ADT® Authorized Dealer Serving Jefferson City & Surrounding Areas

Home Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

Keeping safe in your home should be your largest concern. But are you overlooking a few big safety items? Use this home safety checklist for Jefferson City and find out where your house needs greater attention.

This guide begins with a few whole-house safety ideas, and then we delve down on a room level. Then, phone (573) 200-8693 or send in the form below to talk to a security expert.

Whole Home Safety Checklist

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Jefferson City

While you will want to take a individual room approach to home safety in Jefferson City, there are some methods that work for the whole-house approach. These components can talk with one another through a smart hub, and oftentimes react to other components. You can also manage every one of your home safety components with a smartphone app, like ADT Control:

  • Monitored Home Security System: All your windows and doors should use a sensor that notifies your family to forced entry. When your alarm goes off, your monitoring team picks up the alert and sends the police or fire department.

  • Smart Lights For Each Room: Sure, you can set your smart bulbs to make your home more eco-conscience. But they can also help you keep safe during an emergency. Have your smart bulbs come on when a security alarm triggers to shoo off robbers or illuminate your way to a outside place.

  • Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Jefferson City can save you between 10%-15% in energy spending. It also can start your exhaust fan if you have a fire.

  • Monitored Smoke Detectors: It’s code that you should have a fire alarm on each floor. You can improve your fire preparedness by installing a monitored fire alarm that detects unusual smoke and heat, and notifies your 24/7 monitoring experts when it detects a fire.

  • Smart Lock For Every Door: Every door that utilizes a deadbolt can use a smart lock. Now you may preset key codes to friends and family and get notifications to your mobile device when your locks are unlocked. Your locks can even automatically open, allowing you to quickly leave if you have a fire or other emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

You’ll hang out most in the family room, so it can be the most reasonable area to improve your home safety. Electronics, like your TV or video game console, typically are located in your living room, making it a tempting space for burglars. Start with hanging a motion sensor or indoor security camera by the doorway, then take a look at all these ideas:

  • Motion Detectors: By putting in motion detectors, you’ll have a high-decibel noise whenever they detect unusual movement in your family room. You’ll want motion sensors that aren’t set off by a dog or cat or you’ll get an alert every time your dog comes in for a midnight stroll.

  • Indoor Camera: An indoor security camera puts an eye on your family room. Get real-time streams of your room so you can know what’s happening from the mobile app. Or talk with your kids in the room with the two-way talk feature.

  • Surge Protector/Outlet Maintenance: Protect those electronics and stop overtaxing your electric system with a surge protector. For additional energy-efficiency, install a smart plug with anti-surge functionality included.

  • Entertainment Center Secured To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll want to bolt your heavy furniture and entertainment center to a wall. This is especially crucial if your family room has carpet that could make heavy objects extra unbalanced.

  • Enhanced Locks For Glass Doors: If your living room uses a sliding door that slides out to a backyard, deck, or screened-in porch, you probably can see that the latch is usually worthless. Put in a special lock, like a bottom bar or locks that are located on the bottom and top of the frame.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

The kitchen has room for items that can provide safety to your home. Most of these items should be a snap to add and should be found in the grocery store:

  • Fire Extinguisher: A fire can come from from an overfilled pot or a towel that’s too close to a burner. Always have a fire extinguisher in close reach for any stove or oven emergencies.

  • GFCI Box On Every Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be used on outlets where they’re close to water to prevent electrocution. That includes the outlets close to your kitchen counter and sink. Since 1987, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But if you don’t want all your outlets to go dead when one outlet flips, you’re going to want to install a single GFCI for every outlet.

  • Monitored Carbon Monoxide Detector: A carbon monoxide detector is handy in the kitchen if you employ a gas stove and oven. If your gas lines leak, the CO detector will play a high-decibel siren and call your monitoring center.

  • Cleaning Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety problem in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and contamination from uncooked meat and dairy. Always store antiviral wipes or spray to clean your counters before and after preparing food.

  • Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in your fridge have to remain at a constant temperature to stay safe to use. If you leave the freezer or refrigerator door open, then an alarm 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 buy an external alarm from the hardware store.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

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

  • Flood Sensors: A leaking toilet or tub can cause an expensive amount of water damage. Find a leak with a flood detector before they bring about hundreds of dollars in renovations.

  • Non-slip Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be a painful occurrence, causing cuts, gashed heads, or sprained ankles. Make sure you steer clear from these problems with a non-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

  • No-slip Bathtub Strips: Another water hazard, a bathtub can be a slippery surface to move in. It’s a good idea that every bathtub has some no-slip strips so your feet and toes have a textured patch to gain traction.

  • Medicine Door Lock: If you have little kids or a family member with memory complications, you should take additional attention regarding prescription medicine. Secure your prescriptions by installing a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

  • GFCI Circuits: Just like the kitchen, you will have to also put in a grounded GFCI outlet on each bathroom outlet. These will shut off the current if water enters the outlet or you have a sudden surge from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Child's Bedroom Safety Checklist

Child’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

A child’s bedroom should balance safety with manageability. If their window coverings or other items are safe but difficult to manage, then your children may get around the device with dangerous activities -- like climb a bookshelf -- to open them. Here are some straightforward, and safe, ideas:

  • Cord-Free Window Treatments: Safety agencies have long called cords from shades and blinds an unsuspecting hazard for kids and pets. Use motorized treatments that you can easily open and close with a remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and pair your motorized treatments to your security system so they can raise without anyone’s help when it’s time to get up, and lower at bedtime for added darkness.

