Home Safety Checklist For Detroit

Being safe in your home should be your number one responsibility. But are you forgetting a few key safety components? Look over this home safety checklist for Detroit and see where your house needs an update.

We give you a few whole-house safety items, and then we whittle it down to specific room ideas. Then, call (313) 306-4352 or send in the form below for additional information.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Detroit

While you will want to take a room-by-room process for home safety in Detroit, there are some methods that are useful for your entire house. These items can talk to each other through a touchscreen hub, and oftentimes respond to other components. You might also control all your home safety devices with a mobile security app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your doors and windows should use a sensor that alerts you and your family to a break-in. After the alarm triggers, your monitoring center picks up the call and immediately sends a first responder.

Smart Lighting For Most Rooms: Of course, you can set your smart lights to become more eco-conscience. But they can also help you remain safe in an emergency. Have your downstairs lights flash on when a sensor goes off to shoo off intruders or brighten your way to a secure location.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Detroit can save you 10%-15% in energy costs. But it also can flip on your exhaust fan if you have a fire.

Monitored Smoke Detectors: It’s code that you need to have a fire alarm on each level. You can improve your fire readiness by utilizing a monitored fire alarm that detects excessive heat and smoke, and pings your round-the-clock monitoring team when it thinks that there’s a fire.

Smart Door Locks: Every entryway that needs a deadbolt can use a smart door lock. Now you may preset key codes to friends and family and receive alerts to your phone when the locks are used. Your smart lock can even automatically open, allowing you to quickly flee the house during a fire or other emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist For Detroit

You’ll hang out most in your living room, so it can be the best room to begin your home safety makeover. Highly sought after items, like a TV or stereo system, typically sit in your living room, making it a popular area for burglars. Start with placing a motion sensor or indoor camera in there, then take a look at some of these suggestions:

Motion Sensors: By installing motion sensors, you’ll get a loud noise whenever they detect unusual motion in your family room. Look for motion sensors that filter out pet movements or you’ll get your sirens go off every time your pet comes in for a drink of water.
Security Camera: An indoor security camera offers a constant watch on your living room. View constant streams of your room so you can find out what’s happening through the mobile app. Or speak with family members in the family room by using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard those electronics and quit overburdening your outlets with a surge protector. For added energy-efficiency, set up a smart plug with anti-surge functionality built-in.
Entertainment Center Secured To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll want to secure your bookshelves and entertainment center to a wall. This is especially important if your family room uses carpeting that could make heavy objects extra unbalanced.
Enhanced Locks For Sliding Glass Doors: If your living room has a glass door that leads to a patio, deck, or outside porch, you get that the door lock is fairly flimsy. Put in an enhanced lock, like a bottom bar or small locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Detroit

The kitchen has plenty of items that can provide comfort and safety to your home. Many of these things are also simple to add and can be found in the grocery store:

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can come from from a neglected frying pan or a faulty burner. Always have a fire extinguisher at the ready for any kitchen mishaps.
GFCI Box On Each Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be standard everywhere there’s nearby water to prevent an electric shock. That includes the outlets 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 your whole kitchen to go dead when one outlet surges, try to have a separate GFCI per outlet.

Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is needed in spaces that use gas for the stove and oven. If your gas burners leak, the carbon monoxide detector will cause a high-decibel sound and call your monitoring center.
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety issue in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and cross-contamination from raw meat and other foods. Always keep antiviral wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your surfaces before and after preparing food.
Refrigerator Alarm: The items in the refrigerator have to stay at a cold temperature to stay healthy to eat. If you leave the fridge or freezer door ajar, then a small beep will let you know so you can close the door. Some fridges come with this installed, some do not, and you’ll have to pick up a fridge alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Detroit

Just because there’s not a lot of square footage in your bathroom, you will still have safety issues. From flood detectors to medicine care, here are five safety tips for your bathroom:

Flood Sensors: A leaking sink or bathtub can create a whole lot of destruction. Discover a leaking pipe with a flood detector and save yourself from redoing the whole bathroom.
No-slip Shower Mats: A slip in the bathroom can be painful, causing pulled muscles, bruises, or trips to the hospital. You can steer clear from these issues with a textured bath mat for your wet feet.

No-slip Bathtub Stickies: Like a tiled floor, a bathtub can be a slippery area to be on. Make sure every bathtub has some textured stickies so your feet have a textured patch for stability.

