So, as you take a look around your garage or basement, pay attention to these critical items:

Flood Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood sensor next to your water heater and sump pump drain can prevent you from wading into a mess when you go into your basement or garage. It’s much better than sifting through a bunch of destroyed storage boxes.

CO Detector: It’s smart to hang a carbon monoxide alarm in areas where a CO leak can happen. If you have gas heating, you’ll want to install an alarm in the same area as your HVAC unit.
WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector senses a hot water leak or a burst pipe, then you will want to cap the primary water pipe at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from your phone. That’s helpful when you’re out of town and receive a water leak text on your smartphone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up leads to all types of issues. You can lose heat or air through that gaping hole, and rodents or lurkers can just walk in. A sensor will notify you about an open garage door and allow you to close it through the app.
Heat Sensor: A heat sensor in your garage or basement is handy if you wonder about your pipes freezing. The heat in these areas can be surprisingly different than your main rooms of the home, so you will need to have a closer eye on them by using your mobile app.

Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for Hoover

Your yard, driveway, and front walk are just as imperative to secure as the inside of your house. Try this checklist to defend your perimeter:

Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s arrived at the the front step before you open it and talk to visitors. Get a visual on deliveries and look at video clips if they are stolen.

Outdoor Camera: You can install outdoor security cameras to notify you about late night lurkers in your back yard. These cameras are especially useful in areas where you may not have a window -- like a side yard or by the garage.

Low Shrubs: Tall bushes can offer some solitude, but they also obscure your view of the outside. Don’t provide potential intruders an area to hide. Plus, high shrubs or greenery against your structure can clog gutters and invite bugs.
ADT Signs And Decals: One of the biggest deterrents for a thief is alerting potential intruders that you use a state-of-the-art security system. An ADT sign by the stoop and a window sticker will alert lurkers that they should keep walking to an less prepared house.

Motion Controlled Outside Light Fixtures: Light is the largest deterrent to those who skulk in the unlit places. Motion-controlled lighting on your porch, garage, or deck can help scare lurkers away. Lights also help you get inside when you come back home late at night.

Use Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Hoover

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver every item on your Hoover home safety checklist, we can discuss a state-of-the-art security system. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can customize the ideal system for your family’s needs. Just contact (205) 203-0764 to get started or complete the form below. Or personalize your own solution with our Security System Designer.