  • Tableside Security Camera: A security camera placed on your kid’s desk or dresser can behave like a baby monitor that you can watch with a mobile device. And when they need something, they can hit the 2-way talk button included on the camera.

  • Plug Covers: While each outlet should have outlet safety caps on them to protect your small children, this is especially urgent in a child’s bedroom. It’s the main place in your house where your children will most likely hang out alone without additional supervision.

  • Window Escape Ladder: If you have bedrooms on an upper level, then you should install a window fire ladder. These will let a child get out of their room when the hallway or lower levels are blocked off with fire. Just remember to go over how to unfurl the ladder one or two times a year.

  • Toy Chest Or Low Shelves: It’s strange to view a toy box as a safety device, but you’ll understand if you’ve ever stepped on an action figure in your bare feet. A clean floor let your child have a quick retreat if there’s a safety or security event.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

Your main bedroom should be a refuge, so let your safety components make life easier if you experience an emergency. After all, being wrenched awake by a wailing siren can be disorienting.

  • Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a smart hub on your nightstand lets you see what’s going on without jumping out of bed. You could alternatively use your ADT phone app. However, the large touchscreen can be better to use when you’re coming out of sleep and disoriented.

  • Device Charging Area: We depend on our cell phones for almost everything now alarms, news readers, time wasters, and --legend has it-- even phones. But, an uncharged cell can cut us off from the outside world if during an emergency. So, a charging station or cord becomes an important part of your nightstand.

  • Nightlight/Smart Lights: A small light can calm you when you’re jolted awake from a siren or other sounds. If you can’t fall asleep with an outlet light, use smart lights in your bedroom and hall. Then you can control light simply with a mobile device or voice direction.

  • Fireproof Lockbox: Stash your important papers like insurance cards, medical information, or a spare checkbook in a fireproof lockbox. Your safe can be a large one that sits in your closet or a small portable lockbox that you can grab on your way out during an emergency event.

  • Heat Sensor: The drawback with bedrooms is that they tend to be too stuffy or be frigid because they are located far away from the thermostat. A heat sensor will talk to your smart thermostat so you should have a nice, peaceful sleep at just the right climate.

Garage Safety Checklist

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Jefferson City

Most safety issues in the garage or basement are with your water heater or heating system. Discovering issues before they start can stave away bigger disasters later on. So, as you look around your basement or garage, take note of these crucial items:

  • Flood Detector Or Sump Pump Alarm: Putting a flood sensor by your water heater and sump pump drain can stop you from discovering a mess when you step into your garage or basement. Do you really want to spend your night drying the floor?

  • CO Alarm: It’s smart to hang a carbon monoxide detector in an area where a gas leak can occur. If you use a gas furnace, try to put an alarm in the same room as your HVAC unit.

  • Remote Water Shutoff Valve: If your water sensor detects a hot water leak or a busted pipe, then you need to cap the main water pipe quickly. With a wireless shutoff valve, you can stop water flow from anywhere in the world. That’s perfect when you’re out of town and see a water leak text on your smartphone.

  • Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up brings about all types of issues. You can lose HVAC energy through that open door, and critters or intruders can just saunder in. A sensor will alert you to an open garage door and allow you to close it through the app.

  • Temperature Sensor: A heat sensor in your garage or basement is essential if you wonder about your pipes freezing. The temperature in these areas can be surprisingly different than your main rooms of the house, so you may need to maintain a constant look on them through your mobile app.

Outside perimeter checklist

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Jefferson City

Your foliage, driveway, and front step are just as imperative to defend as the inside of your house. Try the items on this checklist to make your outside safe:

  • Outdoor Camera: You can hang outdoor cameras to notify you about late night movement in your yard. These cameras come in handy in areas where you may not have a window -- like a side yard or by the garage door.

  • Window Height Shrubbery: Overgrown bushes can offer some solitude, but they also hinder your view of the yard. Don’t provide potential burglars an area to hide. Plus, large bushes or foliage against your home can obstruct gutters and bring in pests.

  • ADT Signage: One of the largest discouragements for a thief is advertising to aspiring burglars that you own a state-of-the-art ADT security system. An ADT yard stick by the front door and a window sticker will alert lurkers that they might want to keep walking to an less prepared house.

  • Motion Triggered Flood Lighting: Light is the best deterrent to people who lurk in the shadows. Motion-triggered lights on your deck, porch, or garage can frighten possible intruders away. Lights also help you see the walk when you get back home on those dark, winter nights.

Call Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help Complete Your Home Safety Checklist for Jefferson City

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver non-security devices on your Jefferson City home safety checklist, we can bring you a customized home security system. With alarms, security cameras, and home automation, we can personalize the perfect system for your home’s needs. Simply phone (573) 200-8693 and talk to a professional or fill out the form below. Or personalize your own solution with our Security System Designer.