Home Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

Keeping safe in your home should be your number one priority. But are you missing a few big safety components? Use this home safety checklist for Harrisburg and discover where your living space requires an update.

We give you some whole-house safety ideas, and then we delve down room-by-room. Then, call (717) 256-1545 or fill out the form below to get your house set up.

Basic Home Safety Checklist for Harrisburg

While you may want to use a room-by-room approach to home safety, there are some things that work for the entire house approach. These components can talk together through a smart hub, and oftentimes work off one another. You might also manage each of your home safety equipment using a smartphone app, like ADT Control:

Monitored Security System: Each one of your entryways should have a sensor that alerts your family to a break-in. When an alarm trips, your monitoring team answers the call and immediately calls a first responder.

Smart Lighting For Most Rooms: Sure, you can set your smart lighting to make your house more energy-efficient. But they can also allow you to remain safe throughout an emergency. Make your downstairs lights flip on when an alarm triggers to frighten off intruders or light the way out to a safe location.

Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Harrisburg can save you 10%-15% in gas and electric costs. But it also can start an exhaust fan if you have a fire.

Monitored Smoke Detectors: It’s code that you will have a fire alarm on every level of your house. You can increase your fire game by utilizing a monitored fire detector that senses excessive smoke and heat, and alerts your round-the-clock monitoring agents when it thinks that there’s a fire.

Smart Lock For Every Door: Every door that needs a keyed lock can use a smart lock. Now you may preset codes to friends and family and get alerts to your smartphone when your locks are activated. Your locks can even automatically open, allowing you to quickly flee the house if you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room/Living Room Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

You’ll hang out most in your living room, so it may be the best room to improve your home safety. Popular items, like your TV or video games, probably are located in your family room, making it a popular space for burglars. Start with installing a motion detector or security camera in your room, then take a look at all these suggestions:

Motion Sensors: By installing motion sensors, you’ll hear a shrieking siren whenever they detect unusual motion in your family room. The best devices are motion sensors that aren’t set off by a dog or cat or you’ll see your sirens go off each time your pet comes in for a midnight stroll.
Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera offers a constant watch on your living room. View live streams of everything so you can find out what’s going on through the mobile app. Or talk with family members in the room using the two-way talk feature.
Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Safeguard those electronics and stop overloading your electric system with a surge protector. For extra comfort, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality built-in.
Furniture Attached To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll want to attach your entertainment center or other heavy furniture to the wall. This is especially important if your family room has carpet that can make furniture extra wobbly.
Enhanced Locks For Glass Doors: If your living room uses a sliding glass door that leads to a deck, patio, or outside porch, you already can see that the latch is fairly worthless. Put in an enhanced lock, like a bottom bar or locks that bolt to the bottom and top of the door frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

Your kitchen has many items that should add comfort and safety to your home. Most of these objects should be a snap to add and should be found in the Target or Walmart:

Fire Extinguisher: A fire can happen from an overfilled frying pan or a towel that’s too close to a burner. Always store a fire extinguisher at hand for any kitchen mishaps.
GFCI Box On Each Outlet: A circuit interrupter outlet should be used on outlets where there’s nearby water to lessen the chance of an electric shock. That includes the plugs around your kitchen counter and sink. Since 1987, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But each one of your plugs will flip off if any outlet senses a surge, so you’ll want to have a single GFCI for every outlet.

Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A CO detector is needed in the kitchen if you have gas for the oven and stove. If your gas appliances spring a leak, the CO detector will emit a high-decibel sound and call your monitoring center.
Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The largest safety issue in the kitchen is the viruses, bacteria, and contamination from uncooked meat and dairy. Always store disinfectant wipes or a bleach spray to scrub off your surfaces when preparing food.
Freezer and Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in your fridge have to remain at a chilly temperature to be healthy to use. If you accidently leave the refrigerator door open, then a small beep will let you know so you can close the door. Some appliances come with a pre-installed alarm, others do not, and you’ll have to buy an external alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

Just because you don’t a lot of room in your bathroom there’s still safety issues. From flood detectors to anti-surge outlets, here are five safety ideas for your bathroom:

Flood Detectors: A leaking sink or shower can cause extensive destruction. Find out early about leaks with a flood detector and save the time and money from renovations.
No-slip Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be devastating, causing cuts, sore joints, or trips to the hospital. Make sure you avoid these hazards with a non-slip bath mat for while you towel off.

Textured Bathtub Stickers: Another water hazard, a bathtub can be a slippery surface to be on. It’s a good idea that each has some non-slip stickers so your toes have a bumpy patch for stability.

Medicine Door Lock: If you have little kids or anyone with memory complications, you should take extra attention regarding medicine. Safeguard your bottles by installing a medicine cabinet with a child-proof lock.

Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Just like the kitchen, you should also install a safer GFCI outlet on every bathroom circuit. These will shut off the current if they ever get wet or they experience an unusual jolt from a curling iron or hair dryer.

