Home Safety Checklist For Athens

Staying safe and secure in your home should be your number one responsibility. But are you overlooking one or two key safety items? Look over this home safety checklist for Athens and see where your living space can use an update.

We give you five whole-house safety items, and then we delve down to specific room ideas. Then, call (706) 397-7344 or complete the form below for additional information.

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Athens

While you may want to employ a individual room method for home safety in Athens, there are some things that are good for the whole home. These components can link to each other through a smart hub, and often can work off one another. You can also control each of your home safety components using a mobile app, such as ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: Each one of your entryways should have a sensor that alerts you to forced entry. After your alarm goes off, your monitoring agent responds to the alert and immediately calls emergency personnel.

Smart Lights For Most Rooms: Of course, you can schedule your smart lights so your home is more efficient. But smart lights can also allow you to stay safe throughout an emergency. Have your lights flip on when a sensor triggers to scare off robbers or brighten your way to a safe area.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Athens can save you between 10%-15% in utility costs. Also, it can turn on an exhaust fan if you have a fire.

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

Smart Lock For Every Door: Every door that uses a keyed lock can use a smart door lock. Now you can set numbered codes to friends and family and get notifications to your phone when the locks are unlocked. Your doors can even automatically unlock, allowing you to quickly flee the house if you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist For Athens

You’ll hang out most in the living room, so it may be the perfect area to start making your house a safer place. Highly sought after items, like a TV or video game console, typically sit in your living room, making it a tempting room for burglars. Begin with hanging a motion sensor or security camera by the doorway, then take a look at all these suggestions:

Motion Sensors: By installing motion sensors, you’ll hear a shrieking siren anytime they sense unexpected movement within your family room. The best devices are motion detectors that aren’t set off by a dog or cat or you’ll get a tripped alarm every time your cat comes in for a bite of food.
Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera gives you a constant watch on your family room. Get real-time feeds of everything so you can find out what’s downstairs from the mobile app. Or talk with your kids in the living room using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Make sure you protect all your electronics and stop overburdening your electric system with a surge protector. For extra energy-efficiency, set up a smart plug with surge protection built-in.
Heavy Furniture Secured To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll need to secure your bookshelves and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially crucial if your living room uses carpeting that could make heavy objects extra wobbly.
Enhanced Locks For Sliding Doors: If your family room uses a sliding glass door that opens to a backyard, deck, or porch, you can see that the latch is usually thin. Use an enhanced lock, like a metal bar or small locks that are located on the top and bottom of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Athens

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

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can spring up from an unwatched pot or an errant grease splatter. Always have 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 running water to lessen the chance of electrocution. That includes the outlets close to your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been code to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But each one of your plugs will flip off if any outlet senses a surge, so try to have a single GFCI per outlet.

Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is handy in kitchens that employ a gas oven and range. If your gas lines spring a leak, the CO detector will play a loud siren and call your monitoring center.
Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The biggest safety issue in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and protein that comes with blood from meat and dairy. Always store disinfectant wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your area before and after cooking.
Refrigerator Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the fridge have to remain at a chilly temperature to stay ready to consume. If you accidently leave the fridge or freezer door ajar, then an alarm beep will let you know so you can shut it securely. Some appliances already have this installed, others won’t, and you’ll have to get an external alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Athens

Just because there’s not a bunch of room in your bathroom, you will still have safety hazards. From flood detectors to medicine care, here are some safety improvements for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or shower can create an expensive amount of water damage. Deal with a water problem with a flood detector and save yourself from reflooring the entire bathroom.
No-slip Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be a painful occurrence, causing cuts, gashed heads, or sprained ankles. Make sure you prevent these problems with a no-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

No-slip Bathtub Stickers: Like a tiled floor, a tub basin can be a slick area to move in. Make sure each bathtub has some no-slip strips so your feet and toes have a bumpy patch to grip.

Medicine Door Latch: If you have curious kids or a family member with memory lapses, you have to take additional care regarding prescribed medicine. Secure your bottles by using a medicine cabinet with a child-proof lock.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Similarly to the kitchen, you will have to also install a safer GFCI outlet on each bathroom circuit. These will shut off the electric current if water enters the outlet or you have a harmful surge from a hair dryer or curling iron.

