Home Safety Checklist For Charleston

Staying safe in your house should be your topmost responsibility. But are you missing some useful safety items? Look over this home safety checklist for Charleston and find out where your home requires an update.

This guide starts with five whole-home safety items, and then we break it down on a room level. Then, contact (843) 305-8663 or complete the form below for more information.

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Charleston

While you may want to take a room-to-room method for home safety, there are some methods that work for the whole-house approach. These items can talk with one another through a wireless hub, and oftentimes respond to other components. You can also manage every one of your home safety equipment through a mobile app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: All your entryways should use a sensor that notifies your family to intrusion. As the alarm trips, your monitoring expert picks up the alert and immediately calls a first responder.

Smart Lighting For Each Room: Sure, you can set your smart lights to become more energy-efficient. But they can also allow you to keep safe in an emergency. Make your downstairs lights flip on when an alarm triggers to scare off robbers or illuminate the way out to a outside area.

Smart Thermostat: Like your smart lights, a smart thermostat in Charleston could save you between 10%-15% in energy spending. It also can start an exhaust fan during a fire.

Monitored Fire Detectors: It’s code that you will have a smoke detector on each level of your house. You can increase your fire readiness by installing a monitored fire detector that detects both smoke and heat, and pings your 24/7 monitoring team when it detects a fire.

Smart Lock For Every Door: Every door that uses a deadbolt can use a smart lock. Now you can program codes to family and friends and receive alerts to your mobile device when your locks are unlocked. Your smart lock can even automatically open, allowing you to quickly get out if you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist For Charleston

You’ll spend a lot of time in the family room, so it’s the most reasonable place to improve your home safety. Electronics, like a big screen or video game console, typically are located in your living room, making it a popular room for thieves. Start with hanging a motion sensor or security camera in there, then take a look at all these ideas:

Motion Detectors: By hanging motion sensors, you’ll have a shrieking alarm whenever they sense suspicious motion within your living room. You’ll want motion detectors that ignore pet movements or you’ll get an alert each time your pet passes through for a midnight stroll.
Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera puts a visual on your family room. Get real-time feeds of everything so you can find out what’s downstairs through the mobile app. Or talk with family members when they get back from school using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Make sure you protect all your electronics and quit overloading your outlets with a surge protector. For added convenience, use a smart plug with surge protection in the unit.
Entertainment Center Secured To The Wall: If you have curious kids, you’ll need to secure your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to a wall. This is extra crucial if your family room uses carpeting that might make furniture extra unstable.
Special Locks For Sliding Doors: If your family room has a glass door that opens to a deck, patio, or screened-in porch, you know that the latch is fairly flimsy. Put in an enhanced lock, like a bottom bar or locks that bolt to the top and bottom of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Charleston

The kitchen has plenty of items that can provide safety to your home. Most of these objects are also easy to add and should be purchased from the a retail store:

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can happen from an overfilled skillet or an errant grease splatter. Always store a fire extinguisher at the ready for any cooking mishaps.
Circuit Interrupter Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be used anywhere there’s nearby running water to prevent a deadly shock. That means the plugs close to your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one GFCI per dedicated circuit. But each one of your outlets will go dead if one outlet senses a surge, so you’ll want to have an unchained GFCI for every outlet.

Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is needed in the kitchen if you use gas for the stove and oven. If your gas burners leak, the carbon monoxide detector will play a loud, buzzing sound and contact your monitoring center.
Disinfectant Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety hazard in the kitchen is actually bacteria and cross-contamination that comes with blood from meat and vegetables. Always have antiviral wipes or an antibacterial spray to scrub off your surfaces after cooking.
Refrigerator Alarm: The milk, meat, and perishables in your fridge have to remain at a cold temperature to be healthy to consume. If you leave the refrigerator door open, then a constant beep will remind you to shut it securely. Some fridges already have this installed, some do not, and you’ll have to buy a refrigerator alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Charleston

Just because you may not have a bunch of room in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From flood prevention to anti-surge outlets, here are some safety tips for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or bathtub can cause a whole lot of destruction. Discover a water problem with a flood detector and save the time and money from renovations.
Textured Bath Mats: A slip in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, sore joints, or trips to the hospital. Make sure you prevent these problems with a no-slip bathroom mat for while you towel off.

Textured Bathtub Stickies: Like a tiled floor, a tub can be a slippery area to stand in. Make sure every tub has some no-slip stickies so your feet have a rough patch to gain traction.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have curious children or anyone with memory complications, you need to take additional attention regarding medicine. Safeguard your pills and syrups by getting a medicine cabinet with a latch that locks.