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

Your child’s bedroom should pair safety with simplicity. If their window treatments or other things are safe but hard to operate, then your children may try dangerous activities -- like shimmying up a bookshelf -- to use them. Here are 5 simple, and safe, ideas:

Cordless Window Treatments: Safety agencies have identified cords from shades and blinds a hidden problem for children and animals. Put in motorized shades that kids can easily manage through a remote control. Or better yet, connect your shades to your ADT smart hub so they can raise without anyone’s help when the sun comes up, and close at bedtime for added darkness.

Tableside Security Camera: A security camera sitting on your child’s dresser can act just like an HD baby monitor that you can see from a mobile device. And if they need something, they can hit the 2-way talk feature on the camera.

Plug Covers: While each outlet should have protective covers on them when you have small children, this is especially important in their bedroom. It’s the one room in your house where your child will most likely hang out solo without constant additional supervision.

Window Fire Ladder: If you use bedrooms on the second story, then you should have a window fire ladder. These will let a child escape in case the stairway or ground floor are engulfed in smoke and fire. Just remember to rehearse how to employ the ladder at least twice a year.

Toy Box Or Low Shelves: It’s interesting to look at a toy box as a safety device, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever walked on an action figure in your socked feet. A clean floor means a quick escape when there’s an emergency.

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

Your master bedroom should be an oasis, so let your safety items give you peace of mind if there's an emergency. After all, being jerked awake by a wailing buzzer can be disorienting.

Home Security Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your nightstand lets you see what’s happening without getting out of bed. You could always use your ADT mobile app. However, the large touchscreen is often easier to control to use when you’re bleary-eyed and confused.

Phone Charging Area: We use our cell phones for so many things now alarm clocks, news readers, game machines, and --legend has it-- even phones. However, a dead device in the middle of the night cuts us off from reaching help if something goes wrong. To keep it nice and ready, a charging station or cord becomes an important part of your nightstand.

Smart Lights Or Nightlights: A tiny light can be a beacon when you’re bolted awake from an alarm or other loud sounds. If you can’t fall asleep with a nightlight, use smart lights in your bedroom and hall. Then you can have light anytime with a button push or voice direction.
Fireproof Safe: Stash your vital paperwork like insurance cards, stock certificates, or a bankbook in a fireproof safe. Your lockbox can be a large one that is located out of the way or a small portable lockbox that you can snatch on your way out during a fire or other emergency.

Temperature Sensor: The problem with a master bedroom is that they tend to run too stuffy or be chilly since they are located across the house from the thermostat. A heat sensor will communicate to your smart thermostat so you will have a comfortable, peaceful sleep at the perfect temperature.

Garage/Basement Safety Checklist For Harrisburg

Most safety needs in the garage or basement deal with your water heater or furnace. Discovering hazards at the source can stave away larger disasters later on. So, as you look around your basement or garage, check over these safety items:

Water Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood sensor by your water heater and sump pump can stop you from wading into a pond when you go into your basement or garage. Do you really want to spend your night getting rid of standing water?

Carbon Monoxide Alarm: It’s nice to have a carbon monoxide detector in areas where a natural gas leak can spring up. If you use a gas furnace, you’ll want to put an alarm in the same area as your inbound pipes.
Wireless Water Shutoff Valve: If your flood alarm finds a plumbing leak or a broken pipe, then you need to shut off the main water valve quickly. With a WiFi shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from your phone. That’s nice when you’re on vacation and receive a water leak alert on your phone.
Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up brings about all sorts of headaches. You can lose a bunch of heat through that large opening, and all sorts of animals or intruders can just walk in. A sensor will alert you to an open garage door and lets you close it remotely.
Temperature Sensor: A temperature sensor in your garage or basement is a definite if you worry about frozen pipes. The temperature in these rooms can be wildly different than the rest of the home, so you will need to keep a closer eye on them with your security mobile app.

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Harrisburg

Your yard, driveway, and front step are just as crucial to make safe as the inside of your home. Use this checklist to make your outside safe:

Doorbell Security Camera: See who’s knocking on the door before you answer it and talk to visitors. Get a visual on package deliveries and look at video clips if they are stolen.

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

Low Shrubs: Overgrown foliage can create some privacy, but they also obscure you seeing into the yard. Don’t offer potential burglars an area to hide. Plus, large shrubs or trees around your structure can jam up gutters and invite pests.
ADT Yard Signs: One of the most popular disincentives for a break-in is advertising to would-be intruders that you own a monitored security system. An ADT yard stick by the front door and a window decal will alert ne'er-do-wells that they should move on to an less prepared house.

Motion Triggered Outside Lighting: Light is the best deterrent to people who lurk in the shadows. Motion-triggered lighting on your deck, patio, or garage can help scare possible intruders away. Lights also help you see the walk when you get home late at night.

Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You Finish Your Home Safety Checklist for Harrisburg

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t help you with each household item on your Harrisburg home safety checklist, we can install a customized home security. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can customize the best system for your house’s needs. Just phone (717) 256-1545 for more information or complete the form below. Or personalize your own solution with our Security System Designer.