Home Safety Checklist For Huntsville

Staying safe and secure in your home should be your number one concern. But are you missing some key safety items? Look over this home safety checklist for Huntsville and find out where your house can use an update.

This guide starts with some whole-house safety ideas, and then we break it down on a room level. Then, contact (256) 240-0573 or send in the form below to get your house safe and secure.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Huntsville

While you should use a room-to-room approach to home safety, there are some methods that work for the entire house approach. These components can link together through a smart hub, and can even respond to other components. You might also manage all your home safety components using a smartphone app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your windows and doors should have a sensor that notifies you to intrusion. After the alarm trips, your monitoring team responds to the alert and quickly sends emergency personnel.

Smart Bulbs For Most Rooms: Of course, you can set your smart lights to become more energy-efficient. But smart lights can also help you remain safe throughout an emergency. Make your smart bulbs flip on when a sensor goes off to frighten off intruders or light the way out to a secure area.

Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Huntsville can save you up to 15% in energy costs. But it also can flip on the exhaust fan if you have a fire.

Monitored Fire Detectors: At the very least, you need to have a smoke detector on each level of your house. You can improve your fire game by installing a monitored fire alarm that looks for both heat and smoke, and pings your 24/7 monitoring team when it senses a fire.

Smart Door Locks: Every entryway that uses a deadbolt can upgrade to a smart lock. Now you can assign codes to family and friends and get notifications to your mobile device when they are unlocked. Your locks can even automatically open, helping you to quickly get out during a fire or dangerous situation.

Family Room Safety Checklist For Huntsville

You’ll spend a lot of time in your living room, so it’s the best place to improve your home safety. Electronics, like a TV or video games, typically reside in your living room, making it a popular space for burglars. Start with installing a motion sensor or security camera in your room, then take a look at some of these suggestions:

Motion Sensors: By putting in motion detectors, you’ll hear a loud siren whenever they detect suspicious motion within your living room. You’ll want motion sensors that ignore pets or you’ll see your sirens go off every time your cat comes in for a drink of water.
Security Camera: An indoor security camera offers an eye on your family room. Get constant feeds of everything so you can see what’s happening from the mobile app. Or chat with your family when they come home from school using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Protect those electronics and quit overloading your outlets with a surge protector. For extra energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality in the unit.
Furniture Bolted To The Wall: If you have any small children, you’ll need to bolt your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to a wall. This is extra important if your family room uses carpet that can make furniture extra wobbly.
Enhanced Locks For Sliding Doors: If your living room uses a sliding glass door that leads to a backyard, deck, or porch, you probably know that the door lock is pretty thin. Install a custom lock, like a cross bar or locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Huntsville

Your kitchen has plenty of items that should bring comfort and safety 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 overfilled skillet or an errant grease splatter. Always have a fire extinguisher at the ready for any cooking emergencies.
Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be used on outlets where they’re close to running water to ward off a deadly shock. That means the plugs close to your sink and kitchen counter. Since 1987, it’s been standard to have one GFCI per dedicated circuit. But if you don’t want all your outlets to turn off when one outlet flips, you’ll want to use a single GFCI per outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is handy in the kitchen if you employ gas for the oven and stove. If your gas burners malfunction, the CO detector will emit a high-decibel sound and ping your monitoring center.
Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety problem in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and contamination that comes with uncooked meat and vegetables. Always keep antiviral wipes or a bleach spray to sanitize your area after making a meal.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in the fridge should remain at a cold temperature to stay safe to consume. If you leave the fridge or freezer door open, then an alarm beep will let you know so you can close the door. Some appliances already have this installed, some don’t, and you’ll have to buy a fridge alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Huntsville

Just because you don’t a lot of square footage in your bathroom, you will still have safety hazards. From water problems to anti-surge outlets, here are a few safety improvements for your bathroom:

Flood Sensors: A leaking toilet or tub can create extensive damage. Find a water problem with a flood detector and save the time and money from renovations.
Textured Bathroom Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, sore joints, or sprained ankles. You can avoid these problems with a textured bathroom mat for your wet feet.

Non-slip Bathtub Strips: Likewise, a bathtub can be a slick area to move in. It’s a good idea that every bathtub has some no-slip stickies so your feet and toes have a bumpy patch for stability.

Medicine Door Latch: If you have young children or a family member with memory complications, you need to take extra attention regarding prescription medicine. Safeguard your prescriptions by getting a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

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

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Huntsville

Your child’s bedroom should balance safety with simplicity. If their window treatments or other items are safe but hard to use, then your child may get around the device with unsafe activities -- like climb a bookshelf -- to touch them. Here are some simple, yet safe, ideas:

Cordless Window Treatments: Safety agencies have identified corded window treatments a secret danger for kids and pets. Put in motorized shades that your child can easily control with a remote. Or go state-of-the-art and link your motorized treatments to your security system so they can raise without anyone’s help when it’s time to get up, and close at bedtime for an easier sleep.