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

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Charleston

A child’s bedroom should counterbalance safety with accessibility. If their window coverings or other items are safe but difficult to operate, then your kids may perform risky methods -- like climb a chest of drawers -- to use them. Here are some easy, yet safe, ideas:

No Cord Window Treatments: Safety agencies have designated window treatment cords an unsuspecting problem for both children and pets. Use motorized shades that you can easily control through a remote. Or even better, connect your motorized treatments to your ADT security system so they can raise automatically at dawn, and go down in the evening for an easier sleep.

Tableside Security Camera: A security camera sitting on your toddler’s desk or dresser can act just like a baby monitor that you can see with your phone. And when they need something, they can use the two-way talk feature on the camera.

Plug Covers: While each outlet should use covers on them to protect your little children, this is especially needed in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one place in your house where your children will most likely be solo without adult supervision.

Window Fire Ladder: If you have bedrooms on the second story, then you should install a window escape ladder. These should let your children get out of their room when the hallway or downstairs are on fire. Make sure to go over how to employ the ladder at least twice a year.

Toy Chest Or Low Bookshelves: It’s interesting to look at a toy chest as a safety component, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever tramped on an action figure in your socked feet. A clutter-free floor means a quick way out when there’s a fire or break-in.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Charleston

The master bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety devices give you peace of mind when you experience an emergency. After all, being startled awake by a wailing siren can be confusing.

Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your nightstand gives you a sense of what’s happening without getting out of bed. You could alternatively use your ADT phone app but, the HD touchscreen is often faster to use when you’re coming out of sleep and confused.

Personal Charging Station: We rely on our cell phones for so much now alarms, internet searches, time wasters, and maybe even phones. But, a dead phone will cut us off from reaching help if during an emergency. To make sure your phone always works, a charging station or cord is an important part of your nightstand.

Nightlight/Smart Lights: A plug-in light can calm you when you’re bolted awake from a fire alarm or other loud sounds. If you have trouble falling asleep with a nightlight, put in smart lights in your bedroom and hall. Then you can have light simply with a mobile device or voice command.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your essential documents like social security cards, passports, or a bankbook in a fireproof lockbox. Your lockbox can be a big one that camps out out of the way or a smaller handheld lockbox that you can carry on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

Temperature Sensor: The problem with most bedrooms is that they might run too warm or be chilly because they are located far from the thermostat. A temperature sensor can talk to your smart thermostat so you can have a pleasant, restful sleep at the perfect temperature.

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Charleston

Most safety problems in the basement or garage have to do with your water heater or HVAC system. Seeing problems before they start can stave away more devastating disasters later on. So, as you walk around your storage areas, take note of these safety items:

Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Putting a flood sensor by your water heater or sump pump can stop you from wading into a pond when you step into your basement or garage. It’s definitely better than sifting through a heap of soggy storage boxes.

Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s nice to have a carbon monoxide detector in an area where a CO leak can occur. If you use gas heating, try to install a detector in the same area as your inbound pipes.
Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood detector senses a hot water leak or a broken pipe, then you will have to cut off the main water pipe immediately. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can block water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s perfect when you’re out of town and get a water leak alert on your mobile device.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up leads to all sorts of issues. You can waste heat or air through that open door, and critters or intruders can just saunder in. A sensor will text you about a forgotten garage door and lets you close it with your phone.
Temperature Sensor: A temperature alarm in your basement or garage is essential if you fret about freezing pipes. The temperature in these rooms can be drastically different than the main part of the house, so you will want to have a closer eye on the temperature with the ADT mobile app.

Outside Safety Checklist for Charleston

Your foliage, drive, and front step are just as important to make safe as the inside of your home. Try the items on this checklist to defend your perimeter:

Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s knocking on the the front step before you open it and welcome visitors. Get a visual on deliveries and record video clips if they vanish off the step.

Outdoor Camera: You can place outdoor cameras to notify you about suspicious lurkers in your yard. These devices are nice in places where you might not have a window -- like a side yard or by the garage door.

Low Shrubbery: High foliage can offer some privacy, but they also obscure you seeing into the outside. Don’t provide potential burglars a place to hide. Plus, high bushes, shrubs or foliage against your home can clog gutters and invite bugs.
ADT Signage: One of the biggest deterrents for a break-in is alerting aspiring intruders that you own a monitored home security system. An ADT yard sign by the main walk and a window decal will show people that they should keep walking to an less prepared house.

Motion Triggered Porch Lights: Light is the biggest obstacle to people who skulk in the shadows. Motion-activated lighting on your deck, porch, or garage can help scare possible intruders away. Flood lights also help you work the locks when you get back home late after work.

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

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t install each household item on your Charleston home safety checklist, we can bring you a customized home security. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can customize the perfect system for your family’s needs. Simply call (843) 305-8663 and talk to a professional or send in the form below. Or customize your own system with our Security System Designer.