Child’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Athens

Your kid’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with accessibility. If their window treatments or other things are safe but hard to manage, then your children may try unsafe activities -- like shimmying up a dresser -- to use them. Here are 5 simple, yet safe, ideas:

Cord-Free Window Treatments: Safety professionals have long called corded window treatments a hidden danger for both children and pets. Install motorized blinds or shades that you can easily control through a remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and pair your motorized coverings to your security system so they open on a schedule at dawn, and go down at night for extra privacy.

Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera sitting on your child’s desk can act as a high tech baby monitor that you can see with a mobile device. And when they want something, they can use the two-way talk feature included on the camera.

Outlet Plug Covers: While every outlet should use covers on them when you have little children, this is doubly important in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your house where your toddler will most likely be alone without constant parental supervision.

Window Escape Ladder: If you have bedrooms on the second floor, then you will want to put in a window safety ladder. These will help a child get out of their room in case the stairway or ground floor are engulfed in smoke and fire. Make sure to practice how to unfurl 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 see the light if you’ve ever tramped on an action figure in your socked feet. A clutter-free floor let your child have a quick escape if there’s an emergency.

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Athens

The master bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety components make life easier if you experience an emergency. After all, being jerked awake by a loud siren can be disorienting.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your dresser gives you a sense of what’s going on without jumping out of bed. You could alternatively turn on your ADT mobile app but, the HD touchscreen can be better to use when you’re bleary-eyed and confused.

Device Charging Station: We use our phones for so much now GPS, web browsers, games, and sometimes even phones. But, a dead device can cut us off from the outside world if something goes wrong. To keep it nice and ready, a an easy-to-use charging station becomes should be used nightly.

Nightlight/Smart Lights: A tiny light can calm you when you’re jolted awake from a fire alarm or unexpected sounds. If you won’t drift off to sleep with a nightlight, install smart lights in your bedroom. Then you can have light simply with a push of a button or voice direction.
Fireproof Lockbox: Store your vital paperwork like insurance cards, passports, or banking information in a fireproof safe. This can be a bigger one that camps out out of the way or a small handheld safe that you can carry on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

Heat Sensor: The problem with bedrooms is that they might be too hot or be chilly since they are located far away from the thermostat. A temperature sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you will have a nice, restful sleep at the perfect climate.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Athens

Most safety problems in the garage or basement are with your pipes or HVAC system. Discovering hazards early can stave away bigger disasters in the future. So, as you walk around your storage areas, take note of these crucial items:

Flood Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Installing a flood alarm in back of your water heater or sump pump drain can prevent you from discovering a pond when you step into your garage or basement. It’s much better than rummaging through a heap of soggy storage boxes.

Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s beneficial to install a CO detector in areas where a natural gas leak can occur. If you employ gas heat, you’ll want to put a detector in the same room as your inbound pipes.
Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm detects a hot water heater leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to cut off the main water valve at once. With a remote shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from any mobile device. That’s nice when you’re on vacation and see an emergency leak alert on your smartphone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage door up brings about all types of issues. You can lose heat through that open door, and rodents or intruders can just saunder in. A remote sensor will notify you about a forgotten garage door and lets you lower it through the app.
Temperature Sensor: A heat sensor in your basement or garage is a definite if you worry about freezing pipes. The temperature in these rooms can be surprisingly different than the main part of the home, so you will want to keep a close look on them through the ADT mobile app.

Home Perimeter Safety Checklist for Athens

Your front yard, driveway, and front walk are just as crucial to defend as the interior of your home. Try this checklist to create a safe outside:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s at the front door before you open it and chat with guests. Get a visual on package deliveries and review video clips if they vanish off the step.

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

Window Height Shrubs: Overgrown shrubs can give you some solitude, but they also block your line of sight of the outside. Don’t offer potential intruders an area to hide. Plus, large bushes or greenery too close to your home can clog gutters and summon ants and termites.
ADT Signs And Decals: One of the most popular deterrents for a thief is advertising to would-be intruders that you use a state-of-the-art ADT security system. An ADT yard sign by the front door and a window sticker will tell lurkers that they ought to keep walking to an easier house.

Motion Triggered Flood Light Fixtures: Light is the largest obstacle to those who lurk in the shadows. Motion-activated lights on your porch, garage, or deck can frighten possible intruders away. They also help you see the walk when you come to the house late at night.

Call Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Athens

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver non-security devices on your Athens home safety checklist, we can install a powerful home security. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can install the perfect system for your house’s needs. Simply phone (706) 397-7344 for more information or send in the form below. Or customize your own system with our Security System Designer.