Medicine Door Latch: If you have little kids or someone with memory difficulties, you need to take extra attention regarding prescribed medicine. Hide away your prescriptions by using a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Similarly to the kitchen, you will have to also install a surge protecting circuit interrupter outlet on every bathroom outlet. This will shut off the electric current if water enters the outlet or there’s an unusual jolt from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Child’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Detroit

Your child’s bedroom should balance safety with manageability. If their window shades or other things are safe but difficult to use, then your kids may perform risky activities -- like scale a chest of drawers -- to touch them. Here are 5 straightforward, and safe, ideas:

No Cord Window Coverings: Safety professionals have identified cords from shades and blinds a secret hazard for children and animals. Use motorized shades that you can easily open and close via remote control. Or even better, link your motorized treatments to your ADT smart hub so they open on a schedule when the sun comes up, and close at night for an easier sleep.

Tableside Security Camera: An indoor security camera sitting on your child’s dresser can act as a baby monitor that you can see from a mobile device. And if they need your help, they can use the intercom talk button on the camera.

Plug Covers: While each outlet should have outlet safety caps on them for your small children, this is especially urgent in their bedroom. It’s the one place in your home where your toddler will most likely hang out alone without additional supervision.

Window Escape Ladder: If you use bedrooms on above the first floor, then you should put in a window safety ladder. These should help your children get out of their room in case the stairs or lower levels are blocked off with fire. Just remember to practice how to unfurl them at least twice a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to look at a toy chest as a safety item, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever tramped on an action figure in your stocking feet. A clean floor gives your child a quick retreat if there’s a safety or security event.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Detroit

The main bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety components make you more responsive if you have an emergency. After all, being wrenched awake by a loud alarm can be quite a shock.

Home Security Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your dresser lets you see what’s going on without leaving your bed. You could also use your ADT smartphone app. However, the HD touchscreen can be faster to use when you’re yawning and confused.

Device Charging Area: We use our phones for so much now GPS, internet searches, game machines, and sometimes even phones. However, an uncharged phone can cut us off from communications if during an emergency. To keep it nice and ready, a charging station or cord is an important part of your nightstand.

Nightlights Or Voice Activated Smart Lights: A small light can calm you when you’re bolted awake from an alarm or other loud noises. If you won’t drift off to sleep with a nightlight, put in smart lights in your bedroom and hall. Then you can have light simply with a button push or vocal command.
Fireproof Lockbox: Store your essential papers like social security cards, passports, or banking information in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a bigger one that sits in a corner or a small handheld lockbox that you can carry as you escape during a fire or other emergency.

Temperature Sensor: The drawback with a master bedroom is that they might run too stuffy or be cold because they are located far away from the thermostat. A temperature sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a comfortable, peaceful sleep at a wonderful temperature.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Detroit

Most safety problems in the garage or basement have to do with your water heater or heating system. Finding problems before they start can stave away larger problems later on. So, as you walk around your storage areas, check over these crucial items:

Flood Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood alarm next to your water heater or sump pump drain can stop you from discovering a pond when you step into your basement or garage. Do you really want to spend your night drying the floor?

Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s nice to have a CO detector in areas where a CO leak can occur. If you use a gas furnace, you’ll want to install a detector in the same place as your inbound pipes.
WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm finds a plumbing leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to cut off the primary water valve at once. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from your phone. That’s perfect when you’re visiting relatives and receive an emergency leak alert on your mobile device.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage open leads to all types of problems. You can lose heat through that large opening, and all sorts of animals or thieves can just walk in. A sensor will notify you about a neglected 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 your pipes freezing. The temperature in these rooms can be surprisingly different than your main rooms of the home, so you will want to keep a close look on the temperature through your mobile app.

Outside Safety Checklist for Detroit

Your yard, drive, and front porch are just as imperative to defend as the interior of your house. Try this checklist to make your outside safe:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s arrived at the front door before you answer it and chat with guests. View deliveries and review video clips if they vanish off the step.

Outdoor Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to alert you to unusual movement in your yard. These devices are especially useful in areas where you might not have a window installed -- like around a cellar or by the garage.

Low Shrubs: High shrubs can offer some serenity, but they also hinder you seeing into the yard. Don’t offer potential burglars a place to hide. Plus, high shrubs or trees around your house can obstruct gutters and summon pests.
ADT Signs And Decals: One of the most popular deterrents for a thief is telling potential intruders that you have a monitored security system. An ADT yard sign by the stoop and a window sticker will show people that they ought to shove off to an less prepared target.

Motion Controlled Flood Light Fixtures: Light is the greatest deterrent to people who skulk in the dark. Motion-controlled flood lights on your deck, porch, or garage can shoo lurkers away. They also help you get inside when you come back home late after work.

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

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver every item on your Detroit home safety checklist, we can offer a customized security system. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can install the perfect system for your home’s needs. Simply contact (313) 306-4352 to get started or fill out the form below. Or customize your own solution with our Security System Designer.