Tableside Security Camera: A camera placed on your child’s dresser can behave just like a high tech baby monitor that you can see with a mobile device. And if they want something, they can hit the two-way talk button that comes with the camera.

Outlet Covers: While every outlet should use covers on them to protect your little children, this is doubly urgent in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one room in your house where your children will most likely be alone without consistent parental supervision.

Window Safety Ladder: If you use bedrooms on the second story, then you will want to install a window safety ladder. These can let your children escape even if the stairway or downstairs are engulfed in smoke and fire. Make sure to go over how to employ the ladder a few times a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Bookshelves: It’s interesting to think about a toy chest as a safety item, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever stepped on a building block in your stocking feet. A clean floor gives your child a quick escape if there’s a safety or security event.

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Huntsville

Your main bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety items give you peace of mind when you have an emergency event. After all, being wrenched awake by a loud alarm can be disorienting.

Security System Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your nightstand gives you a sense of what’s what that noise was without jumping out of bed. You could alternatively turn on your ADT mobile app. However, the large touchscreen is often better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and disoriented.

Device Charging Stand: We use our smartphones for so many things now GPS, internet searches, game machines, and maybe even phones. But, a dead phone will cut us off from reaching help if during an emergency. So, a an easy-to-use charging station becomes an important part of your nightstand.

Nightlight/Smart Lights: A plug-in light helps ground you when you’re jolted awake from a siren or unexpected sounds. If you can’t fall asleep with a nightlight, use a smart bulb in your bedroom and hall. Then you can have light on-demand with a button push or voice command.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your important documents like birth certificates, medical information, or banking information in a fireproof safe. This can be a big one that camps out out of the way or a small handheld lockbox that you can grab on your way out during a fire or break-in.

Heat Sensor: The problem with most bedrooms is that they might be too hot or be cold because they sit across the house from the thermostat. A temperature sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a nice, peaceful sleep at the perfect climate.

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Huntsville

Most safety problems in the basement or garage deal with your water or furnace. Seeing issues at the source can prevent bigger emergencies later on. So, as you take a look around your garage or basement, take note of these safety items:

Flood Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood sensor in back of your water heater and sump pump can save you from wading into a lake when you step into your basement or garage. The last you need is to waste the weekend getting rid of standing water and going through all those soggy boxes.

CO Detector: It’s smart to have a carbon monoxide detector in a place where a natural gas leak can occur. If you employ a gas furnace, try to put a detector in the same area as your HVAC unit.
Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector senses a plumbing leak or a busted pipe, then you will want to cap the primary water valve 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 receive a flood sensor text on your phone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage open leads to all types of problems. You can lose a bunch of heat through that large opening, and rodents or thieves can just walk in. A remote sensor will text 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 fret about your pipes freezing. The temperature in these rooms can be drastically different than your main rooms of the home, so you may want to maintain a closer eye on them with the ADT mobile app.

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Huntsville

Your landscaping, driveway, and front walk are just as imperative to secure as the inside of your home. Try the items on this checklist to create a safe outside:

Doorbell Camera: See who’s at the door before you answer it and talk to visitors. Get a visual on deliveries and look at video clips if they vanish off the step.

Outdoor Security Camera: You can install outdoor cameras to alert you to unusual lurkers in your yard. These cameras are nice in areas where you may not have a window installed -- like a side yard or by the garage door.

Low Bushes: High bushes can create some privacy, but they also hinder your line of sight of the yard. Don’t offer potential intruders a dark shadow to hide. Plus, tall bushes or foliage around your home can jam up gutters and invite pests.
ADT Yard Signs: One of the biggest discouragements for a break-in is telling would-be intruders that you own an updated home security system. An ADT yard sign by the front door and a window cling will show people that they ought to shove off to an less prepared score.

Motion Controlled Porch Lights: Light is the greatest deterrent to those who lurk in the dark. Motion-controlled lights on your porch, garage, or deck can help scare possible intruders away. Flood lights also help you see the walk when you get to the house late after work.

Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You With Your Home Safety Checklist for Huntsville

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with non-security devices on your Huntsville home safety checklist, we can bring you a powerful home security system. With easy-to-use devices and ADT monitoring, we can customize the ideal system for your home’s needs. Simply call (256) 240-0573 to get started or send in the form below. Or personalize your own solution with our Security System Designer.